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In 2014, comes an important and celebratory anniversary for Swansea – a hundred years since the birth of Swansea’s most famous and admired poet in 1914.

Thomas’s legacy – a creative seam – runs deep and wide in Swansea, Wales and across the world.  In 2006, the annual Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers was launched.  As one of the most prestigious awards for young writers it encourages raw creative talent worldwide exposing the work of a new generation of writers to the public.

Printmaking, like writing, continues to evolve, exploring new ideas and new ways for expressing creative ideas: digital prints, digital drawing, e-publishing.  At the same time traditional methods have retained their value and in some areas have seen a resurgence such as the use of wood type and interest in artist books within a contemporary framework.

Through a varied programme of activities Swansea Print Workshop is interested in exploring the themes and ideas and creative process inspired by Dylan Thomas and selected texts from short-listed writers from past and present years of the Prize.  Participants will be supported in the creation of prints and artists books through a range of contemporary and traditional techniques.

Writers and artists share a common desire and need: to create an image, whether it be a visual representation or one of text and there is an established history of artists across mediums working successfully together, creating something more than the sum of two parts.

Thomas describes his technique in a letter: “I make one image—though ‘make’ is not the right word; I let, perhaps, an image be ‘made’ emotionally in me and then apply to it what intellectual & critical forces I possess—let it breed another, let that image contradict the first, make, of the third image bred out of the other two together, a fourth contradictory image, and let them all, within my imposed formal limits, conflict.”

Most of Dylan Thomas’s published work was from the famous  ‘Poetry Notebooks.’  As places to record and to develop work the use of note and sketch books will resonate with both writers and artists.

It is around the shared creative process and the relationship between text and image that the project will build a varied programme of literature and visual arts activities including readings, artist talks, writer workshops, printmaking masterclasses and artist book workshops.

Additionally, participants will be encouraged to research both the contemporary texts from the Dylan Thomas Prize and those of Dylan Thomas using amongst other avenues, the rich resources at the Dylan Thomas Centre where they will explore the visual and physical aspects of Dylan Thomas’s work.

An outreach educational package will be offered to a local school with which we have previously worked closely.  The package will include an exhibition visit with artist talk and printmaking workshops with students.  This will strengthen an existing relationship and contribute to our educational strategy for engaging young people which is one of our core organisational objectives.

The Theme

‘A sense of belonging’ is a rich theme which runs through art and literature across the ages and cultures: feelings of identity, community, exile and alienation provoke strong responses. ‘A sense of belonging’ resonates with artists and writers who are both observers and yet a part of what they observe.

We will explore ‘a sense of belonging’ using reference texts from Dylan Thomas and contemporary literature from winners of the international Dylan Thomas Prize.

Hunchback in the Park by Dylan Thomas           Return Journey by Dylan Thomas

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead      Fresh Apples by Rachel Trezise

Copies of the texts are available to borrow from the Workshop.

The Artists

Our Contributing Artists are drawn from Swansea Print Workshop’s Full and Keyholder membership.

David Barron | Lynne Bebb | Lucy Donald | Alan Figg | Jackie Ford | Graeme Galvin | Rosy Ind | Jane Jones | Hannah Lawson | Lesley Lillywhite | Robert Macdonald | Ruth Parmiter | Carys Roberts | Kara Seaman | Bridget Stevens | Judith Stroud | Adele Vye | Pip Woolf

With established and emerging artists alike taking part in this project, we anticipate a breadth of interesting work which will form a touring exhibition, fine art box set and an ISBN registered publication.

Editioning Arrangements for Contributing Artists

The Contributing Artists are now working hard on editioning their prints. They are being supported by Adele Vye, the project studio technician on a Wednesday and Friday of each week.

Some printmakers are happy to do their editions on their own and outside of the Project Studio Days but all Contributing Artists should please follow the arrangements below:

  • Book ALL editioning time in the Studio diary via Adele. This gives everyone a fair chance to have dedicated studio time and for Adele to organize work space
  • Give Adele as much prior notice as possible so that you aren’t disappointed if we can’t accommodate you. Also, please give as much notice for any cancellations as possible so that we can try and fit another printmaker into the session
  • Confirm any support requirements you need from Adele ahead of your session. Adele can advise on timings regarding soaking paper and drying prints
  • Arrive promptly for your session and leave adequate time to clear up after you. Session times on Project Open Access are 10 to 1 and 2 to 5.
  • Discuss your paper requirements with Adele prior to your session so she can prepare a pack ready for your use
  • Ensure that your inks are ready-mixed ahead of your session so you are ready to begin printing as soon as possible within your session.

The project team hope these arrangements will enable everyone to have an enjoyable editioning experience. Time and space will be at a premium so everyone’s cooperation is appreciated. Please contact Adele for all bookings and enquiries on spwproject@gmail.com

Get insight into the thoughts, ideas and creative process of our Contributing Artists:

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