About Us
We are Cameron Short & Janet Tristram, artist craftsmen, and we're delighted to bring you 'Bonfield Block-Printers'.
Home is a crooked Georgian house, complete with its own shop, in a corner of West Dorset, England. Surrounded by woods, ancient hill forts and ramshackle farms, and with Lyme Bay not far away, we find inspiration in every direction. Our work is rooted in our love of both the countryside and sea, rural life - its rhythms and traditional skills - and the folklore of trees, plants and animals. It is often created in repeat, and has a strong narrative element. The tools which give our imagery life are our carving gouges and scoops, and a wonderful hand-cranked press from 1904. Our workshop is the old Thorncombe village stores, still with its handsome original frontage and timber-lined interior. Inside, you'll glimpse our printing paraphernalia (including our blocks) and be able to peruse, and buy, our wares.
We are open by appointment only from Monday to Friday; please email (workshop@bonfieldblockprinters.com) or phone (01460 30268) in advance.
Many have influenced our aesthetic - thank you Thomas Bewick, Paul and John Nash, Samuel Palmer, Ivan Bilibin and William Morris to name but a few. One, however, shines brighter than the rest - Marthe Armitage, a generous and brilliant mentor to Cameron. We are indebted to her for lighting the flame in the first place.
"As a child growing up on a small, Hampshire farm in the mid-70's, I have vivid memories of scarecrows standing in fields, charcoal burners and coppice workers toiling in the woods, Romanies and bearded characters in tatty coats wandering the lanes. For the most part, they're ghosts now but their stories have an enduring magic…"
Cameron Short
