Alan Birch

Waterside Open.

alan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:48:42 +0000

Congratulations to artists who have had prints selected for the Waterside Open 2012 exhibition.

Jo Beggs, Pete Marsh, Karen Lester, Lucy Gell.

The show at Waterside Art Centre in Sale runs from 11th February to 21st of April, will feature prints, paintings, sculpture and photography.

www.watersideartscentre@trafford.gov.uk

Global Threads!

alan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:54:59 +0000

Alan Birch will be running fabric printing workshops inspired by the upcoming show at the Whitworth Art Gallery ”Global Threads” . The exhibition from 11th of February to 13th of May 2012 tells the compelling story about the production, consumption and global trade in cotton. The workshops are free and will take place on 14th-17th of February from 1.30-3.30.So be inspired and produce your own colourful prints.

Paisley & Mehndi

alan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:38:56 +0000

The combination of Paisley pattern and Mehndi imagery were combined to brilliant effect by Year 4 pupils from Cavendish Primary School at the Whitworth Art Gallery. Pupils worked from sketchbook studies and gathered visual sources to draw and cut out a range of shapes and patterns. These were later inked and printed, the ink bringing out the exquisite patterns of the wallpaper.

paisley and mehndi inspired prints

the leaf form inspired by Mehndi patterns by Cavendish Primary School.

Inspired by Morris

alan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:27:13 +0000

Children from St Cuthberts Primary School in Withington worked with artist Alan Birch at the Witworth Art Gallery, to produce a body of vibrant prints. The prints based on a combination of the textile designs of William Morris and natural forms were transformed into colourful printing blocks and then printed by the children themselves. The works will be displayed at school as an introduction to print.

" We very much enjoyed your workshop.  The children still talk about it and
they are keen to do more printing.  I thought you worked so well with the
children who have such a wide range of needs. You made sure they could all
see, participate and gave them lots of friendly encouragement. The session
was very well organised and the children were always busy.  The prints
themselves are fantastic and the children were very proud of the work they
created." ( Sandra Burgess - class teacher. )

Birds and leaves taken from William Morris

Relief print inspired by Morris.

Celebration!

alan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:19:29 +0000

Pupils from St Andrews C of E Primary School, Hadfield proudly exhibited their work at school, as part of a project for the Hadfield and Padfield Heritage Trail. Children printed a range of logos on t-shirts, symbols of mills and history on shopping backs, made metres of bunting and a bound book of their prints and poems based on life in a sunken mill , under a local reservoir. The children talked about the processes involved and presented their work to the other pupils and visitors during the celebration day. The work will be shown in a larger event in Hadfield later in the year.

” The children have been excited every week to work on the next steps of the printing process and loved being able to produce something which looks so professional. Personally, you have been a joy to work with and I’m still thrilled to bits with our bound book of the children’s prints. ”

Claire Smith ( Year 4 and 5 class teacher )

t shirts printed by St Andrews Pupils

t shirts and shopping bags printed with pupils and Alan Birch

bunting and collages printed by children

Todmorden schools tour.

alan — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:58:55 +0000

During March and April, printmaker Alan Birch spent 8 days working with in all the primary schools in Todmorden. Over 400 pupils Key Stage 2 pupils produced relief and engraved prints based on a range of themes from Easter and Spring to fish, rivers and sea to the creative work of Kandinsky, Matisse and Van Gogh. The workshops organised by Mid Pennine Arts, Burnley, gave pupils a rare and valuable insight into print and proved that there is a range of creative talent in the area! Organised by Mid Pennine Arts, Burnley, Lancashire the workshops gave pupils a rare and valuable insight into print!

“ A really successful day. The children were engaged and produced some impressive prints informed by their careful study of the artwork provided by Alan. A good time was had by all – and no mess! I’d recommend it to other schools without reservation. “

Peter Stevenson. Head. Walsden Primary School.

“ Just wanted to say thank you for coming into school last Wednesday. The children and staff enjoyed working with you. We have managed to put up a super display of their work. I hope we can work with you again in the near future. Best of luck with your exhibitions.”

http://www.midpenninearts.org.uk/the-todmorden-schools-tour

Anne Dobson (Social Inclusion) Ferney Lea Primary School, Todmorden.

Well done!

alan — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:58:56 +0000

Thanks to all those members of the printmaking class who took part in the Christmas Market Stall on King Street in Manchester. Despite the weather and the recession, 14 of the 18 printmakers, who displayed work, sold pieces.

Undoubtedly had Sunday not rained all day we could have broken previous records. Congratulations to Chris Waites who made most sales!

the christmas markets 2011

Gift ideas!

alan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:07:11 +0000

New for 2011-2012 , Prospect Studio offers gift vouchers for those who wish to transform their work into limited edition prints. For £46 the voucher enables newcomers to attend the class and covers all materials, ( maximum zinc plate size 8 x 6 inches and take up to 4 final prints on Fabriano paper ). Perfect for all those who want to use the well used phrase ” Come up and see my etchings ! ” For more details email alan through the website.

Festive Gifts!

alan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:00:47 +0000

Short of a quirky, humorous gift for Christmas. The recently published book of prints by Alan Birch is the perfect present. The book features World Cup monoprints, Dancing with the Devil etchings amongst others. To see further information and pictures visit:

To order:

View my book at Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/1097271/7832c05e7dd282ac540c66e50290b561

: Alan Birch. Book from Blurb

: Avialable from Blurb.

Constellations!

alan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:58:14 +0000

The contemporary re-interpretation of the Northern Hemisphere makes the perfect Christmas present for those with a sense of humour, who have everything. At a cost of £50 for this limited edition digital print, it won’t break the bank!