exhibitions & events 2017

Joy Bain

2017: The Year of The Rooster

2017 ends the year of the Monkey and starts on the 28th of January the year of the Rooster. People born in a year of the Rooster are very observant. Hardworking, resourceful, courageous and talented, Roosters are very confident about themselves.

The Chinese Lunar calendar follows a 12 year cycle and each of the 12 years is represented by 12 Animals which form the Chinese Zodiac. After every 12 years the Chinese calendar repeats itself. The animals in the Chinese Zodiac or the animals which constitute the Chinese calendar are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Joy Bain has created a new suite of quirky woodcuts representing the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, each based upon unique items personal to the artist.

The woodcut is an important part in the Chinese folklore art. At the Spring Festival, new year pictures are generally displayed everywhere as a symbol of the arrival of Chinese new year, also implying the good fortune with the expectation of a fruitful new year.

Throughout its long history in China, woodblock printing has occupied an important position - as a handicraft manufacture, but also as a folk art that requires precision in tracing, carving and alignment in printing. Woodblock printing has made tremendous contributions to the spread of knowledge, insight and artistic inspiration.

Joy Bain was born in Falkirk in 1966. She studied printed textiles/printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. She was shortlisted at Scotfree, the Scottish Textile Awards at the Kensington Exhibition Centre in London and sold her blankets to Timney Fowler.

Her natural progression led her to specialise in screenprinting, where her style is easily recognisable as bold, colourful animal prints.

She has exhibited her work in Glasgow, London And at the S.E. Feinman Gallery in New York and has her work in collections with the Collins gallery, New Hall Cambridge, Hughson Gallery, Lord Calloway Edinburgh and the Firebird Glasgow.

Woodcut Taster Day

Come along and create a woodcut print during a one day taster course led by Joy Bain on Saturday 18th March. Using your own Chinese Zodiac animal learn how to transfer your image, cut the block, ink up and print using our impressive Columbian Eagle Press. Further information can be found here.

Image: Joy Bain, 'White Cat', woodcut. Joy Bain, 'Rooster', woodcut. Joy Bain, 'Monkey', woodcut.