FashionMemberPrintmakingRisographScreen PrintSolo artist

Xanthe Bonsall

posted by POP Members July 29, 2020

With a focus on geometric shape and playful colour, Xanthe Bonsall is a multi-disciplinary designer based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Brutalism and Modernist architecture are her main sources of inspiration, and her work incorporates sub-cultural references from her interest in electronic music, rave culture, and working class identity. Xanthe has a strong eye for colour and a bold signature style; graphic design meets a hands-on approach that combines digitally rendered imagery with traditional hand printing processes. This results in dynamic prints with a diverse application, vivid pop colours and clashing patterns with a solid retro aesthetic.

The printmaker has recently graduated from Leeds Arts University with a BA in Textile Design, after returning to education as a mature student. During this time, Xanthe launched her designer-maker business and freelance design services, both of which she now works on full-time since finishing her degree. She has collaborated with a number of independent businesses from sportswear brands to coffee roasters, creating artwork for a varied range of products. Xanthe also sells her own range of printed goods online through her website and a number of retail stockists.

Working with a mixture of digital and traditional hand printing processes, she often switches back and forth between the two to create a final outcome. “I love working with screen print to explore shape and colour, and often use it as a method to experiment with composition to then use digitally to create repeat prints” describes Xanthe. Evident in her prints is her fascination with the relationship between geometric form and colour, which she showcases through layering different shapes, resulting in tonal variations caused by overlapping different inks. Xanthe has also recently been experimenting with Risograph printing, creating a range of prints inspired by her love of electronic music, which is a medium she wants to push further in the near future.

On her inspiration Xanthe states; “I am really inspired by my surroundings, particularly architectural form and repetition, and often come up with ideas when walking around local towns and cities seeing different shapes, colours and patterns grouped together“. She is also largely influenced by a mixture of clean Modernist design, and garish 80’s post-modernism. This huge contradiction in design influences combines perfectly in her work.

www.xanthebonsall.co.uk
@xantheprints

You can apply to become a Verified POP Member, like Xanthe, here.

POP Members
Latest posts by POP Members (see all)

You may also like