Sometimes making a house a home is about the things you choose to put into it.
Taking inspiration from the local area can be a good place to start for those just moving in or a way of updating and refreshing an interior for those who’ve lived in east London and the Docklands for a while.
East London Printmakers (ELP), a creative collective that operates out of Acme’s Copperfield Road studios in Mile End, is getting ready to host its Festival Of Print 2026.
The event will showcase work by more than 100 artists in a free exhibition that serves as an opportunity to discover and acquire locally made pieces.
Celebrating the breadth and depth of ELP’s output, the group’s latest show will feature print produced with techniques including woodblock, screen print, etching and relief.
“Our goal for this show is to explore how different perspectives interact within a shared space,” said ELP member and festival organiser, Inga Eičaitė.
“Every piece tells a unique story, and I encourage visitors to take their time – to start conversations and to really connect with the work.”
Detail from You Can’t Give What You Never Had by Maurice Citron – image by Maurice Citron
an exhibition and a live happening
The showcase is set to take over The Art Pavilion in Mile End Park from October 2-11, 2026.
Free to visit, the exhibition will be open daily from 11am-5pm.
The event will include Box Set, a collection of 40 limited edition prints created by ELP members.
The festival will, this year, also feature The Dreaming Of Butterflies – an evening of performances on October 8 aimed at exploring how printmaking intersects with dance and music.
The event will end with a collaborative collage led by ELP artist duo Jairo Zaldua and Nicola Jane Green.
The evening is free to attend and runs from 7pm.
The Art Pavilion is located a short walk from Mile End Tube and can be reached easily from Canary Wharf via the 277 bus.
Detail from Moonstone, Sapphire And Saffron by Lydie Gallais – image by Lydie Gallais
key details: Festival Of Print 2026
East London Printmakers’ Festival Of Print 2026 is set to take place at The Art Pavilion in Mile End Park from October 2-11, 2026.
Entry is free and the exhibition will be open from 11am-5pm daily.
The plain white walls of Acme’s Copperfield Road studios are a visual amuse bouche for the quiet riot of creativity that lies within.
Like the blank sheets of paper used by the image-wrights inside, the possibilities for what might be are limitless.
That’s all due to collaboration and cooperation.
Walk through the doors at East London Printmakers (ELP) – located on the building’s ground floor – and you’ll find a large, brightly lit space filled with presses, etching baths and paraphernalia, all waiting to be used.
Everywhere there are wire racks to store fresh prints for drying.
It’s a workshop, ready and waiting with the tools for artists to make things – to turn their imaginations into hard copies.
The facility has its origins in a group of artists who began meeting monthly at Pub On The Park in Hackney.
Screenprint Melting City by Paul Lincoln – image by Paul Lincoln
a bit of East London Printmakers history
“They were already calling themselves East London Printmakers when I met them,” said founding member, artist and tutor at ELP, Ann Norfield.
“At that time it was hard to find places to print.
“I’d do courses at the City Lit, but that was only three hours every now and then, so I was certainly thinking it would be great if there was a local studio in east London where I could fit making work in with everything else.
“I became a printmaker because I didn’t have a lot of spare time and it’s something you can do in small bursts.
“It started when my children were small about 33 years ago and I’ve made artwork all through my adult life.
“I was an art teacher for 40 years and I retired five years ago. Since then, I’ve been able to concentrate on my own practice.”
ELP is located in Mile End – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
from London Fields to Mile End
The 10 or so people in that nascent ELP group all felt the same and, after setting up an interim space with Bow Arts, found a more solid home established through Space Studios near London Fields.
The deal was that in return for a contribution towards equipment, ELP would rent a studio and provide facilities and community access to them.
Opened in 2003, the collective effort was a success, with the facility and membership growing as well as the introduction of courses to educate local artists and designers.
“Everything had been done on the premise that we wanted to provide somewhere affordable for people to work,” said Ann.
“But then the rent suddenly shot up in 2016 and we realised that would be impossible unless we moved.
“Fortuitously, Acme in Mile End had a space recently vacated by an art gallery and we were able to take it on.
“It took us 14 weeks to move into the unit and then pull a studio together to get it up and running for the community again.
“We had about 40 people work on the project and then, after moving the presses – some of which are very heavy – we had to get specialists in to ensure they were set up and aligned properly.
“We also had to build some new walls and replumb the place – it was all done voluntarily with a huge amount of communal goodwill.”
Artist Tanaka Mazivanhanga at work in ELP – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
East London Printmakers today
Today, the membership has grown to around 50, with about 200 associates using the facilities.
There’s also a wider community who attend courses, talks and events.
For printmaker and ELP member, Paul Lincoln, it’s a place where he can get his hands dirty.
“I trained at the City Lit and I’ve done courses here too – I’ve been involved for about five years,” he said.
“As an editor I’ve always worked with graphic designers and so visual communication has always been an interest for mine.
“I’ve done printmaking off and on for about 20 years, but I’ve taken it more seriously recently.
“Right now I’m doing silkscreen prints based on photography.
“I take an image, manipulate it digitally, then output it onto an acetate using a machine, scan it on a lightbox and that fixes the image as an emulsion.
“It starts as digital and then becomes entirely analogue.
“You ink up the screen and then you can select the colours and print on paper.
“Last year I also got quite excited about printing on fabric, making long hangings.
“Mainly my focus has been on buildings, such as tower blocks in the City, and the stuff I’m doing today involves maps and images imposed on them.
“I like how messy it can be and it’s nice to see things happen by chance – most of my career has been digital and precise.
“You can work quite fast, it’s about poster-making techniques, or you can do layering. I also like working with collage, making things and exhibiting them.”
Screenprint Blue Chasm by Ann Norfield – image by Ann Norfield
crumbling shorelines…
Having made use of many printing techniques over the years, Ann is currently working on a series of etchings.
She said: “They’re images of crumbling shorelines eroded by the sea.
“I’ve made a lot of images recently about people making channel crossings and how they cross water.
“This latest series came about because of what you see as the coast comes into view and think about what kind of greeting you will get.
“For the etchings you take a metal plate and coat it with a substance that resists a corrosive solution.
“Where you remove that substance, the solution bites into the plate and they hold ink – that’s what you use to make the print.
“I think there’s an elemental quality about what we do as artists here – constant making is a human need and people really love to do things with their hands.”
Printmaker and ELP member, Paul Lincoln – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
showcasing the work
Paul and Ann’s stories are simply a snapshot of the kind of creative endeavours ELP enables.
To showcase the collective’s wider work, it organises a Festival Of Print, which this year is set to take place from November 21-30, 2025, at The Art Pavilion in Mile End Park.
Paul, who is one of the festival’s organisers, said: “It’s a celebration of print and we have room for 98 printmakers.
“Most people at ELP have a connection with east London, Tower Hamlets or the City, and so we’ll be pitching it as a major celebration of print to people in this area.”
The collective is also keen to branch out and make connections with other local organisations following its successful collaboraton to supply Canary Wharf’s aparthotel, Vertus Edit, with 50 works for its interior decor.
For those who fancy a go themselves, a wealth of courses are currently on offer covering everything from etching to collagraphy, wood cuts, screen printing, lithography and monotype.
Courses are open to all.
Lino print Jazz Owl by ELP member Steve Edwards – image by Steve Edwards
key details: East London Printmakers
East London Printmakers is located in Copperfield Road in Mile End and hosts Community Access sessions on Thursdays from 10am-2pm and 3pm-7pm and Saturdays from 10am-2pm.
These cost £25 for non-associates and £22 for associates.
