Creative Climate Fest – Popty Press and Haverfordwest Printmakers

Among the participants in the Creative Climate Fest will be Popty Press and members of Haverfordwest printmakers. The press and its workshop is located in the centre of town, a brief walk from historic Bridge Street. I called in the other evening to have a chat about the festival and see some of the fantastic print work that had recently been done by its visiting printmakers.

The building is nestled at the end of a quiet road, and inside is a wealth of terrific printmaking equipment. Regular workshops are held at the premises, and a generous and supportive ethos ensures that its facilities are well used and valued. 

An exciting printmaking workshop will be held during the festival weekend. Found natural materials will be crushed and colour dyes extracted, and members of the public will be invited to make their own postcard prints on the portable Adana press.

 During my visit, Heidi, Popty’s owner, showed me some oak galls she had collected and used for a recent workshop.

A deep sepia hue had been obtained from the galls, and the liquid was mixed with thickeners like linseed oil, and also darkened with fine iron filings. The final ink was thick and rich, making fine pigment for printing.

The workshops will be amazingly revealing for members of the public, demonstrating how readily colours can be pulled out of the surrounding environment. They will also play their part in keeping it local, with printing materials being made at source and on the spot!

Popty itself is a fine local workshop, with beautiful old print equipment getting its fair share of use with the most up-to-date technology.

Heidi’s workshops at the premises are also a great local asset for anyone interested in the art of printing and what it can offer.

Popty and Haverfordwest’s printers will be central to the Climate Fest’s creative programme. And a lovely piece of personal printed work will be available for anyone fortunate enough to attend the workshops over the weekend.