This month we’re putting the spotlight on our studios located in Stromness, Orkney. Opened in October 2016, the former public library is now home to five artist studios as well as the Soulisquoy Printmakers Collective. A stone’s throw from the Pier Arts Centre, the building is situated in the historic town centre close by the Stromness Museum.
Orcadian artist Brandon Logan is a current tenant, having returned to his hometown after studying at Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh. His recent work is made through a distinctive painting process which developed from a desire to work on a surface more permeable and mutable than a traditional canvas. This technique involves the flooding, sealing and fusing of warps of string using the gradual application of layers of paint, resulting in works with an open, fretted structure and an innate delicacy. Watch this film below documenting Brandon making work in his Stromness studio (courtesy of Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh).
Founded in 1982, the Soulisquoy Printmakers Collective are long-term tenants at Stromness Studios. As a group, including tenant rep Carol Dunbar and Stromness-born Nick Gordon, they have established printmaking facilities for the surrounding community as well as a series of workshops and classes on relief print, intaglio, screenprinting and monoprinting techniques. Their studio benefits from lots of natural light that comes through the original windows. They have a restored Columbian press and an etching press. Soulisquoy is dedicated to creating access to printmaking for all, including young people through community outreach projects and workshops.
Tenant Kerrianne Flett is an artist based in Harray, Orkney. Originally trained as a jeweller, Kerrianne now occupies a space at Stromness Studios where she makes beautiful ceramic designs that are often inspired by her Orcadian surroundings.
Are you interested in finding out more about Stromness Studios and maybe arranging a visit? Click here for information about the currently available spaces, or contact us on lettings@waspsstudios.org.uk.
