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See Prints > Pricelist > Alfons Bytautas was born in the Scottish Borders, though his father was Lithuanian. He came to Edinburgh in the 1970’s to study painting and printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art. In 1983 he worked for several months at Atelier 17 in Paris where he was taught by the internationally acclaimed printmaker, Stanley William Hayter. Alfons is an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy and his prints and paintings are to be found in many public and private collections in the UK and abroad. In 1979 Alfons Bytautas began his career at Edinburgh Printmakers as a collaborative printmaker and studio assistant, specialising in etching. Since then he has worked on many prestigious print projects with many well-known artists, including John Bellany, Alan Davie, Barbara Rae and Peter Howson. 2004 marks 25 years of his involvement with Edinburgh Printmakers and to celebrate, Edinburgh Printmakers have organised this exhibition, specially selected by Alfons himself, to chart his career as a collaborative master printer. Alfons’ technical knowledge and skill has enabled him to help some of Scotland’s greatest artists produce world-class prints, utilising the facilities at Edinburgh Printmakers, which is now regarded as one of the leading print studios in the world, dedicated to pioneering innovative print processes. “Alfons Bytautas’ thirst for knowledge and his enthusiasm for printmaking are legendary, particularly in the field of intaglio. His working knowledge spans centuries, from Durer, Rembrandt, Blake and Goya to the etching revival of Haden and Whistler, the Scots quartet of Bone, Cameron, McBey and Strang, to the publications of contemporary print studios from the 60’s to the present day. This knowledge coupled with his own output as an artist stands him in good stead to understand the myriad demands of the many artists he has worked with over 25 years at Edinburgh Printmakers as master printer and technical advisor. Chris Prater, Director of the influential Kelpra Studio in London, likened the relationship of artist and printers to that of the composer and orchestra. The artist was equated with the composer, the workshop director as the conductor and the printers as the orchestra. The composer conceives the work but it cannot be widely appreciated until interpreted by the conductor and performed by the orchestra. What makes Alfons so unique is that not only does he take on the role of both conductor and orchestra but adds his own patience and understanding of composer to make each score unique. Alfons Bytautas has introduced
many artists to a world of unfamiliar materials and processes and the
work on show gives the viewer an insight into his working methods and
the rich dialogues that form the core of this fascinating exhibition.” All works in this exhibition are from the collection of Alfons Bytautas. Many are “printer’s proofs”; prints given to the printer in recognition of his help in creating the work. Others are works gifted personally to Alfons by artists from Scotland and abroad. Exhibition display prints are
not for sale, Hilary
Paynter Edinburgh Printmakers is proud to present a suite of 14 prints from one of Britain’s leading wood engravers, Hilary Paynter. From the Rivers to the Sea is a pictorial journey around the Northeast of England: a journey full of detail and texture. Hilary Paynter’s exciting new work, From the Rivers to the Sea was originally commissioned by Nexus Art on Transport to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Bewick. Bewick was born in Tyneside, a renowned artist whose wood engraving has had a lasting influence upon artists such as Paynter. Chair of the Society of Wood Engravers Paynter has done much to revive interest in wood engraving and is a leading and prolific practitioner in her field. Inspired by the scenery of the northeast Paynter made many journeys on Tyneside’s Metro transport system. From the outset Paynter was ‘arrested by the idea of the Metro as a journey in and out of the past and the richness of historical context’, whilst simultaneously aiming to show ‘the contemporary scene and how the past is embedded within it’. The result has been fourteen stunning prints that together present a panoramic journey through the Northeast of England. The delicate craftsmanship of Paynter’s wood engraving has produced prints that are filled with intimate detail and a multiplicity of textures. As part of her commission Paynter has given this time-honoured printing technique a contemporary setting. On Newcastle Central station From Rivers to the Sea can be seen as a mural stretching over 22 meters long. Each image has been enlarged from 200mm to 2m before being screen-printed onto vitreous enamel panels. For the thousands of Metro passengers, the resulting work is providing a new and engaging interpretation of the scenery with which many of them are so familiar. With From Rivers to the Sea, Paynter has achieved a fitting tribute to the work of Bewick, whilst creating a stunning travelogue imbued with her own unique style. Studio Demonstration Hilary Paynter will give a demonstration of wood engraving on 25 September 2004 from 12.00 to 2.00 pm. Please contact us to book a place. For further information and
images please contact Edinburgh Printmakers Gallery is one of Scotland's foremost gallery spaces devoted to contemporary fine art original prints - most of which are made in our studio. Some of the most established artists working in Scotland use our studio alongside recent graduates, professional artists and many printmakers from all over the world, who come to use the facilities on offer. We have four print browsers - over 500 prints - visitors can view an amazing range of the best contemporary prints available in Scotland. We have highly knowledgeable gallery staff on hand to help and answer any queries about the artists, their working syles and subject matter.
Exhibition Programme To complement the work on show by the resident artists we have a rolling programme of exhibitions representing the whole spectrum of contemporary graphic art. Previous exhibitions have ranged from the graphic works of artists such as Marc Chagall , David Hockney, Matisse and Picasso to contemporary American prints by such artists as - Andy Warhol and Jim Dine - to the wealth of talent that exists in Scotland itself. The Gallery and Studio are very centrally situated being only a few minutes walk from both the railway station, central bus station and the main shopping and cafe areas. Our Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm
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