Esther North

Using traditional signwriting and gilding techniques, I explore light and texture through bold typographic and geometric designs. I’ve benefited from informal tuition from master signwriters, but beyond that I am largely self-taught. The process, heritage and tradition of the craft of signwriting is central to my work: all the letter forms are hand drawn and I do not use tape or stencils. The result is a tension between the organic character of hand painted forms and the precision and sharpness of highly practised craft. A lot of my work features directionally burnished gold: a technique in which gold leaf is burnished to create depth and fool the eye. It changes with the light and position of the viewer and creates movement and warmth. The words I use in my compositions are phrases that catch in my consciousness, simple statements of emotion, cultural references, and love letters to British idioms.

BA Hons English Literature, University of Sheffield

BLOOM, curated by Skye Victoria Projects of Roar Artist Agency, at Colours Hoxton, London, 2022.

PreVinylettes Suffragette Centennial Show, Ford Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2020