Organisers of Printfest, the UK’s foremost artist-led printmaking festival, are hoping to use the event to create a northern hub for the increasingly popular art form. It’s coming to Ulverston in Cumbrian in early May.

I don’t think I had a more enjoyable, or eye-opening, weekend throughout the whole of 2017 than the one I spent at the last Printfest when I made a special trip to Cumbria. I picked up some stunning pieces, which now hang in my flat, and do the kind of job that I thought they would do: make me happy every time I look at them.

This year’s festival will feature work from 44 artists (such as Frans Wesselman, who has produced this charming image of a hardy swimmer) and will include this year’s Printmaker of the Year, Gail Brodholt, who uses a lino-cut technique to portray vibrant images of transport and travelling.

Also look out for stuff from Georgina Bown who was voted as the Printmakers’ Printmaker by her peers in 2017. The show, held annually in Ulverston, is dedicated to the exhibition and sale of contemporary hand-made prints and offers the opportunity for the best of the UK’s printmakers to gather under one roof, to share practice and learn from each other.

And if you fall in love with a piece of art while you’re there – and you’re almost sure to – then be prepared for a lifelong relationship that just keeps on giving.

Printfest 2018, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 May, Coronation Hall, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 7LZ, 10am-5pm Sat and 10am-4pm Sunday. Admission £5 + catalogue (opening talk Thursday 3 May, £2). More information: printfest.uk