Each of the artists showing uses print as a starting point. Whether via monoprint or intaglio the ambition to push the image and the fascination with process takes them on a path of discovery, searching for something more. Every piece is an opportunity to question the process, subvert it or approach it from another direction. Pushing and pulling the image, combining it with other mediums, welcoming the unknown and celebrating the happy accident. Some images, perhaps setting out with the intention of an edition, often result in unique stand-alone pieces. Some of these are on show in the Viewing Room.

Over the weekend of the Woolwich Open Studios 2025 the artists will be opening their studios to give visitors the opportunity to see behind the studio door, an insight into their practice. An opportunity to meet the artist, find out more about the way they work as well as to view and purchase their work directly.

Simon Lawson, May 2025

About the artists:
Desmond Healy (Studio 7-117)
“The recent prints usually start with some drawing from life. I like the sense of urgency that is possible when the marks are made directly into the wax ground. Also the steel plate always seems to do its own thing - often etching a sort of plate tone through the hard wax - sometimes I will burnish this back to get a lighter tone, so the plate evolves in an organic way and this is further explored in the wiping of the plate, when veils of ink are left in the rough, etched surface. I have always liked prints that have that painterly quality with something unrepeatable about each version. Most of all, my hope is that these images have some sort of mystery and resonance, that connects the viewer with the process of looking and remembering - Using that unique quality that intaglio printmaking has of being simultaneously immediate and strangely timeless." - Desmond Healy @desmondhealy.art

Radek Husak (Studio 0-227)
A vibrant and creative mixed-media artist, Radek was born in Poland in 1984 and earned a Master's degree from the Royal College of Art. His artwork courageously delves into the expanded realm of printmaking. Through extensive research and experimentation, Husak has created a distinct technique that merges monoprint transfer with paint and hand-drawn components on aluminium, paper, wood and canvas. His inventive application of common materials consistently challenges the limits of his artistic expression.
By transferring images onto different surfaces, his creations capture movement while reflecting on the remnants left behind. This forward-thinking method reimagines printmaking, incorporating glitches, entropy, and digital alterations that stimulate contemplation and challenge perception. www.rhusak.co.uk @lord_radek

Irena Krizman (Studio TB-131, Unit 8)
Irena Krizman is a printmaker, musician and video creator. A member of Thames Side Print Studio her work explores both traditional printmaking techniques and digital technology. Irena studied at Fine Arts Academy in Venice, in the class of C. Zotti and E. Finci, and specialised in printmaking at Newcastle University, Northumbria University and at Media Photo Print Department in Cardiff Metropolitan University.
”I am interested in intermedial aspects amongst drawing, printmaking, painting, photographic and video processes in creating novel perceptual spaces. My artistic practice is concerned with the processes. It refers in its approach to the creative tension between composition of emerging patterns, clashing forms, the fragility of traces of existence in relation to the material aspect, granularity, texture, depth of the surface and the reflection of pictorial exploration of light, colour, rhythm and perception." - Irena Krizman @irena.krizman

Simon Lawson (Studio TB-11, Unit 8)
Simon Lawson is an artist and master printer responding to the ever-changing urban landscape. Applying a comparative aesthetic to collage he utilises new and archive plates to produce unique composite prints. This has resulted in an ongoing series of large-scale etchings, which explore experimentation in structure, texture and construction of the print itself.
The Amelioration Series take physical subjects as their basis, to represent the human presence and its legacy. Although conscious of the footprint of human impact he is constantly aware of looking upwards, a neglected activity with our increasing fixation on our phones for direction and answers. The ever-increasing development above our eyeline, that which occurs outside of our consciousness but which greatly impacts our wellbeing and ultimately our future existence. He concentrates on subject matter that is typically neglected from artistic representation.
Lawson has collaborated with many artists at the highest level for major galleries and publishers from his Thames-Side studio. His work both as an artist and his collaborations as a master printer are held in many collections, private and public, both here and abroad. www.simonlawsonprints.com @simonlawsonprints

Sisetta Zappone (Studio 4-108)
"In my artwork I blend traditional printmaking techniques to create site-specific installations and limited-edition prints. I like etching on metal because it is an open-ended process, laborious and exciting, which allows me to create multiple layers and depths of figures. Intrigued by the ancient myths that once explained the cosmos, blurring lines between science and magic, my figures inhabit these blurred boundaries, sparking tension between natural and supernatural. They offer multiple interpretations, encouraging viewers to confront their inner thoughts and look beyond the surface. Inspired by natural history and psychology I like to emphasise nature's impact on human emotions and encourage the contemporary audience to reflect on human’s impact on nature." - Sisetta Zappone @sisettazappone_artutor


Thames-Side Studios Viewing Room is located on the ground floor of Unit 8.

Entrance to Unit 8 is via The Atrium. Turn left upon entering the main site, walk through The Atrium turning to the left, to find the exhibition located between studios TB-10 and TB-09. www.thames-sidestudios.co.uk/buildings/woolwich/viewing-room