Brian R. Shure (born 1952) is an American

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, author and educator. He is best known for his mastery of printing techniques, knowledge of lesser known art techniques and has published multiple books about the art of chine-collé.

Early life

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he grew up in Willowick and then

Mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

. As a teenager he started taking art classes at

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at firs ...

. In 1974 he graduated with a B.A. in art from

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

. He apprenticed with Ernest deSoto and Collectors Press, a lithography press in San Francisco.

Work

Shure was a printer at Collectors Press (1972-1976), Editions Press (1981-1987), Ernest F. deSoto Workshop (1976-1981), and also worked on projects at Houston Fine Art Press (1980) and Graphicstudio (1998). He later worked with

Kathan Brown Kathan Brown (born 1935) is an American master printmaker, writer, lecturer, and entrepreneur. In 1962, Brown founded Crown Point Press, a fine art print shop specializing in etching, and has owned and directed the shop since then. Crown Point Pre ...

and Crown Point Press as a master printer and coordinator of the Chinese Woodblock Program from 1987 to 1994. Through his work at Crown Point Press he was able to work with artists such as

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

Wayne Thiebaud Morton Wayne Thiebaud ( ; November 15, 1920 – December 25, 2021) was an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his la ...

Francesco Clemente Francesco Clemente (born 23 March 1952) is an Italian contemporary artist. He has lived at various times in Italy, India and New York City. Some of his work is influenced by the traditional art and culture of India. He has worked in various ar ...

and others. From 2000 to 2006, Shure was awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) commission, for three murals in historic courthouses in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Shure taught in the printmaking department at

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

from 1996 to 2016. He was granted multiple RISD faculty study grants to travel and study traditional scroll mounting, byobu (folding-screen) repair and the Chinese watercolor woodblock printing process. He also taught printmaking at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. Shure's oil paintings are often still life scenes from city life. He was quoted as saying, ''"I love drawing from life but I work from photographs now. When people are standing on the street waiting for a bus, reading paper on the train, or crossing the street, they appear comfortable and natural around their fellow human beings"''. He began working at the artist workshop,

Gemini G.E.L. Gemini G.E.L., formally Gemini Ltd., is an artists‘ workshop, exhibition space, and publisher of limited edition Printmaking, prints and sculptures, located at 8365 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. History Gemini Ltd. was founded in ...

in Los Angeles in late 2016. As of 2018, he is working as a master printer and director of a new print shop, Anderson Ranch Editions at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado.

Collections

Shure's own artwork is included in various museum collections including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF),

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

, and more. Shure's work as a printmaker (for various presses and various artists) is in museum collections, including;

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), and others.

Publications

* ''Magical Secrets of Chine Collé''; San Francisco, CA: Crown Point Press, 2009 * ''Chine Collé, A Printer’s Handbook'', San Francisco, CA: Crown Point Press, 2000 * ''“Room to Breathe”'', The Artist's Network Magazine, May 2002 (56-60) * ''Ink, Metal, Paper, Wood: Painters and Sculptors at Crown Point Press'', San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1996

References

External links

*
Brian Shure's faculty RISD profile

Brian Shure collection
at Fine Art Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF)
Art Talks: Brian Shure and the Anderson Ranch Editions Program
from Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado {{DEFAULTSORT:Shure, Brian 1952 births Antioch College alumni Artists from Ohio Artists from Rhode Island Rhode Island School of Design faculty Realist artists Cleveland Institute of Art alumni Living people American printmakers People from Willowick, Ohio People from Mentor, Ohio