Artist bio
Aprille McShane (b. 1975) is a UK artist and printmaker based in Sheffield. Her work explores themes of time, place, and connection to the natural world. Beginning with daily dog walks, she observes and photographs moments of interest that are later used as the foundation for her work.
Before embarking on an arts practice, McShane worked freelance as a makeup artist in television, film, and music. This practice of looking, adding and subtracting directly feeds instinctively into her compositions.
For McShane, making art is a way to step outside of motherhood and into a deeper awareness of self, witnessing shifting seasons, audacious moments, and quiet details are a timely reminder of life happening. Her work expresses a personal connection to place and time, creating space for her to be seen beyond traditional roles and responsibilities.
She has exhibited in galleries, created public art installations, and continues to develop her practice through experimentation and engagement with the landscape.
Artist statement
I am a self-taught artist and printmaker in my middle years, exploring my place in time and the natural world. My work begins with daily walks; observing, collecting, and sketching small changes in the landscape. These studies evolve into artworks, shaped by process, intuition, and experimentation.
I embrace the physical nature of printmaking; the inking, pressing, and the problem-solving it requires at every stage. Preparing and pulling a plate is both a technical and intuitive process, allowing for spontaneity and surprise. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, often reworked with other media to follow where the process leads.
Making art creates space for me to step outside of motherhood and into a deeper awareness; paying attention to shifting seasons, fleeting moments, and quiet details that might otherwise go unnoticed. I’m not trying to capture an exact scene but to express my own connection to place and time. Through my work, I carve out a presence for myself, as a woman, to be seen beyond my roles and responsibilities.
