Yuji Hiratsuka > International Guest Printmaker

We are extremely happy to announce that The Print Shop will be featuring two prints by the very highly acclaimed Yuji Hiratsuka. The professor of Fine Art at The Oregeon State University has kindly accepted our invitation to become our first international guest printmaker. He has sent us two stunning prints which have never before been to the UK and are truly a must see.

Yuji's work combines traditional Japanese Ukyioe style prints with contemporary western styles and fashions. His two large scale prints will feature in the shop from the 24^th July until the 28^th August. Whilst they look beautiful on our shiny new blog we assure you they are much more amazing on paper.

Yuji creates his complicated prints using etching methods, embossing and  Cine-colle (the use of collaged paper in printmaking). The etching plates are created using a range of etching methods. Yuji creates all of his colours using only one plate which is recreated continually throughout the process of printing. Using red, yellow, blue and black in combinations to create a wide variety of colour which mix with translucency, The prints are finally embossed with textures and  are stunningly luminous.

Yuji will also be online for a live question & answer session during a very special 'Meet the Printmaker' evening - technology is great! Watch this space for more details of this exciting opportunity to find out more about Yuji's amazing print work from the man himself.

These amazing prints are exhibited all over the world and are now coming to Bristol - we are very excited!

Yuji's prints are created on traditional Japanese handmade paper and The Print Shop will also be hosting a series of workshops exploring this material. Local artist Elaine Cooper, who has spent years living between the Uk and Japan mastering the art of Japanese paper, will be running demos and workshops in the shop. More on this coming soon....