by Miriam Harris
Eight UK graphic artists have pulled together to create a new collection – the Edition Series – showcasing the best of screen-printing techniques in collaboration with The Private Press.
Rose Blake, Supermundane (Rob Lowe), Eelus, Adrian Johnson, Turbo Island, The Stereo-typist (Alex Borg), Esther Cox and Steven Wilson have each created new screen prints exclusively for the limited edition series.
The Private Press – a Brighton based screen-printing studio – hopes the Editions Series will occur on a regular basis, collaborating with different artists each time.
Gary Parselle founded The Private Press in 2013 out of his organic love for design and print, with more than 10 years in the graphic design business. He created Editions as a way to celebrate the screen-printing process and to produce affordable prints for fans of the contemporary graphic artists.
“The process offers colour, texture and depth unlike any other, and these screen prints demonstrate exactly what can be achieved,” says Gary.
The collection launches at the Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton on December 1, where it will be on show throughout December. The Editions will be available to buy online from December 2 for £50 and £75. You can find out more about the launch party here.
The Private Press has worked with artists like Eelus and Supermundane previously, as well as appearing in UK galleries the Design Museum and the Saatchi Gallery.
Here are some of the screen-prints in the Edition Series and a little on the artists behind them.
Adrian Johnson is known for his economic, highly crafted graphic work. He describes his work as “relentlessly aspiring to seek balance between simplicity and sophistication”. His work has been exhibited in London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. He now lives and works from Copenhagen.
Illustrator Rose Blake produces work that is charming and emotive, which can be seen not only in her regular editorial work for the New York Times and The Guardian, but also a varied selection of clients including Google Stella McCartney and the V&A.
Rob Lowe, Supermundane, (left) has had over 20 years experience in the creative industry as an artist, graphic designer, typographer, illustrator and writer. His work is identified by his distinctive and playful love of words, colour, line and simplicity.
“I’m a big fan of screen printing and how physical a process it is,” he says. “My print is part of my ongoing You Made This project, which explores our fears and desires.”
Eelus (right) is a renowned Brighton-based artist, which has work exhibited across the globe in the urban art scene. His work mixes central stark figures – often melancholic women – with joyous colour, suggesting the entanglement of light and dark.
More artists contributing to the Editions Series
Turbo Island are best known for their playful T-shirt designs discerning music geeks, involving bold colours and typography.
Designer and illustrator Alex Borg (The Stereo-Typist) is known for his colourful music prints that draw on his love of pop culture, Americana, typography and graffiti.
Esther Cox’s print for the Edition Series ties in with her recent book 3 Storeys – of English modernist architecture. With a background in textiles and graphics, her designs for the fashion, editorial and stationery sectors reflect a playful love of mark-making and collage.
Steven Wilson is a Brighton illustrator whose work is varied and experimental, which he describes as “somewhere between pop and psychedelia”.
This article was originally published in Digital Arts.