With a strong commitment to sustainability, Nikki makes the most of every material. Her wooden brooches and decorations are cleverly designed to be cut from leftover wood, and she even shreds paper scraps for her packaging.
Nikki graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 1997 with a degree in Decorative Arts, exploring ceramics, print, paper, and kiln-formed glass. After a career break, she returned to her first love of printmaking in 2019 and now works from her home studio in Haworth, West Yorkshire, balancing her creative passion with family life.
This month, we're shining a spotlight on the incredibly talented Yorkshire printmaker, Nikki Williams, otherwise known as The Print Lass. We had a wonderful chat with Nikki about her work, the inspirations behind her creations, and her stunning retro brooches.
"I fell in love with printmaking at a young age, experimenting with lino and screen printing at school," Nikki shares. "There's an undeniable magic to hand printing – the intense colours, rich textures, and element of surprise that makes each piece unique."
Nikki's passion for experimentation shines through in her work. She layers colours and textures, often incorporating coloured papers or creating tactile 3D elements by cutting and folding. Recently, she's been exploring a new technique of printing onto cut wooden panels, loving how the ink interacts with the wood grain.
Inspired by mid-century illustration and decorative arts, Nikki's pieces often feature simple graphic shapes and textured hand-drawn elements reminiscent of that era. Artists like Alexander Girard, Charley Harper, and Ben Shahn are among her many inspirations.
