The Ladysmith Arts Council (LAC) is excited to announce the upcoming arrival of an Ettan Etching Press printmaker.
In May of this year, printmaker Anne Jones will be offering classes to get any beginner printmakers on their path. Over the last several years, printmaking has been experiencing a renaissance, with new non-toxic materials and eco-friendly disposal systems. What used to be a potential health hazard has now evolved into a viable, safe art form.
Anne Jones has seen the transition of the craft over the past 34 years. She started her printmaking journey in the 1970s, beginning with two undergrad degrees from the University of Toronto — one in fine art and one in education. She added a post-graduate year of intensive printmaking at Croydon College of Art in London. Her career focused on teaching art at the high school level for many years.
Since retiring from teaching, Jones has been running the Blue Wave Printmakers studio in Nanaimo since 2006. She has offered workshops for many years out of her Nanaimo studio and is a prolific artist. Her work is inspired by landscape, nature, science and biology. She is also an active member with the LAC board of directors as first vice-president and a studio artist at the Waterfront Gallery since January 2013.
Jones will be bringing her extensive talent and wherewithal to the Printmaking Classes this May.
“We are genuinely thrilled and honoured to have such a skilled artist available to lead on a new flock of printmakers in our area,” voiced LAC president Kathy Holmes.
Jones has recently acquired a second press, the other being at her Blue Wave studio. The additional press, the etching press, will be housed at the LAC and used in the classes. It is a full-sheet table-top etching press.
“The newer techniques are not only safer, but also faster and less expensive; if you haven’t checked out the changes in printmaking lately, this is your opportunity,” says Jones.
The first of the beginner workshops is Making Monotypes, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Drypoint Monoprint workshop will take place Sunday, May 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the classes, click here.
The classes can hold up to 10 people, and participants will take home several print renderings that day. To register, call the Waterfront Gallery at 250-245-1252 or e-mail info@ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com.
