About me
I'm Vonnie. I'm an artist and printmaker. 'Cogbeetle' is all about creative journeys and my passion for art and nature. My work is inspired by my environment and environmental issues. I have a deep respect for the natural and historical world, and for its conservation. I produce lino-prints using the 'lino-reduction' technique. I also paint and draw as inspiration for my printmaking. I rent a studio at Westbury Arts Centre in Milton Keynes and I am a member of the long-standing community of artists there, known as the 'Artist Collective @ Westbury'. I produce work for exhibition and sale. I'm available for commissions, lino-print demonstrations and teaching workshops in printmaking and design skills.
My interest in printmaking was sparked by a wonderful art teacher who taught me how to print using lino, at school. I left school and went to Basingstoke College of Technology where I completed a BTech National Diploma foundation course in art and design. After that, I graduated with a BA(Hons) in 'Fine Art and non-European Art History' at Birmingham School of Art in 1993; and a few years later went on to complete a Masters degree in Art & Design Education at De Montfort University in Leicester in 2001. I am CTLLS (Adult Education teaching) qualified (2007). I have worked and taught in higher and further education for most of my career; in curriculum delivery, media production/evaluation, distance/online learning and adult education. When I'm not at Westbury, I work in curriculum delivery in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University.
Always mindful of this beautiful planet we live on, I take care to use environmentally-friendly materials in the production of my work and in the cleaning up afterwards.
Exhibitions & Open Studios
Visual Images Group Art Exhibition at Stowe Gardens - 22 to 26 August 2024
Exhibition of work by Buckinghamshire artists
Stowe Landscape Gardens, Buckinghamshire
Holy Trinity Church fundraiser - 30 September to 01 October 2023
Exhibition of work by local artists
Holy Trinity Church, Drayton Parslow, Buckinghamshire
Heritage Open Days - September 2021, 2022 & 2023
Open studio event
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Bucks Art Weeks – June 2020, 2021, 2022,
2023 & 2024
Open studio events in working studio with printmaking demonstrations
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Discover Bucks Museum Open Art Exhibition - 29 April to 08 July 2023
Exhibition of works by professional and amateur artists from Buckinghamshire
Discover Bucks Museum, Aylesbury
Shakespeare Spring Event - April 2022
Group exhibition of works inspired by Shakespeare
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Winter Art & Craft Market - November 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023
Open studio
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Hotbed Press 20:20 print exchange - 2021
An exchange of hand-pulled prints by international printmakers
Curated by Hotbed Press, Salford
The Art of Hand-Pulled Printmaking – Milton Keynes - August 2021
Solo exhibition of lino-reduction prints
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Wolverton Works Windows - Milton Keynes - September 2020
Solo exhibition of lino-reduction prints
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Brontë p.200 Exhibition - January 2020
An exhibition by 200 UK artists depicting pages from Anne Brontë's novel 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' - Curated by Lindsey Tyson
Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
Inspired by Bauhaus – Milton Keynes - October 2019
A group exhibition of textile art curated by ‘Mix3d Stitch’
Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Shape & form - textiles inspired by architecture – April 2018
Curated by Jane Charles
Cornerstone Gallery MK
Aiming to excel - 2010
An exhibition of work by ACE City & Guilds 'Creative Techniques' learners and tutors
AIM Gallery Milton Keynes
Annual exhibition - 1997
An annual exhibition of local artists
Aylesbury Boys Grammar School
Bedfordshire Artists Group - 1996
An exhibition of works by members of the Bedfordshire Artists Group
Bromham Mill
Associate Members of the Silbury Group - 1996
Annual Exhibition
Westbury Farm, Milton Keynes
Galley Hill Arts Workshop - 1995
An exhibition of works by studio artists at Galley Hill Arts Centre in Milton Keynes
Galley Hill Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Birmingham School of Art, BA(Hons) Fine Art Degree show - 1993
BIAD, Margaret Street, Birmingham
Teaching
Lino-reduction printmaking
Privately run by Cogbeetle art, evening classes, day/weekend workshops and one-to-one tuition sessions. 2022 to date. See the Student Gallery for examples of work produced.
City and Guilds Creative Textiles: Textile Techniques (7111 204)
Milton Keynes ACE 2009
Exploring Textiles
Covering, Wet & dry felting, Silk painting, Batik, Shibori and Applique
Milton Keynes ACE 2007 & 2008
Painting
Milton Keynes ACE 2008
Using Information Learning Technologies (ILT) in teaching
CPD session for ACE Tutors 2008
Numerous day-workshops in art & textile-related activities
Milton Keynes ACE 2007 to 2009
Computing & Information literacy skills - A103 Arts & Humanities foundation course
Open University residential schools
The Old Door at Westbury Lino-reduction print by Vonnie Raw (2021)
Print 