“Much of my own practice revolves around utilising historical techniques in contemporary ways and I’m excited to help inform, inspire and encourage a new wave of printmakers as part of the Mini Print Wales project.”

Mark Pavey has a passion for understanding and preserving historical knowledge whilst developing his own experimental and contemporary printmaking practice. His varied proficiencies and knowledge of both historical and contemporary techniques relating to letterpress and screen printing, combined with his extensive experience working with students and designers of varying skill levels, provide an engaging and exciting experience for his workshop participants.

As a self-employed graphic designer, Mark has worked with a diverse spectrum of clients on an extensive range of projects. The flexibility afforded to him by running his own design studio has allowed him time to develop his own art practice alongside it. The learning of new techniques and skills has always been a driving force, and these newly learnt skills often feed back into his professional work.

Under the pseudonym Dead Methods, he works extensively in a variety of forms of printmaking including screen printing, letterpress and collage. As well as regularly making new print based art works, he has also curated exhibitions and explored the use of new technologies like laser cutters and 3D printers to create new objects and forms for letterpress printing. This culminated in his Odd Foundry project, which he completed as part of his Masters in Visual Communication. Odd Foundry makes use of analogue (3D Printed Blocks for Letterpress) and digital tools (Web Based drawing tools) to encourage participants to explore and understand how to create their own abstract letterforms.

Teaching has always been something he has partnered with his design work, and being a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication has allowed Mark to transfer his own knowledge and passion of printmaking to a new generation whilst developing his skills in constructive critique and guidance. Prior to working at Arts University Bournemouth, he taught printmaking workshops at the London Centre for Book Arts.

Printmaking has led Mark to seek out, engage with, and create connections with other like-minded artists. In 2011, he travelled across the USA and interned at various historic sites related to letterpress in order to learn more about how type can be made. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Letterpress Workers group and been an invited participant to their International Summit in Milan each year, which assembles artists and printers working to preserve and develop the craft of letterpress. He is currently further developing his printmaking alongside his teaching and freelance work.

https://www.deadmethods.com/