To help you get to know the Studio Fridays artists better, I’ve asked each of them to share three pieces of their work and answer three questions about their practice. The first artist to be featured is…….

Melissa Harris

1. My favourite work from last year:

Long Spiral, 4cm x 26cm x 42cm.Printed Japanese paper, silk threads, cocktails sticks and ostrich quill. 2025.
Long Spiral has generated ideas for future work on a large scale. The printed paper and form are more elongated than previous paper sculptures, I am looking forward to developing this piece.

2. The piece I am working on now:

Stones No 1. 42cm x 54.5 cm. Classic Kitakata paper, 35gsm. Relief printing inks. 2026
A large scale, multilayered, etched lino print. The first of a variable print series of five prints. The discipline of being able to create repeated shapes and creating distinct print series is my one of my major goals for 2026.

3. My favourite work ever:

Life drawing. 52cm x 72cm, red pencil, black ink on newsprint. 1996.
A life drawing which I did decades ago because it reminds me of my love of mark making. It’s hanging on my study wall. I was between jobs and decided that I needed to start drawing again.

4. What were your 2025 highlights?

Being selected for three open exhibitions:

The Wales Contemporary 2025 at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea.
‘Undoings’, at Sussex Contemporary
‘Paper Year’ at Nook Gallery in Birmingham

Exhibiting my work, thinking about how to present it, receiving feedback and the opportunity to expand my network were all very encouraging.

5. What pieces are you working on at the moment? 

I’m working on a series of variable prints, entitled ‘Stones and Bones’. The stones and bones are representing the building blocks of our homes and our bodies. Looking at archaeology and what’s beneath our feet. I have been exploring transparency and layering and I am expanding my knowledge of printing and learning with every print I make.

6. Who are your artist influences?

Equally important to me are craft, design and art. I find myself drawn to cultures where there are no boundaries between these disciplines. Recently I have been looking East: Two Korean artists, Haegue Yang and Do Ho Suh both exhibited in London over the last two years. They both use paper in their work as a surface and sculptural material. I admire the work of contemporary printmakers Katherine Jones, Steve Edwards, Thomas Gosebruch, Adam Hogarth, Thomas Compton …. and numerous others.