Tina Hagger, otherwise known as haggytea, is a Printmaker based in Faversham, Kent, England. She has been making linocut prints for about ten years now, and has begun making TetraPak prints in the past two years. She makes her own work to sell and also delivers workshops. She is very much in love with all things print. @haggytea
Where were you born and raised? How did it influence your art and your thinking about the world? I was born and raised in Kent, England, where I also currently live. It's a rural county, the 'Garden of England', which is in close travelling distance to London, and has a long stretch of coastline, so in my mind I have always thought of it as the best of all worlds. I've always had a great love of nature, which began with countryside walks in my childhood. As such Kent has had a huge impact on my work, many of my prints depict cherished places or scenes from Kent, and those that don't often depict nature seen in Kent or people from Kent or with a link to Kent.
Can you recall a defining moment when you recognized art as your chosen path—and what made that moment feel transformative or irrevocable? I came to this realisation late in life! I had always enjoyed drawing and had taken GCSE Art, but other than that I didn't really engage in making art until I discovered linocut printmaking in 2013, by which time I was 32 years old. My partner bought me a Beginner's Linoprint workshop with Nick Morley in Margate, followed by a two-day colour workshop a few years later. I instantly fell in love with the method and process, and it quickly became my ‘thing’, taking over most of my thoughts and much of my life. I find it incredibly addictive. I taught myself to TetraPak Print about two years ago from observing printmakers on the internet and intuition.
Art is essential to my mental wellbeing, it is the thing I find and make meaning in, and without it I am not sure I would still be here today.
Can you describe your studio environment and how it influences your work? I have recently taken Voluntary Redundancy from my full-time (non-art-based) day job and so currently, a typical day in my studio is actually a full day, which feels amazing! Generally, I have many projects on the go at the same time so I may spend part of the day drawing, linocutting or engraving on one project and part of the day printing. I work in my home studio, which is in the basement of my partner and I's little Victorian house. Our house is on a hill and so the basement is only half underground and has a window which looks out on our tiny front garden and the street. I have packed a lot into this room: a table in the middle of the room with an old glass shower screen on the top which I use to mix and roll out ink, and then around the walls: a cabinet with my book press on, two desks - one for drawing and one for admin, a chest for paper storage and a set of large drawers for packaging, and a bookcase for art books and to store my prints! I have an Xcut Xpress, which I use as a press for my TetraPak prints. I have stapled inspiring postcards and prints all over the walls. I love being there, and can get quite grumpy if things keep me from it.
What projects are you working on at the moment? And what themes or ideas are currently driving your work? I am currently working on a multi-block linoprint of a mass of Foxglove flowers in front of Oast Houses. The inspiration for my prints often comes from the seasons and things I see when I am out and about. This particular print is inspired by a daytrip I made a few years ago to the beautiful Great Dixter Gardens just over the border in Sussex. Another large project I am in the midst of is actually organising a Printmaker's Fair to take place on 1st November in Faversham, Kent. There will be 24 Kent Printmakers with stalls, from all different printmaking disciplines and parts of the county. This is something I have wanted to organise for a long time, and as I don't currently have a day job, I thought now was the perfect time.
What do you hope people feel when they experience your art? What are you trying to express? I have thought a lot about this recently, and I think the main feeling that I am trying to capture and convey is a sense of wonder. I see the feeling of wonder as essential to survival in the insane times we live in.
Which artists, past or present, would you like to meet? Why? These tend to fall into two categories, the first are printmakers I would like to geek out with, chatting about their techniques etc, the prime one being the printmaker and illustrator Edward Bawden.
The second category are those artists whom I have great admiration for their way of life/attitude. An ability to move along their own trails, to make art and live on their own terms. Some of these are from the past, like Derek Jarman, Barbara Hepworth, and Ithell Colqhuoun, and some are very much alive, like Grayson Perry and Maggi Hambling. They were/are unequivocal about expressing themselves and making art.
Do you draw inspiration from other types of arts and/or other disciplines? I draw inspiration from all kinds of culture. Things I see, read, hear, and feel all go into the meld and slowly inspire my artworks.
What about the place you live in inspires you? The beautiful marshland surrounding the town, which I absolutely adore, and the resulting giant skies. And then the people—the town has a unique supportive community which shows enthusiasm for all sorts of ventures by all sorts of people.
Tell us about important teachers/mentors/collaborators in your life. A current linocut artist I admire greatly is Nick Morley. Nick taught me to linocut, and he basically created this monster! I have kept in touch with Nick since he taught me and I now attend a monthly Print Social at his studios in Margate, which is run by him and another amazing linoprint artist, Mat Pringle. It is a real boost to be able to meet up with other linoprint geeks and talk about all things print. We are currently planning a Print Social Exhibition at Joseph Wales Studios in Margate 18- 23 November 2025.
Another amazing studio I visit regularly is Goose Studio, which my town is so lucky to be home to. It is a Riso Print studio which runs Riso workshops, which allow you to progress to attending a Riso Club to make work without tuition. I have fallen completely in love with making Riso Prints due to the studio. I am participating in the Riso Club Print Exchange and Exhibition from 1-7 September 2025, which will take place in a gorgeous old shop in Faversham called 1697.
Do you see your work as part of a dialogue with the environment? Being in nature is hugely important to my work. An example of a recent natural world inspiration was when, back in April, I was walking through an orchard and came across a mass of dandelions, like I had never seen before. Dandelions are commonplace, but there was something about the sheer number of them together that just made me want to create something to capture them. I immediately thought about what a challenge it would be to try to create a linoprint of their wispy seedheads. I spent the next two months working on a multi-block linoprint based on them. A lot of the time, I make prints just to see if I can, and to see them in the world.
AI is changing everything - the way we see the world, creativity, art, our ideas of beauty and the way we communicate with each other and our imaginations. What are your reflections about AI and technology? I am afraid I am anti-AI when it comes to art. My art, and the art I like, is all about the connection between the mind and hands, and about seeing that in the finished artwork. Even when I use the Riso machine, the images I feed into it are hand-drawn/hand-painted or hand-printed. I think the removal of the artist's hand from art makes art that is empty and soulless.
Exploring ideas, art, and the creative process connects me to…Myself, a community, and the whole wondrous world.
