Georgia Green is a printmaker, creating editions inspired by curiosity, memory and longing.
Georgia graduated from the Glasgow School of Art. Her painterly editions illuminate everyday spaces with a chimerical tangle of curiosity, memory and longing. As a printmaker, Georgia uses her art to unravel the interiors and landscapes she moves through and lives within. She dissolves and dramatises everyday rooms and corridors, questioning notions of intimacy, belonging and confinement through the glaze of domesticity.
How would you describe your practice, and what have you been working on in the Riso room?
My painterly prints play with sunlight, lamplight and candlelight, endlessly drawn to the softness of illumination. Enclosed by these scenes I find myself drawn into the warmth of my childhood; filling empty rooms with colourful figures and animals I collect from children’s books, novels, poetry, films and dreams. My riso editions are award winning, receiving the Jackson’s Art Prize for Planographic Printmaking in 2024. My riso prints have also been selected for exhibitions including the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and a selection of Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers events.
All of my prints start organically as chalk and pastel sketches. I have a scruffy A6 sketchbook I take with me everywhere filled with ideas. In the riso room I translated a collection of these drawings into four-colour riso editions using red, yellow, blue, black and burgundy ink.
Describe Riso Printing in three words
Sustainable, colourful, quick.
Which part of the creative process in Riso printing inspires you the most?
I always find myself drawn to the similarities between modern, mechanised forms of print production and their traditional, hands-on counterparts. I love the textural similarity between traditional stone lithography and riso. Stone lithography is a European printmaking process where oil-based images are drawn and etched with acid on limestone slabs. Whilst they are wildly different processes, the fine dither-dots produced by riso stencils make a textural pattern similar to the rich grain found in traditional lithography stones. The natural translucency of riso ink also complements the delicate potential of lithography’s liquid tusche. My knowledge of each process influences how I interpret colour and pattern across both techniques, strengthening my capabilities in each medium. By highlighting the affinity they share, I also hope to bridge the divide between conventional and more accessible, contemporary printmaking techniques.
If you could only use two colours, what would they be and why?
I usually print four-colour CMYK style prints and rarely print two-colour editions. But I am a huge fan of Teal and Burgundy riso ink. Often riso is associated with bright colours like fluorescent orange and pink, but I think the organic translucency of the ink shines through best when printing with more subtle colours. It is always delightful to see artists using riso inks in subtle ways.
Has your time in the risograph room changed how you work or think?
I have plenty of experience using riso machines, but every machine is different with unique quirks. Each and every machine I gain access to strengthens my knowledge and my love for all things riso! I was able to try a new and less common shade of red riso ink at the riso room, which really suited my prints. I was also able to try Burgundy ink for the first time. So for me it’s been both an opportunity to expand my colour palette and familiarise myself with your rare RZ machines.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to start using Riso?
Just give it a go! I think riso is the most accessible printmaking technique, especially for folks who have little or no prior printmaking experience. One of my favourite things about riso’s plant-based inks is their natural translucency. I would always recommend playing around with the opacities in each colour layer, as you can build a rich array of colours even with just three or four layers of differently coloured ink.
Find Georgia:
Website: georgia-elizabeth-green.com | Instagram: @georgiagreenart
Want to start riso printing?
