About York Printmakers

In 2015, a dozen or so printmakers from the York area got together and formed the York Printmakers. Our group now numbers about fifty members and meets monthly to share work and ideas in an informal way. It is an opportunity to show our prints around the table, chat about processes and learn from each other.

Members work in a wide variety of methods including: Etching, linocut, collagraph, monotype, screen print, solar plate, Japanese woodblock, lithography and stencilling.

Our members have a wide range of printmaking backgrounds, from art students to professional artists who exhibit widely. Members of York Printmakers continually work on new opportunities for the group. For example, our logo was created as a group project with several of us choosing letters and producing prints of them in our individual ways. Everyone who participates in an exhibition or event contributes in some way to its success.

Our exhibitions and events showcase the group’s array of skills with techniques and printing presses which date back hundreds of years through to those that push the boundaries of contemporary practice with laser cut plates, digital elements and 3D techniques.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone over 18 who actively supports the aims of York Printmakers. Members generally live and / or work in the York area; as a guide we suggest within 15 miles radius from city centre.

The annual membership fee is agreed at the AGM, (currently £20 pa).

What do you get from membership?

  • Support and encouragement in your printmaking.
  • Printmaking friends who are just as enthusiastic about printmaking as you are.
  • The opportunity to exhibit your work at group exhibitions, and take part in residencies and events.

Meetings

Meetings are open to all members and prospective members. Meetings are held at 7.30pm at St Olaves Church Hall in Marygate Lane, York, on the last Thursday of the month (apart from December). Non-members are asked to contact us in advance before attending a meeting, just to check that the meeting is happening as usual.

The meetings begin with a brief formal section for announcements and project planning, there is sometimes a talk; the second half of the meeting is for sharing work and discussion. Members are encouraged to bring some print related material (e.g. own prints, plates, issues/queries) to share with others.