Jo Pearson

A self-taught printmaker based on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, where she carves bold, bright and slightly bonkers relief prints from her home studio - often in the company of two very clingy dogs. Jo makes original lino, woodcut and riso prints.

Originally trained in ecology and formerly a secondary school science teacher in North Belfast, Jo found her way into printmaking through climate activism. What began as banner-making for Extinction Rebellion soon turned into a full-blown obsession with lino tools, sparked just as the pandemic hit. Four years later, printmaking has become her full-time profession.

Jo works primarily in large-scale lino, using industrial flooring lino for its generous dimensions (if not for its sanding demands). She sketches directly onto the lino in rough outlines, preferring to let the carving guide the final image, embracing imperfection and spontaneity, animals are a central theme in her work.

Jo’s studio practice is a blend of the meditative, chaotic and routine: carving, printing, packing orders, dodging admin, and chatting with a tight-knit network of fellow printmakers who inspire and support her. Her favourite days are the ones that leave ink under her nails and dogs on her lap.