The Arts & Culture Journal

Few artists are better at drawing with a knife than a pen but that rings true of print-maker Anna Casey.

'I've never really been any good at drawing things the way I wanted them to look..', Anna claims, '...so when I started working with stencils and print making I found that I was much better at drawing with my knife than a pen.'

And the results speak for themselves. Anna has established a charismatic style that is both stylish - with finesse and beauty and, well, cool. That is, a 'grown-up' cool. The monochrome palette shouts of retro; of old newspapers, photocopiers that print with smudge-able ink and yet the combination of slap-dash edges and clean, clearly defined line is intoxicatingly arousing. They simply look great. 

But just looking great isn't enough. Commercially produced sunsets can look great, (admittedly not often), so there must be something deeper - a thought process, a reason for these pieces. And thankfully there is. Anna ensures that her work not only looks great, but stands strong against the critics.

'Most of my work is based on stories for adults based around personal experience and I like to explore relationships between people through imagery that isn't figurative; instead representing people through their personal possessions allowing the audience to create their own perception and image of the characters.'

Now taking a second look at Anna's work with this in mind and another layer has emerged. Each piece is framed with character, with an underlying human emotion although humans are rarely present. Desolation, fear, hope… every piece speaks with a new voice.

Asked about her influences Anna picks two hugely contrasting giants of illustration. Geoff Grandfield who you will recognise from his