This winter, Watts Contemporary Gallery presents Into the Night, an exhibition of new work by 14 contemporary British printmakers about the wonder and beauty of nighttime.
Featuring a variety of printmaking mediums, from linocut and monoprinting to etching, woodcuts and printed glass, the exhibition brings together artists at all stages of their careers to explore what happens after dark, with images of sleeping and dreaming and nocturnal creatures, to dazzling skies, the vibrancy of cities after hours, and the magical transformation of the world from dusk to dawn.
Exhibiting artists are: Mychael Barratt, whose whimsical prints often refer to art history; Kit Boyd, whose neo-Romantic linocuts explore our relationship with landscape and our place in nature; Ed Boxall, who describes his practice as ‘mixing up everyday things with magical things’ and Angela Brookes, whose work is influenced by the countryside of her childhood.
Award-winning James Cockerill who, from his Guildford studio, works with screen-printed glass; John Duffin, whose prints evoke the dynamism of urban environments; Steve Edwards, whose cityscapes capture the stillness and silence that descend at night; Sherrie-Leigh Jones, whose imagined landscapes are inspired by the Japanese woodcut tradition, and Jane Lydbury, a long-time member of the Southbank Printmakers working mainly in relief printing.
Flora McLachlan, whose black and white etchings respond to the spirit of nocturnal landscapes; Sarah Morgan, whose collagraphs are inspired by memories and emotions; Carol Nunan, whose work shows the influence of the artist’s African and Irish upbringing; Tim Southall, whose atmospheric work reveals the artist’s love of narrative, character and landscape, and Millicent Straker, whose monoprints reference the fragility of the disappearing natural world.
In Print: Into the Night is inspired by the magical and mythological nighttime subjects of G F Watts OM RA (1817-1904), co-founder of Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village. In the neighbouring Historic Galleries, visitors will also be able to see paintings by G F Watts including Endymion (c.1903-04) and The Sower of the Systems (1902), showing the artist’s own interest in this theme.
Alistair Burtenshaw, Director of Watts Gallery Trust, said:
“We are delighted to be celebrating the beauty and wonder of nighttime in this year’s In Print exhibition.”
“Watts Contemporary exhibitions enable visitors to see and buy contemporary art, and they also help our charity to raise vital funds to deliver our transformative Art for All Community Learning programme.”
“We are grateful to our artists and to everyone who supports our exhibitions, and we look forward to welcoming you to Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village to experience Into the Night.”
All works are for sale starting at £90.
For further information:
Twitter @WattsGallery
Instagram @wattsgallery
Facebook /wattsgalleryartistsvillage
Image: Steve Edwards, Blakeney, Dusk, linocut