Today I’m continuing my collaboration with photographer Christine Burns. She’s capturing Irish makers in their studios, and I’m following up and sharing an interview with each of them. In case you missed the first one, here is my interview with Hajni of Mianra Soaps.
Now, on to today’s maker: Fán Regan of Fawn Printing. I’ve admired Fán’s beautiful prints at markets for ages, and I’m excited to share a little about her process and how she came to run her own creative business today.
Fán has always had a creative streak, and earned an art degree in fine art painting. But she actually found the critiquing process of art school crushed her creativity a little bit. She moved to London and took an office job for several years. When she was made redundant in her job in 2011, she seized the opportunity and threw herself fully into printing.
Fán’s workspace is in Moxie Studios in Dublin 2, and while she works alone in her little printing space, she loves being surrounded by lots of other creatives. Fiona Snow (remember I showed you her awesome laser cut claddagh rings?) is just next door, and when Fán recently broke her leg in a bicycle incident, Fiona and her husband would pick her up and take her in to the studio, making sure she didn’t go stir crazy at home! What a lovely community to be part of! While the bicycle incident wasn’t ideal, Fán said it’s the kind of thing that “makes you feel like you’re in the right place.”
Fán started with and still only uses a tabletop printing machine for her lino printing, so her operation is surprisingly compact – but heavy! She says her biggest motivation in the printing business, other than simply being able to be creative, is being able to work for herself. I certainly know that feeling!
One of my favorite spots in Fán’s studio is her inspiration board above her desk, filled with cut-outs from newspapers and magazines and books. When I visited, there were a lot of owls and birds clipped to Fán’s pin board. Don’t you just love the little drying lines for prints?
You find Fán’s prints online (although wait just a bit as her shop is getting a redesign!) or find her work in shops in Dublin and around the country.
See a few more photos from Fán’s studio on Christine’s website! Thanks, Fán for letting us inside your creative world!
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