Member Spotlight: Gavin Johnston

A selection of prints by Gavin Johnston are available in the shop.

I have been a member of Edinburgh Printmakers since the mid 1980’s. After viewing a contemporary art exhibition in the summer of 1985, I was inspired by some bright, crisp sepia-coloured etchings and I decided that I must do that. Fortunately, the artist was happy to show me the basic procedures. The mysterious world of intaglio printmaking was my escape from reality for the next fifteen years.

Following a course in stone lithography and then five years later screenprinting, I have often combined the two whilst making a print. My subject matter is focused in nature and mostly the rural environment. I regularly draw from observation, more recently photographs to explore ideas. I find a certain satisfaction in selecting and mixing colours rather than the monotone, often black, of decades ago. In those days my starting point was usually an on-site sketch.

In the last three years, the move to the current larger premises at Castle Mills also brought about a wish by me to start relief printmaking. I had given it a thought for some years but a gift of a large sheet of brown lino by a friend who no longer had a use for it certainly speeded up my interest in getting started.

Today it is probably fair to say I have a passion for printmaking. Perhaps for me though it is as much the enjoyment of the company of artists and the use of the extensive facilities as it is a need to create large editions. Often the image I have in mind will dictate the printmaking processes that I choose.

Using my compact camera I have captured a number of images and in doing so captured that specific moment in time which would otherwise been lost. With these photos I’m sure they’ll keep me busy in the studio for much of 2023.