"Hilary Paynter: From the Rivers to the Sea"
2004-09-25 until 2004-11-20
Edinburgh Printmakers
Edinburgh, , UK United Kingdom

Edinburgh Printmakers is proud to present a suite of 14 prints from one of Britain’s leading wood engravers, Hilary Paynter. From the Rivers to the Sea is a pictorial journey around the Northeast of England: a journey full of detail and texture. Hilary Paynter’s exciting new work, From the Rivers to the Sea was originally commissioned by Nexus Art on Transport to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Bewick. Bewick was born in Tyneside, a renowned artist whose wood engraving has had a lasting influence upon artists such as Paynter. Chair of the Society of Wood Engravers Paynter has done much to revive interest in wood engraving and is a leading and prolific practitioner in her field.

Inspired by the scenery of the northeast Paynter made many journeys on Tyneside’s Metro transport system. From the outset Paynter was ‘arrested by the idea of the Metro as a journey in and out of the past and the richness of historical context’, whilst simultaneously aiming to show ‘the contemporary scene and how the past is embedded within it’. The result has been fourteen stunning prints that together present a panoramic journey through the Northeast of England.

The delicate craftsmanship of Paynter’s wood engraving has produced prints that are filled with intimate detail and a multiplicity of textures. As part of her commission Paynter has given this time-honoured printing technique a contemporary setting. On Newcastle Central station From Rivers to the Sea can be seen as a mural stretching over 22 meters long. Each image has been enlarged from 200mm to 2m before being screen-printed onto vitreous enamel panels. For the thousands of Metro passengers, the resulting work is providing a new and engaging interpretation of the scenery with which many of them are so familiar.

With From Rivers to the Sea, Paynter has achieved a fitting tribute to the work of Bewick, whilst creating a stunning travelogue imbued with her own unique style.

IMAGE
Hilary Paynter
Skern

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