Jonny Hannah – Kay Bruce Toyshop – Red & Orange Colourway – Signed Limited Edition Screenprint 28/50 – 2006

Description

A bold and richly detailed original screenprint by Jonny Hannah, entitled Kay Bruce Toyshop – Red & Orange Colourway, dating from 2006.

The work measures 39.7 × 63.2 cm and was produced in a limited edition of 50 impressions. This example is number 28/50 and is signed by Jonny Hannah in pencil, with the edition number, signature and date visible in the right-hand margin alongside the Cakes & Ale Press imprint.

The composition presents an exuberant imaginary toy-shop world, built from densely layered panels of hand-drawn lettering and illustrated novelty goods. Prominent motifs include a large robot, a baseball player, magic tricks, toy pistols, action figures, disguises, toy vehicles and mechanical novelties. The left-hand side is dominated by the large vertical wording:

KAY BRUCE

with the invitation:

TOY SHOP – STEP INSIDE

running across the upper section.

Other lettering includes:

“SOME GOOD SOME EVIL”

“ALL SHAPES / ALL SIZES”

“MAGIC TRICKS”

“ACTION FIGURES”

and

“KNUCKLE BONES”

The overall effect is deliberately crowded and theatrical, recalling the visual abundance of a traditional toy shop, mail-order catalogue, packaging sheet or illustrated trade advertisement.

Red & Orange Colourway

This example is the Red & Orange Colourway.

The composition is printed primarily in deep red, warm orange-yellow, pale blue-grey and cream, giving the image a markedly different character from the Red & Blue version.

The warmer palette heightens the vintage-commercial quality of the design and gives the screenprint the appearance of an old toy catalogue or inexpensive multi-colour advertising sheet. Hannah uses the orange not simply as a background colour but as a structural element, separating panels, framing the composition and accenting individual toys and lettering.

Toyshop Imagery and Vernacular Graphics

The work is a particularly strong example of Hannah’s fascination with independent shops, toys, commercial lettering and the graphic culture of everyday life.

The toy-shop subject allows him to bring together several recurring strands in his work: hand-painted-style lettering, old-fashioned advertising, novelty goods, popular entertainment and the visual energy of shop displays.

Rather than depicting a literal interior, Hannah constructs the image from fragments — labels, signs, objects, promotional slogans and illustrations. This gives the print the quality of a collage assembled from fictional packaging and vintage shop ephemera.

Typography

Typography is central to the design.

Different lettering styles appear throughout the image, from bold condensed capitals and decorative scripts to rough hand-rendered display lettering. The text is not subordinate to the imagery; instead, words and pictures carry equal visual weight.

This integration of lettering and illustration is one of the defining features of Hannah’s work and gives Kay Bruce Toyshop much of its immediate appeal.

Screenprint Technique

The work is an original colour screenprint.

Screenprinting enables Hannah to build the composition through successive areas of flat colour while preserving the irregularity of his hand-drawn imagery and lettering. The small shifts in registration, variations in ink density and textured edges visible across the sheet are entirely consistent with the handmade nature of the process.

These characteristics give the work a tactile quality and distinguish it clearly from later photographic or digital reproduction.

Date and Edition

The print dates from 2006, placing it relatively early within Hannah’s independent printmaking output.

This example is:

28/50

from an edition of only 50 impressions.

The combination of the early date, substantial format, small edition and particularly dense subject matter gives the work strong collector interest.

Artist

Jonny Hannah is a British illustrator, painter and printmaker whose work is closely associated with hand lettering, folk art, old advertising, toys, music, maritime culture and vernacular graphic design.

His images frequently draw on the appearance of shop signs, trade labels, packaging and popular printed ephemera, reworking those influences into highly individual contemporary artworks.

Kay Bruce Toyshop – Red & Orange Colourway is an especially representative example, combining toy imagery, typography and the visual language of traditional commercial printing.

Condition

Very good to excellent condition overall.

The red, orange-yellow and pale blue-grey printing remains strong and attractive, with the image retaining excellent visual impact.

There is only very minor natural handling and slight paper irregularity visible. Small variations in ink coverage and registration are characteristic of the screenprinting process and form part of the handmade appearance of the work.

The pencil signature, date and edition number 28/50 remain clear and legible.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.

Artist: Jonny Hannah
Title: Kay Bruce Toyshop – Red & Orange Colourway
Date: 2006
Medium: Original colour screenprint
Edition: 28/50
Edition size: 50
Signed: Yes, in pencil
Size: 39.7 × 63.2 cm
Colourway: Red & Orange
Imprint: Cakes & Ale Press
Format: Original limited-edition artist’s screenprint
Unframed: Yes
Modern reproduction: No

Authenticity

This work has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at Hornseys before being offered for sale.

The pencil signature, date, edition number 28/50 and Cakes & Ale Press imprint are all visible.

It is an original signed and numbered Jonny Hannah screenprint, not a later reproduction.

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EXPLORE OUR JONNY HANNAH COLLECTION

Explore our evolving collection of Jonny Hannah original paintings, signed and limited-edition prints, illustrated books and related artworks. His distinctive imagery, hand lettering and narrative style draw upon music, maritime culture, vintage advertising, folk art, popular entertainment and the visual character of British towns and seaside communities.

Whether you are an established collector, an admirer of contemporary British illustration or searching for an unusual and memorable gift, our collection offers the opportunity to acquire carefully selected examples of Jonny Hannah’s work.

Established in 1976 and based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Hornseys is an independent gallery and bookseller specialising in original art, prints, design, collectable books and historic material. Every item is handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at our Ripon gallery.