Printfest 2011 looks set to be a great event this year, with printmakers from across the UK, and beyond, signing up to be part of the 2011 festivities.
Printfest is the only print fair to be held in a rural location, and to be dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary printmakers works. Taking place at the Town Hall in Ulverston, in the Lake District, Printfest always has a wide array of print mediums available for viewing and purchasing, often with some truly magnificent hidden gems.
This year the fair takes place on Saturday 30th April, and Sunday 1st May, from 10am to 5pm, and more than 40 national and international printmakers are going to be taken part. We've been down to view the proceedings for the past couple of years, and have never been disappointed with the quality and variety of work on show.
With this year being the 10th anniversary of Printfest, there has been a large-scale work commissioned from this year's Printmakers of the year, Trevor Price. That work will be unveiled later this year as part of Printfest proceedings.
Gallereo is proud to say that we have been building relationships with printmakers from this Cumbrian event over the past few months, two of which will be showing their artwork at the event this year.
Marion Kuit
Marion is very much integral to the Cumbrian art scene, having previously taught art in places such as Merseyside, Newcastle and Northumberland in the UK. Moving on from there, Marion now teaches painting and printing in Adult Education, and is the County Co-Ordinator for Arts and Crafts in Cumbria Adult Education.
Having secured an MA in Contemporary Arts Practice at Cumbria University in 2000, Marion is a perfect example of the strength and variety of printmakers to come out of the North-West.
Marion creates works based on biological and geographical forms, on an intimate scale, often seeming like works of science fiction. Marion also experiments with seasonal variations of similar scenes, highlighting the way that light and nature alter throughout the year.
Marion will have a full range of prints available for view and purchase at Printfest this year. You can take a sneak peek at her linocuts, screen prints and etchings on her
gallereo website.
Ben Quail
Ben is an East Anglian printmaker, who has also been able to make a name for himself in the North-West.
Using strong narrative, and scenes taken from his own travels, Ben has built up a series of paintings, prints and collages that are colourful and humorous as depictions of human interactions with nature and their surroundings.
As well as being a prolific printmaker, Ban also runs a community based art programme called Rural Mural Community Arts, encouraging community involvement in the process of art making.
Between Ben's community work, and his own endeavours as an artist, he has been able to exhibit widely, with exhibitions in Lewisham, Peckham, Colchester, Norwich, Bradford, Manchester, and of course the Lake District. As well as being widely exhibited, Ben has also received a number of commissions and residencies including a print residency in Norfolk Schools, and a commission from Peterborough General Hospital.
Ben will also have a nice array of prints available at Printfest this year, may of which can be previewed on his
gallereo website.
Come along to Printfest 2011, meet some absolutely excellent printmakers, and have a chat with us if you want to find out more about what we do in the art community!
After visiting the F-Stop Gallery in the Ouseburn last week, Gallereo is proud to announce that Digital Lab, owner of the F-Stop Gallery will be creating a project for photographers using Gallereo.
