Hand Pressed Art
HandPressedArt are graphic artworks made in collaboration by Hanneke van Vugt and Olaf Beckers. Hanneke and Olaf met in 1989 and have shared their common love for art and nature ever since.
Hanneke studied drawing and painting in Amsterdam and has been active as an art teacher in education for 20 years. She currently teaches drawing and painting in her studio and makes her own work. Nature is often central to her work.
Olaf took his first graphic course in 1987 and then went on to study biology and environmental science. After 20 years of being active as an environmental scientist, the focus of his activities shifted more to graphic work.
Our graphic work mainly consists of intaglio (etching), planographic printing (monotype) and relief printing (linoleum cut). Works can contain one of these techniques or a combination of several techniques. Through our shared appreciation for the nature around us, we get the inspiration for our works. Olaf focuses mainly on the printing technical aspects and the realization of the monotypes. Hanneke focuses mainly on the design of the etchings and linocuts. The joint works in which the different techniques are combined consist of multiple printing runs, whereby works sometimes go through a press more than 10 times to achieve the end result.
Studio and Gallery
Our workshop is located in the hill country in the south of the Netherlands. From the studio we walk directly into the nature, our source of inspiration. The workshop consists of a spacious studio with various printing presses and a gallery space. We are often in the studio while working and you are always welcome to come in, view our work and see how we work. To avoid disappointment, we recommend that you contact us in advance to ensure we are there. In the studio you can also view works that are not (yet) shown in our webshop.
Work in progress
Below you can see some images of our work process in the studio.
1. draw in the base layer on the metal plate
2. inking the metal plate
3. the print fresh off the press
Frames
All our works are sent in passepartout as standard. For packaging and shipping details see 'shipping & returns'.
The outside dimensions of the passe partouts are standard sizes so that you can easily find a suitable frame yourself. The frames we use in our studio are Barth interchangeable frames 916 zw (or frames without glass, see below). These frames are available in different glass qualities (see www.delijstfabriek.nl). Due to the risk of glass breaking during transport, we do not ship framed works.
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The quality of the artwork on the wall is largely determined by the quality of the frame's glass. Museum glass provides the best quality reproduction but is also considerably more expensive than regular glass, which reflects more light.
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HINT:
As an alternative to unwanted reflections from the glass, you can consider framing the work without glass. Because the work is usually displayed at home, a protective (glass) layer is often unnecessary. Works framed without a (glass) layer often look at their best.
If you're considering framing your artwork without glass, you can find a cheaper frame than the one mentioned above and potentially achieve an even better presentation. For example, consider Ikea frames sold under the name Lomviken. These have a similar appearance as the frames mentioned above, but with plexiglass protection. By framing your artwork without the included plexiglass protection, your artwork will truly stand out.​
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