Deep in the heart of Bristol’s newly christened ‘Art Quarter’ (that’s Christmas Steps/Colston Street for the uninformed) lies the city’s newest art space – the screen printing studio SNAP! After a successful conception in September last year, the Snap collective (made up of 8 local, print-centric artists and designers) have been working hard producing work for their front gallery and boosting their public profile at art markets across the region.

Always ones to try new things and branch out, Snap have recently started screenprinting workshops where members of the public can come in and have full use of the studio’s materials and equipment to produce some fantastic prints for themselves! For those unfamiliar with screenprinting, the technique was originally used for commercial purposes but was adapted and made famous by the pop artists of the 1960’s, a notorious example being Andy Warhol and his iconic Marilyn Monroe prints.

Suit Yourself turns up on a cloudy Sunday morning for our 6 hour workshop and are greeted by the warm smiles of resident artists David Abbott and Rob Hunter. After a quick tour of this quirky building (used to be a brothel don’t you know) we decide to get stuck in. The SY logo seems as good an image as any to play around with so we get stencilling! At these workshops you can come armed to teeth, with ideas spilling out of your ears or if you’re just a curious beginner the Snap team can help you create some amazing designs; all are welcome! You can reproduce anything from photographic images to freehand sketches so bring whatever you like, you can always experiment - it’s the best way to learn.

Stencils done, we’re off to expose our screens in ‘The Duke’, then after washing-out we’re straight into the best part; the print making! Squeegee in hand you’ve got to let your creative urges take over and delve into a sea of multiple techniques and colours. The Snap ethos is refreshing build on the fundamentals of trust and co-operation and therefore makes for some fantastically open and honest workshops. Watching it all unfold under your very nose is brilliant and the entire process is incredibly rewarding especially as you get to come away with something tangible at the end of the day that you have created in the studios.

The workshops are weekly and run for a maximum of 3 people a go. It will cost you £60 for 6 hours which is a fantastic price considering that pays for the artists’ time, the use of all of Snap’s equipment and all the materials you get through including paint, paper, pens, grease sticks, green spray, tea and carrot cake. Lots of carrot cake. For full information visit the SNAP website.

www.snapstudio.org.uk

Matthew Whittle www.matthewwhittleblog.blogspot.com