SHONA BRANIGAN ARTIST PRINTMAKER

I am an artist printmaker, creating Tree prints, wood engravings, woodcuts and Drypoint.

I have an open studio in Grizedale Forest where you can watch me at work, buy original prints, and have-a-go yourself.

Printing Sycamore Gap: The Heartwood Exhibition

Current exhibition: Great North Museum Hancock, Newcastle. 27/9/25-18/1/26

"I felt privileged to be commissioned by the National Trust to print Sycamore Gap, and I also felt a responsibility to do my best so that I could honour not only the tree itself but all the people who loved the tree too. As a north easterner I have known Sycamore Gap all my life and visited regularly, the tree was such a haven in the wild landscape. Now that the series of prints are complete, I am pleased and proud of my work. It's a testament to the tree, to the life of that tree and the lives of other trees to see, to work with it, to see its life, to appreciate it."
The Heartwood exhibition ran from 15th July 2024 until the 2nd March 2025 having been exhibited along Hadrians Wall; in The Queens Hall, Hexham, and in The Baltic, Gateshead.

One of the prints is on permanent display at Housesteads Visitor centre on Hadrians Wall.

Exclusively in the National Trust online Shop

I have the Sycamore Gap tree round in my studio and I am creating original hand burnished prints from the centre of the tree.

The hand printed originals are available in 2 sizes, and 3 colours: Gold, Venetian Red and Ultramarine Blue. It's also possible to purchase a life size Giclee print too.

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Wood Printing Workshop

£50.00 Hare Hill Barn, Cartmel Fell, Cumbria.

Course Date:  Friday, 7th November 2025

Time of Course:  2pm to 4.30pm

Cost: £50 to include refreshments

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Giclee prints

I have begun to create open edition Giclee fine art prints of my Tree prints and will be adding many more new images soon.

To create the giclee prints I first create a hand printed original tree print using one colour of ink. I then paint the finished print with watercolours and develop it into a painting. I photograph the finished piece and modify the colour relationships in Photoshop, including changing the colour of the background paper I am really enjoying, but all the details and integrity of the tree I leave untouched so it still shines through.

They are then printed onto Hahnemühle Photo Rag® which is one of the world’s most popular papers and the valued all-rounder for high-quality FineArt inkjet printing.

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Small Prints under £100

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Medium Prints £100-£350

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Large Prints over £350

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  • Review

    "Really love this print that was bought as a Xmas present for my husband which I also get to enjoy. It also feels special because I have seen Shona at work and I am aware of her skill and passion. I hope the story of this Yew will continue for hundreds of years to come." Michelle P

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Woodcut Prints

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Blog posts

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  • The Sycamore Gap Tree prints: Heartwood Exhibition

    The Sycamore Gap Tree prints: Heartwood Exhibition

    When I heard on the news that the tree had been felled, I felt so shocked and saddened. I didn't think about printing the tree until much later. I was...

    7 comments

    The Sycamore Gap Tree prints: Heartwood Exhibition

    When I heard on the news that the tree had been felled, I felt so shocked and saddened. I didn't think about printing the tree until much later. I was...

    7 comments
  • The Village Oak project

    The Village Oak project

    I was visiting a fellow tree enthusiast near Rockcliffe village just outside Carlisle, in 2023 when I found a mesmerising trunk of oak from a tree. Michael agreed to cut...

    The Village Oak project

    I was visiting a fellow tree enthusiast near Rockcliffe village just outside Carlisle, in 2023 when I found a mesmerising trunk of oak from a tree. Michael agreed to cut...

  • One Ash project

    One Ash project

    One Ash tree printed

    1 comment

    One Ash project

    One Ash tree printed

    1 comment
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The making of the Sycamore Gap Print

Forestry England podcast

Bex heads to Grizedale Forest in Cumbria to meet Hazel Stone and Shona Branigan about art in the nation's forests. Hear how Grizedale became the country's first forest for sculpture, what inspires artists to work in forests, and listen to the digitally manipulated sound of tree rings.

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