Sophie Brogden
Fairlight Prints
Written by Amanda Plester
Finding Sophie’s work was one of those genuinely exciting discoveries that really spurred me on to make Florrie a reality. As a super keen gardener myself her work pulls together so many things that I delight in– exquisite flowers, traditional crafts, extraordinary attention to detail.
Sophie is a Surrey-based printmaker whose practice is rooted in traditional craftsmanship — linocuts, etchings and aquatints, each one made entirely by hand with the kind of patience and precision that is has me in absolute awe. What sets her apart is not just her technical skill, which is extraordinary, but the fact that so much of her work begins in the garden and on the allotment.
Sophie grows and photographs all of the flowers that appear in her prints — observing them, drawing them by hand and then hand-carving those drawings onto traditional hessian lino. The detail in each piece reflects hours of work and is evident in every print that we have handpicked for the Florrie launch collection. She agonises over every element, hand-mixing colours until they are exactly right; in fact, the Floral Chorus linocut pink was a special edition colour mix blended for Florrie.
Her etchings are made using aquatint on zinc and steel plates through a multi-layered intaglio process. And Sophie has introduced me to the art of creating prints from upcycled Tetra Paks - yes, literally using the inside surface of your juice carton from the fridge! The whole process is as ingenious as it sounds.
We are absolutely delighted to stock a selection of Sophie's linocuts alongside her exquisite Waterlilies etching in our launch collection. I have a particular soft spot for the Peony and In My Garden linocuts featuring flowers that I grow in my own garden year in, year out. Sophie’s work really does make the perfect gift for any garden or flower lover.
We are not alone in being huge fans of Sophie’s creations, as she has been selected for the prestigious Ironbridge Fine Arts Printmaking Exhibition 2026 and a selection of her prints are currently on display in the RHS Wisley Gallery. Let us know which of her prints are your favourites! And visit this page next month to meet another of our artisan makers.