Brighton Pavillion, Woodcut This is a review I wrote for my student newspaper about Sarah Young’s solo print exhibition at the The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds. The exhibition ended on the 29th October, so this is a little out of date, but I urge you to check her work at: http://www.sarah-young.co.uk/ Unassumingly displayed amongst the Craft Centre’s eclectic collection, Sarah Young’s prints are arresting, vibrant and whimsical. After all, it’s not every exhibition that boasts illustrations of cockerels and rhinos in its assortment… Young is a master of many artistic trades, listing painter, printmaker and illustrator amongst her talents. The main emphasis of the exhibition is her bold use of screen prints and woodcuts which are automatically refreshing and modern. Her take on the Minotaur brings Greek mythology up to the present day, turning a popular figure into a popular piece of art. Its bright colours and use of pattern which instantly reveal it to be a print, are reminiscent of Andy Warhol and more recently, Rob Ryan whose clean, flat style is recognisable. It is not surprising to discover that Young has designed prints for posters, books and more unusually, tea towels. This is accessible, decorative art; the type you would like to grace the walls of your living room.    But it would be a detriment to Young to assume her art is simple. One of the stand out pieces is the collagraph Rhinoceros which displayed ornate detail, striking in the use of only black and white. Collagraphy is a printmaking process in which materials are placed onto collage plates, inked with a roller and then applied to the paper using a printing press. The wealth of materials that can be used enable interesting effects.   Rhinoceros is a magical image in that it has the appearance of an x-ray but it depicts the Rhino as being composed of patterns of jewels. In the print world, things don’t have to make sense. Next to this was the portrait of Captain Costentenus, a circus performer in the 1880s who had tattoos over his body: the perfect subject for the collagraph treatment as it displayed the detail and intricacy that can be achieved through print. On her website, Young displays these works with a Circus collection- a display of 9 prints which form a metre square depicting a circus scene. It would have been interesting to have seen this exhibited as the works in the exhibition, though I’m assuming were to showcase the breadth of her work, seemed a little disjointed because there was no underlying theme.    Whilst not necessarily instigating an emotional response from the viewer, these prints are fun and energetic in their bold use of colour and line. With its range of different techniques, this is a must see for fans of print work.    Also, if you happen to be out and about in Leeds, you should check out The Craft Centre (next to the Art Gallery). I hadn’t been (nor even heard of it) before, but found it to be a lovely space with exhibitions, inexpensive prints to buy and a vast collection of original handmade jewellery. There is also a cafe and a cute gift shop, which caused a friend and I to go ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over its contents!  

Brighton Pavillion, Woodcut

This is a review I wrote for my student newspaper about Sarah Young’s solo print exhibition at the The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds. The exhibition ended on the 29th October, so this is a little out of date, but I urge you to check her work at:

http://www.sarah-young.co.uk/

Unassumingly displayed amongst the Craft Centre’s eclectic collection, Sarah Young’s prints are arresting, vibrant and whimsical. After all, it’s not every exhibition that boasts illustrations of cockerels and rhinos in its assortment…

Young is a master of many artistic trades, listing painter, printmaker and illustrator amongst her talents. The main emphasis of the exhibition is her bold use of screen prints and woodcuts which are automatically refreshing and modern. Her take on the Minotaur brings Greek mythology up to the present day, turning a popular figure into a popular piece of art. Its bright colours and use of pattern which instantly reveal it to be a print, are reminiscent of Andy Warhol and more recently, Rob Ryan whose clean, flat style is recognisable. It is not surprising to discover that Young has designed prints for posters, books and more unusually, tea towels. This is accessible, decorative art; the type you would like to grace the walls of your living room.   

But it would be a detriment to Young to assume her art is simple. One of the stand out pieces is the collagraph Rhinoceros which displayed ornate detail, striking in the use of only black and white. Collagraphy is a printmaking process in which materials are placed onto collage plates, inked with a roller and then applied to the paper using a printing press. The wealth of materials that can be used enable interesting effects.   Rhinoceros is a magical image in that it has the appearance of an x-ray but it depicts the Rhino as being composed of patterns of jewels. In the print world, things don’t have to make sense.

Next to this was the portrait of Captain Costentenus, a circus performer in the 1880s who had tattoos over his body: the perfect subject for the collagraph treatment as it displayed the detail and intricacy that can be achieved through print. On her website, Young displays these works with a Circus collection- a display of 9 prints which form a metre square depicting a circus scene. It would have been interesting to have seen this exhibited as the works in the exhibition, though I’m assuming were to showcase the breadth of her work, seemed a little disjointed because there was no underlying theme.   

Whilst not necessarily instigating an emotional response from the viewer, these prints are fun and energetic in their bold use of colour and line. With its range of different techniques, this is a must see for fans of print work.   

Also, if you happen to be out and about in Leeds, you should check out The Craft Centre (next to the Art Gallery). I hadn’t been (nor even heard of it) before, but found it to be a lovely space with exhibitions, inexpensive prints to buy and a vast collection of original handmade jewellery. There is also a cafe and a cute gift shop, which caused a friend and I to go ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over its contents!