In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Edinburgh Printmakers has moved its gallery online and this month marks the first archive exhibition since relocating to Castle Mills in Fountainbridge. Showcasing a collection of rare prints for sale by leading Scottish artists, From the Archive digital exhibition allows viewers to discover some of the treasures in the gallery’s archive that stretches back over 50 years.
Highlights include Callum Innes’ CMW1, John Bellany’s The Barber’s Chair, Rachel Maclean’s The Lion, John Byrne’s Moonstruck, as well prints by Louise Hopkins, Toby Paterson, Kate Downie, Graham Fagen, Alasdair Gray, and Calum Colvin.
We spoke to Master Printmaker and Studio Director Alastair Clark to get his top tips of what to buy from this exclusive sale. Read the below tips before going shopping!
For many artists – including the international roster I have included here – printmaking might not be their main area of practice so they approach the process with fresh ideas and challenges for us here in the studio. We bring technical know-how and our own creative input when we are working with an artist on a print project. This partnership often brings out the best of the artists’ potential and not only creates stunning artworks but helps to push the boundaries of printmaking to a whole new level.
For over 50 years as the first open-access studio in Britain Edinburgh Printmakers have benefited from a rich relationship with artists and now for fans of their work these prints act as an affordable way to own unique artworks from their back catalogue.
Carol Rhodes
Carol Rhodes was awarded a travelling scholarship and residency by Edinburgh Printmakers and the British Council in 2013-14 through a joint project with the Scottish Print Network called Below Another Sky.
This rare print, in beautiful pastel hues, by the painter, was the main outcome of her residency in Edinburgh. She meticulously built up the print layer by layer over several months to achieve the subtle colour layering, printing in transparent glazes of inks The print is characteristic of her practice, depicting an empty, fictional, man-made landscape from an aerial viewpoint. BUY here
Rachel Maclean
Scotland in Venice 2016 artist Rachel Maclean’s The Lion is a six colour screenprint printed at the Edinburgh Printmakers. The print is based on a still from Maclean’s film The Lion and the Unicorn, which was commissioned by Edinburgh Printmakers for Reflective Histories: Contemporary Art Interventions at Traquair House in 2012 and which toured to London’s National Gallery. Maclean is an Artist Patron of Edinburgh Printmakers and donated the print edition to support the Castle Mills fundraising project. BUY here
Callum Innes
Known for his minimalist canvases, in 2018 Innes, based in Scotland and Norway, was one of Edinburgh Printmakers’ Artist Patrons who donated limited edition prints to our Capital Fundraising campaign, to support the restoration of our new home in Castle Mill Works.
Callum Innes has had a long-standing relationship with Edinburgh Printmakers and began exploring lithography in 2011. He enjoyed playing with layers of colour and experimenting with ways to remove ink from the stone, in keeping with how he works with oil paint on canvas. BUY here
Alan Davie
This print was one of a set of 13 etchings produced by Davie at Edinburgh Printmakers in 2001. At the time he was visiting Edinburgh regularly to oversee the production of his tapestry for the University of Edinburgh being woven at Dovecot weavers. He created this set of works with technical assistance from Alfons Bytautas, Senior Etching Technician at Edinburgh Printmakers. Enhancing the graphic quality of his characteristic symbolism, the etchings were printed with the addition of a fine chine-collé of silk paper. BUY here
Graham Fagen
This work combines matt screenprinting inks with a gloss varnish layer printed over the entire shape of the flower. The work is characteristic of Fagen’s artistic practice as he explores ideas of identity in relation to the symbolism and social values historically associated with different plants.
Graham Fagen is a Scottish artist living and working in Glasgow, Scotland. His practice explores myths and fictions about identity, and how society expresses these fictions. Fagen asks the viewer to re-assess their understanding of identity through parallels with art history. He explores performance within portraiture, and depicts real, imagined, and historical characters. Plants and flowers often feature in his imagery. The artist invokes the symbolism and values we assign to plant life. His art practice encompasses video, performance, sculpture, sound, ceramics, neons and text. BUY here
About Edinburgh Printmakers
Edinburgh Printmakers is a centre for printmaking and the visual arts in Fountainbridge. It has a large light-filled printmaking studio, digital studio, darkroom, classes, two galleries, a shop selling original prints and handmade products, hire spaces for meetings, events or learning activities, a cafe, a courtyard and community garden. All set in Castle Mills, a beautiful heritage building that used to be a rubber factory and a brewery complex. edinburghprintmakers.co.uk
