Inspired by the beauty of Scotland and nature, the name Juniper Press comes from Laura’s deep love for her homeland, the outdoors and the Scottish juniper plant. She specialises in lino printing to create her bold prints that are influenced by her surroundings and situations she experiences. Creating a range of prints, stationery, homewares and bespoke commissions, Laura’s mono style is much-loved across Scotland and continues to grow in popularity.

The Graphic Design alum has been no stranger to campus with her provision of lino printing workshops at Gray’s School of Art. It was at a similar course back in 2015 where the Juniper Press story all started.

Since 2001, she has worked as a Graphic designer. She’s been the Design Development Worker at Station House Media Unit for almost 14 years, which she describes as a “fantastic community media organisation” based in Aberdeen.

Half-way through her design career she found herself at a creative crossroads, “I thought I had maybe lost my drawing talent,” she shared.

“With design, there’s of course still elements of sketch work, but my time was 90% computer-based. I gradually stopped drawing for fun completely. I was creative in my day job but the more I delayed picking up a pencil to draw for myself, the more my confidence waned. A blank sheet of paper terrified me.”

“That’s why I decided to do the short course in printmaking at Gray’s after my son was born. It was for me more than anything. A reason to push me to open my sketchbook again. When you’re a designer, you work to other peoples’ briefs. I saw the course as being my thing.”

Laura joined the first ever short course programme at Gray’s School of Art, which has since evolved to be known as ‘Engage’. The programme now offers evening classes and weekend workshops to the public to visit Gray’s and join like-minded individuals to explore various creative practices. The course offered Laura a safe space for her to try something new and reignite her creativity.

“I didn’t feel the pressure to do good work, just explore the process and enjoy new techniques. It was a bit of a safety net for me. I was learning alongside people in similar circumstances. People who had lost touch with their creative side because life got in the way. It was a great community to learn in and there was always such a buzz every week. It’s really easy to lose touch with your craft if you’re pulled in other directions, so the course allowed us to hollow out time to reconnect with our creativity.”

“It gave me the confidence in my drawing abilities and ignited an old love of lino printing. I left the course wanting to do more, which accidentally grew into a business.”

With a creative fire burning in her belly, and encouragement from friends and family, Laura soon had a bank of prints ready to sell under Juniper Press at markets across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The prospect was an exciting one for her but one that evolved her offering even further. 

She shared: “My new style just kind of came out of nowhere. I loved the boldness of black and the intricacies of Scandinavian folk art. I had that time to develop my own style and that was something I’d never been able to do before.

“I started selling prints at markets and the response was amazing - hearing the comments alone on my work was a huge boost and each sale was such a buzz. Every market was a learning curve. I soon found that if someone didn’t want a print in their home, that was a lost sale – I had to start thinking about variation and different price points. That’s when I introduced different products and illustrations to compliment my lino prints which reflected my mono style.

“Over the years I have developed a clear brand style with a whole back catalogue of products. I took part in the short course as a hobby, I never imagined that I’d end up selling my work the public.

“To develop my own style, my own thing and having such a supportive following is really special. Juniper Press has opened so many doors for me - it’s allowed me to tap into an amazing community, I’ve met such wonderful people and it even pushed me to start teaching lino print workshops to others.”

Emptying thoughts through art

Returning Gray’s last summer to host her second run of printing workshops, Laura has truly gone full circle to share her passion with others.

She added: “The world is pretty grim right now but getting some art in your life makes everything a little lighter. It’s a cathartic exercise, a mindful process that allows you to empty your day-to-day thoughts.

“I had a couple who almost cancelled their workshop tickets because of a stressful week – after the class they said they were so glad they didn’t! Those three hours of escapism helped them find that reset.”

“Most people who come have never done any printing before and they really surprise themselves. Something magical happens with lino print - it all comes together just like it’s meant to be. It’s an accessible medium and seeing what attendees create it just brilliant.”

With a busy task list waiting for her back at her studio, we took the chance to ask her advice to artists similar to her, “find your style and stick to it,” she replied.

“Just keeping plugging away and you’ll soon find your feet. It’s a tough gig sustaining yourself as an artist, maker or designer. If you go to a market and sell one thing, don’t be disheartened, it’s all in the learning. It might not be that your work isn’t worthy but that the right audience for your work isn’t at that market. It takes time to build customer trust too. Spend the time to try new things and constantly re-evaluate and grow your craft.

“If there’s anything we can take from the world we live in today, nothing is ever set in stone. Just keep rolling with it. And remember - straight paths are plain boring.”

Lino Printing with Juniper Press takes place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July alongside four other workshops during the Gray’s summer Art Weekenders programme.