This week Edinburgh Printmakers welcomed the first artists to the studio and gallery ahead of a new residency programme funded by Jerwood Foundation to develop and support the work of early career artists based in the UK.
The artists committed to developing a practice in printmaking that have been selected for Jerwood Residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers (in order of residencies) are:
Ella Georgiou, a recent graduate of the University of Leeds and recipient of the FUAM Graduate Award her work has already been acquired by public collections such as the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery. Ella’s work explores visualisations of sound. Specifically using drawing and printmaking to serve as mediums to translate sound into the visual realm.
Lizzie Eidson, a Glasgow-based printmaker and illustrator, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, whose work explores themes of race, identity, culture, and heritage. Passionate about the tactile and methodical nature of traditional printmaking, Lizzie’s primary medium is etching, which allows her to create intricate, layered works that convey both personal and culturally collective narratives.
Morven Ferguson, an Edinburgh-based printmaker and graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, predominantly inspired by the Scottish landscape. She is drawn towards both the land and the sea from dramatic cliffs to the summits of Munros in the Scottish Highlands. Morven explores the interplay between digital and traditional printmaking processes and is currently exploring laser engraving into acrylic, using the etching process for printing. Whilst on residency she would like to explore this new development further.
Esme Curtis Lundberg, a 2024 graduate from the University of Brighton, and currently the graduate in residence at Phoenix Artspace works with methodologies of etching, drawing, and stitch. Her work has been recently selected and exhibited at Bankside Gallery, London, in the International Original Print Exhibition 2024 with the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. Esme’s work examines the traces of being and doing and is anchored in how materials accumulate physical residues of our interactions with the material world.
Selcuk Colakoglu, a Glasgow School of Art graduate whose practice oscillates between print, photography, and painting, with a particular interest in media and communication technologies. Selcuk’s work is concerned with how the expansive history of printmaking is deeply connected to our shared visual culture and mass communications. He is interested in exploring the power dynamics of art and print’s relationship to hierarchy, authority, and authenticity.
Zuzanna Salamon, an artist based in Edinburgh who specialises in large-scale charcoal drawings. She studied in Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic and graduated in Painting from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen in 2020. A representational artist whose work is deeply rooted in traditional techniques, Zuzanna's drawings focus on exploring the interplay between light and shadow and revealing the inherent poetry within the human form. Her work has a personal and diary character – in this sense, they are also stories about Zuzanna’s life, fears, and desires.
Jerwood Residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers will give the six talented early career printmakers the opportunity to work in the print studio, carry out research visits and take part in learning workshops. The residencies have been awarded to support the development of their etching and intaglio skills to enable them to pursue a high-level career in printmaking.
With Jerwood Foundation funding, artists are awarded a residency bursary and a year-long membership to the studio. The successful artists will be mentored by Robert Powell, Edinburgh Printmakers’ Intaglio Technician and supported by the wider team of expert printmakers and print technicians. Accommodation for artists will be provided at Edinburgh Printmakers’ onsite artists’ flat and the first of the cohort, Ella Georgiou, begins her stay this month.
Taking place over two years the six artists will see their work exhibited as part of a Folio for the Jerwood Collection, and the Edinburgh Printmakers Permanent Collection. This will feature as part of Edinburgh Printmakers’ 60th birthday celebrations in June 2027. During their residencies, artists will also have the opportunity to research etchings from the Print Collections at the National Galleries of Scotland and University of Edinburgh Centre for Research Collections, as well as viewing prints from the Jerwood Collection online.
Running alongside the residency, selected works from Jerwood Collection will be exhibited at Edinburgh Printmakers from 4 April - 19 June 2025. These works will include prints by Bridget Riley, David Hockney RA, Tracey Emin DBE, RA, Lucian Freud OM, CH and Paula Rego DBE, RA.
Speaking at the commencement of the residencies, Edinburgh Printmakers Chief Executive Janet Archer said; “We’re delighted to be partnering with Jerwood Foundation to host these new residencies for early career artists working in printmaking. With almost 70 responses to our call for artists we were encouraged and inspired by the passion for printmaking in early career artists across the UK. Selecting just six was a difficult task for the panel and the artists awarded, each demonstrated an enthusiasm and curiosity to develop their own work in a new direction with the technical ability and support provided by these residencies.
The richness of their approach and experience will in turn be a vibrant addition to our printmaking community and I look forward to welcoming them to Edinburgh Printmakers over the months ahead. This partnership with Jerwood Foundation is part of our commitment to working closely with partners to provide opportunities like this to support artists.”
Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee Jerwood Foundation said:
“Embarking on this new partnership with Edinburgh Printmakers underlines Jerwood’s commitment to supporting excellence in the arts in the UK. Jerwood Residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers will provide valuable support to six early career printmakers enabling them to pursue a high-level career in printmaking and I am delighted that a copy of their folio of works will enter Jerwood Collection and will be shared publicly as part of our long-term strategy. This partnership will also enable a valuable opportunity to exhibit prints from Jerwood Collection at Edinburgh Printmakers in 2025.”
Speaking at the beginning of her residency the first artist to arrive at Edinburgh Printmakers Ella Georgiou said: “It's great to feel recognised by a prestigious printmaking studio, especially in such a specific craft. It has made me feel proud to have reached a point of confidence in the skills I have built up whilst practicing intaglio. To be supported by the Jerwood Foundation is also a very exciting prospect. They fund some incredible projects across the UK, so it is amazing to be a part of that. This opportunity has provided me with such energy, to throw myself into my practice and make the most of my time with Edinburgh Printmakers.
I want to use the time to experiment, learn some new techniques and play - free from any self pressure to create something specific. The opportunity to work in such a well equipped printmaking studio without cost is rare, so I want to expand my knowledge as much as possible, and create some prints that I am really proud of. I am looking forward to using copper, instead of zinc plates, and experimenting with different biting techniques, such as 'spit bite'. Overall, I believe one of the most important parts of working in an open access printmaking studio is the community of artists that inhabit it. To learn from such a range of skilled people is the thing I believe I will gain so much from.”
