Edinburgh Printmakers enjoyed a long established partnership with Bellany that spanned over 40 years from the 1970s. He became our most prolific collaborating artist, producing over 60 print editions. His life’s work was commemorated in the 2013 exhibition, John Bellany: A Life in Print.

Bellany predominately chose etching for his printmaking output throughout his career and he would regularly collect prepared copper plates when in Edinburgh. He worked prolifically and speedily and would invariably arrive at the studio with completed plates, eager to see them etched and proofed. Accordingly, his etchings chart the major stages and themes in his work throughout his career.

In addition to the individual prints he produced with Edinburgh Printmakers,  Bellany also created several print portfolios accompanying poetry with Alan Bold and latterly with George Bruce, notably the Woman of the North Sea portfolio, of which some copies are still available. Please get in touch by choosing ‘Enquire’ at the top of this page if you are interested in purchasing any of these works.

Biography

John Bellany was an influential Scottish painter and printmaker. He is credited with pioneering a style of painting that melded the influences of Impressionism with Naive painting. His work explored Scottish symbolism and histories. 

His images often feature themes of maritime painting, calvanist morality and the female figure. Primarily a figurative artist, he drew inspiration from old masters and Scottish primitive artists such as Alan Davie and Robin Philipson. Somewhat radically, Bellany rejected aspirational imagery and choose to explore the lives of working people in his practice. Bellany’s works are loaded with iconography and symbolism but are constructed in such a way that encourages the viewer to find their own meaning.

Born in Port Seton on June 18, 1942, Bellany went on to study at Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. He is lauded as among the most important 20th-century British artists. His work is included among major collections including The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Tate Britain, London. 

He died in August 2013 at the age of 71 after a long illness.