Exceptional printmaker Gerard Hobson is opening his home and studio to the public as part of York Open Studios

It took him decades to finally find his way back to where his talent lay but, as those who love and buy his work will testify, it has been well worth the wait.

Gerard is now a printmaker specialising in limited edition hand-coloured lino prints and cut-outs, all focused on nature and wildlife in general and birds in particular.

They are hugely popular with those who know what great art looks like and with nature lovers who admire the way he captures his subjects so beautifully.

“The careers advisor suggested I study zoology at university so that’s what I did and after that I got a job at the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as a botanist, after which I went travelling and became a born again christian,” says Gerard.

“My faith really changed my attitude to life and I ended up working as manager of a homeless hostel in York until I was made redundant.

“That turned out to be a blessing because when I started to think about what I really wanted to do and that was to be an artist.”

His wife, Nicolette, agreed that he should give it a go for a year to see if he could make art pay. That was 15 years ago and, after taking a course in print-making at York College, he has never looked back.

The element of the course he really connected with was lino printing, which involves carving a design into a linoleum, rubber or vinyl surface that can then be printed from.

“It’s quite similar to wood-carving and it’s very therapeutic,” says Gerard, who now sells his work from his website and from his Instagram shop gerardhobsonprintmaker.

There’s a chance to see his lino prints and wood cut outs this weekend, April 15 and 16, and next weekend, April 22 to 23, between 10am and 5pm, when he opens his gorgeous home on Water Lane, York, to the public for the annual York Open Studios event.

The house, which he shares with his wife and their two grown-up children, was bought 21 years ago when it was in need of renovation.

The price of £65,000 reflected this and in a city that has the highest house prices in Yorkshire, that was a major lure, as was the fact it came with a corner plot that had planning permission for development.

The initial idea was to self-build on the plot but after settling into the existing house and making it their own, they recently decided to sell the land to a builder and use the cash to improve and extend what they had.

That included making what was a separate sitting room and kitchen/diner into one large open plan space. Gerard and Nicolette also commissioned a loft conversion to create a fourth bedroom with ensuite

It is a beautiful home full of creative ideas and art, of course. There are also plenty of upcycled finds, including a vintage wooden herdsman’s chest in the sitting room alcove.

It was spotted in a skip at the Great Yorkshire Show after a farmer had inexplicably thrown it away and when Gerard asked if he could take it out and make use of it, the surprised farmer answered “yes”.

Hoarding old bits of wood that “might come in handy” has also proved useful over the years and the handmade headboard in the main bedroom is testament to that.

Gerard’s art work also features heavily in his home, of course, and includes lino prints and a wall-hung cabinet that houses a flock of wood-cut birds.

The latter sits next to a tree installation made from a huge branch hung with faux leaves and paper lantern lights. There’s also work from other artists including Mark Hearld and Leslie Birch.

“Some people buy art to match a particular colour scheme but we are quite eclectic and it seems to work,” says Gerard, who invested the money from the land sale to commission a garden studio

“I’d been working at the kitchen table for years which was okay but the studio has been fantastic not least because I don’t have clear everything away like I did when working in the house

Along with his own work and running printmaking workshops, Gerard recently accepted a commission from the York Minster shop.

They wanted some merchandise to celebrate the peregrine falcons that now nest high up on the Gothic cathedral..

“I suggested a limited edition screen print of a peregrine and managed to get up on the roof to see the birds, which was an amazing experience and I love the idea that someone from Japan might buy one to take back home,” says Gerard.

The prints will be on sale in the Minster shop soon.

*Gerard Hobson’s house at 51 Water Lane, Clifton, York, YO30 6PW is open this weekend, April 15 and 16 and next weekend 22 and 23, 10am to 5pm as part of the York Open Studios event. Gerard’s website can be found at www.gerardhobson.com and his lino prints range from £80 to £500 and the cut-out birds are priced from £25.

*York Open Studios is one of the best events in the city’s calendar and sees scores of artists and makers living within a ten-mile radius of the city opening their work spaces to the public.

For more details and interactive maps visit the website at hwww.yorkopenstudios.co.uk/