There’s something magical about this time of year — the sun lingering just a little longer, the days ripening like berries in the hedgerow, and the air filled with the soft whispers of old stories. Here in the studio, the smell of ink and linocut mingles with the promise of autumn fairs and an Open Studio, and I couldn’t be more excited to invite you along.

This season, I’ll be opening my studio doors to visitors eager to peek behind the curtain at where prints are born, books are hand-bound, and ideas take root. There will be plenty of opportunity to chat about process, colour, and the mischievous creatures that seem to appear in my sketches more often than I planned. More details as always on my Instagram

Alongside the Open Studio day, I’ll be sharing my work at a series of artisan markets across Yorkshire throughout October, November, and December. There’s nothing quite like the hum of a market: the smells, the chatter, the rhythm of footsteps on the streets, and the chance to connect with fellow lovers of arts, crafts, and folklore. I’ll have original lino prints, many with delicate watercolour detailing, handmade and handprinted books, and greeting cards — there may even be a new 2026 calendar to help you stay both organised and inspired. Details of markets will be shared on my Instagram, so keep your eyes peeled.

Speaking of prints, I’ve just added a new sunflower print to the shop, capturing tall, golden heads nodding in the late summer breeze — perfect for anyone who wants a little piece of sunlit magic at home. [Link to studio sales]

As always, my work is inspired by the natural rhythms of the seasons, the hidden stories in the woods, and the folklore that has been my constant companion since I first picked up a pencil to sketch the world around me. I hope you’ll come and see for yourself, whether in person or online, and share in a season steeped in craft, stories, and a little bit of whimsy.

Keep an eye on my Instagram for dates and locations — I’d love to see you at a market stall or in the studio for a cup of tea, some ink-stained chat, and a look at what’s been quietly growing in the corners of the studio.

I've spent years in an 'on again and off again' relationship with Etsy. I dabbled back in 2011, and then decided that direct sales, galleries and exhibitions would be the main selling platform for me. In the intervening years, I've occasionally dipped back in to selling on Etsy; had a play, lost interest and gone back to face to face sales etc again.

Jump to 2020, and, like most, I've had to have a major rethink about how and where I'm promoting my work. I've done a bit of  website update and I'm back on Etsy, properly. I want my work to be widely available and in order to do that I'm putting back on my internet savvy hat, and trying to make the various platforms at my disposal work for me. So here goes, wish me luck! 

Frances Payne on Etsy

Winter Cottage. Watercolour illustration. Frances Payne. 2020.

Prints & greetin cards available from Etsy.

I've always got real joy from being a part, however small, of someone else's creative journey, and as such I have taught, and mentored, both budding and more experienced artists for many years. So when Karen, from the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate, approached me during my 'Imaginarium' exhibition at the Harrogate Theatre in August 2016 about working with the gallery in 2017, I was excited about the possibilities to say the least. 

“Not all who wander are lost” 

(Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring, 1954)

As many of you may be aware, I have had my head buried in books, lectures, theories and so on for the last two years whilst I have been completing a practice based Masters in Creative Practice. I have been creating too, it is a practice based programme after all, but the theory and contextualisation becomes so crucial to the practice element that every spare moment of brain time is consumed. It’s been EXHAUSTING.....

Any half baked complaints aside, the process has been invaluable. I have wandered and lost my way. Found the trail, promptly lost it again,