Bonfield Block-Printers, is the brilliantly inspired collaboration of artists Cameron Short & Janet Tristram. Home is a crooked Georgian house, complete with its own shop, in a corner of West Dorset, England.

Surrounded by woods, ancient hill forts and ramshackle farms, and with Lyme Bay not far away, there is an inspiration in every direction. Their work is rooted in their love of the countryside and sea, rural life - its rhythms and traditional skills - and the enchanting folklore of trees, plants and animals. The illustrations are often created in repeat and have a strong narrative element.

The tools which give their imagery life are their carving gouges and scoops, and a wonderful hand-cranked press from 1904. Their workshop is the old Thorncombe village stores, still with its handsome original frontage and timber-lined interior. Inside, you’ll glimpse their printing paraphernalia (including their blocks) and be able to peruse, and buy, their wares.

In The Merchant’s Table, we sell a selection of Bonfield Block-Printers’ cushions, also available in our online shop.

Each block-printed cushion is unique, and they say this with conviction! Although cushions may be of the same dimensions, shape and feature the same design, the nature of block-printing means that no two will be identical. The cushions come in a muted heritage palette of ‘Blue Grey’, ‘Carbon Black’, ‘Elizabethan Ochre’, ‘Midnight Blue’ and ‘Venetian Red’.