Reading (c1946, Wolverhampton Art Gallery) by Ethel Gabain (1883-1950) captures the absorption of a reader who is oblivious to chores and any need to tidy up the pile of objects behind her armchair. She could be reading To Bed with Grand Music or Miss Ranskill Comes Home, both first published in 1946, and both page-turners set in the then very recent past.

This week we consider the sacrosanct activity of reading for pleasure, something we hope will be possible for all our readers over the festive season. This is A Quiet Half-Hour (1876, National Trust Hilton Ampner) by Lionel Charles Henley (b1843). Although the reader's dress is heavy and tightly fitted, she has managed to achieve a high degree of comfort with tea, cushions, a footstool, and is clearly not to be disturbed. She could, perhaps, be reading The New Magdalen (1873), one of our Victoriana titles.

Jan Brewerton mostly uses the classic combination of black ink on white paper for her linocuts. This emphasises the patterns and clean lines of her prints, many of which are inspired by domestic life. Motifs include "vessels, artefacts, implements, textiles, flower and fruit forms, patterns and natural materials". And the all too familiar sight - especially at this time of year - of a sink full of washing-up.

Niki Bowers' finely detailed linocut prints reflect the landscape and wildlife of rural Norfolk, and often feature distinctive trees, hedgerows, wide skies and swirling flocks of wild birds. Her winter scenes are particularly evocative. This is 'Storm Light' which captures the colours of a December dusk, the bare black branches, and the movement of the birds.

Although Clare Curtis uses lino for many of her prints, she has also produced a series of four large and vivid allotment screen prints, one for each season. This is "Shortest Day', printed by Penfold Press, depicting a frosty winter's morning. The plot is bare apart from the cabbages and kale creating bold shapes, and there is a pared-back beauty to the scene. It also plays with references to Christmas in the choice of colours and with the inclusion of a redwing and a bearded and red-hatted gardener with a stalk of sprouts slung over his shoulder. 

Matt Underwood is highly skilled at handling multiple blocks to achieve great depth and range of colour in his woodcut prints. He uses watercolour and gouache paints, and prints on fine but very strong Japanese paper. 'Crocus' is inspired by a Clarice Cliff 'Crocus' eggcup, a design which appeared c1929.

We often feature and use woodcut and linocut prints made by favourite artists such as Clare Leighton, Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood. As these printing techniques are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, this week we have five bright, cheerful, seasonal prints by contemporary artists. This is 'Persephone Snow' by Angie Lewin; the soup bowl is part of the 'Persephone' range designed by Ravilious for Wedgwood which came out in 1936 (the original name was 'Harvest Festival' but this was changed in 1938). Ravilious and Wedgwood (1995) is the book for admirers of Ravilious' china.