Glasgow Print Studio is an arts organisation situated in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Founded in 1972, Glasgow Print Studio is an organisation with charitable status that exists to encourage and promote the art of printmaking; it is supported by the

Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( gd, Alba Chruthachail ; sco, Creative Scotlan) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The o ...

and

Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...

. Providing facilities for the production of

etchings Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

, relief prints and

screenprints Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...

, Glasgow Print Studio has a membership of over 300 artists who use the custom-built printmakers workshop. The Studio also has two exhibition spaces hosting an exhibitions programme. It also runs a learning programme focused on teaching and developing understanding of fine art

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating 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 processed techniq ...

. As well as providing subsidised printmaking facilities to artists, the Studio also supports its artist members by promoting and selling their art work in the gallery, on its web site and at international art fairs. The Studio also has a print publishing programme, where an artist is invited to the studio to work with a master printmaker to make an edition of original prints. It has worked with a range of Scottish and international artists, including

Elizabeth Blackadder Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder, Mrs Houston, (24 September 1931 – 23 August 2021) was a Scottish painter and printmaker. She was the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy. In 1962 she began tea ...

, John Byrne,

Peter Howson Peter Howson OBE (born 27 March 1958) is a Scottish painter. He was a British official war artist in 1993 during the Bosnian War. Early life Peter Howson was born in London of Scottish parents and moved with his family to Prestwick, A ...

Christine Borland Christine Borland (born 1965) is a Scottish artist. Born in Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland, Borland is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) and was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1997 (won by Gillian Wearing) for her work ''From Life'' at Tra ...

Alasdair Gray Alasdair James Gray (28 December 1934 – 29 December 2019) was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, ''Lanark'' (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays, poetry and translations, and ...

. These publications can be seen in the gallery and on the Studio's web site.

History

In 1972 a group of graduates from Glasgow School of Art set up Glasgow Print Studio in a flat in

Finnieston Finnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the north bank of the River Clyde roughly between the city's Glasgow#West End, West End and the Glasgow#City centre, city centre. Finnieston is home to the Scottish Exhibition and Conferen ...

. Finding nowhere that they could continue printmaking after graduation, they were supported by the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

's Head of Printmaking, Philip Reeves, to establish their own workshop. As membership of the organisation increased, the 1976 move to Ingram Street in the city centre provided a larger workshop plus a gallery. Here, artists had a space to sell their work and the programme ranged from contemporary print to the popular Scottish Cartoonists exhibition and a retrospective by

L. S. Lowry Laurence Stephen Lowry ( ; 1 November 1887 – 23 February 1976) was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its vicinity ...

. At Ingram Street, the Print Studio was at the centre of a social and artistic whirl. Bands played and plays were performed in the gallery, while the Print Studio Press published books by Scottish writers including

Liz Lochhead Liz Lochhead Hon FRSE (born 26 December 1947) is a Scottish poet, playwright, translator and broadcaster. Between 2011 and 2016 she was the Makar, or National Poet of Scotland, and served as Poet Laureate for Glasgow between 2005 and 2011. E ...

and Alasdair Gray. The Studio also organised an annual Midsummer Ball, which became a key event in Glasgow’s social calendar. Fruitful relationships have developed with established artists such as Elizabeth Blackadder,

Adrian Wiszniewski Adrian Wiszniewski (born 1958) is a Scottish artist and one of the members of the New Glasgow Boys a group of artists who emerged from Glasgow School of Art and led the resurgence of Scottish figurative painting in the late 20th century. Other memb ...

, Scott Myles,

Jim Lambie James Lambie (born 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a contemporary visual artist, and was shortlisted for the 2005 Turner Prize with an installation called ''Mental Oyster''. Jim Lambie graduated from the Glasgow School of Art (1990-1994) with an H ...

, Claire Barclay,

Ciara Phillips Ciara Phillips (born 1976) is a Canadian-Irish artist based primarily in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Phillips was born in Ottawa, Canada. Her higher education was completed, first, at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada (Bachelor of Fin ...

and John Byrne, who work collaboratively with the Studio’s master printers. The Studio offers both traditional and digital printing facilities and uses its expertise to work with contemporary galleries like The Modern Institute. Over forty years after its establishment, Glasgow Print Studio continues to play a vital role in encouraging and supporting a vibrant artistic community. Unique to Scotland’s cultural landscape and central to the development of Glasgow’s

Merchant City The Merchant City, a new name introduced through urban renewal by the Scottish Development Agency and the city council in the 1980s is one part of the metropolitan central area of Glasgow. It commences at George Square and goes eastwards reachin ...

as the city's vibrant cultural quarter, the studio's workshop, galleries, archive, education space and other facilities now span three floors of Glasgow’s centre for art and creativity, Trongate 103.

References

External links

Glasgow Print Studio
- official site *http://www.gpsarchive.co.uk/ - GPS Archive site {{Coord, 55.85696, N, 4.24682, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Culture in Glasgow Art museums and galleries in Glasgow Printmaking groups and organizations Art museums and galleries in Scotland Arts organisations based in Scotland