Swansea Print Workshop

Background

Born in Swansea in 1951 and now lives in rural West Wales. He studied printmaking at Swansea Institute and gained his University of Wales B.A. in Graphic Art.  In 1997 he co-founded the Swansea Print Workshop and remains involved in its teaching program and with community arts projects sponsored by the workshop. He also teaches printmaking on a freelance basis in Higher and Adult education. Alan Williams exhibits his work throughout Wales and has also participated in exhibitions in New York, Brussels, Pakistan and Japan.

Artist’s Statement

A print often starts with the germ of an idea that kicks off the practical process. The interplay between these two elements, idea and process, is for me the most stimulating part of printmaking, throughout the making of a print one is constantly informing the other, nothing is fixed.

Often the physical process of working with the plate or block and the range of marks and textures that can be achieved develop the original idea introducing new elements. This interplay between the initial vision and technique is a very fluid and organic process and often results in many different versions of the image.