Current Exhibition

Ode to Joy by Alfons Bytautas RSA

Friday 15th September – Saturday 24th October

Biography

Alfons Bytautas is a painter & printmaker. He lives & works in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he recently retired from his post as Senior Technician at Northumbria University. Born in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders in 1955, Bytautas studied at Edinburgh College of Art (1972-77). He was Master Printmaker at Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop from 1979 to 2009, where he was instrumental in developing and promoting innovative print techniques. He has directed numerous workshops, demonstrating these methods, throughout the UK and in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain & Japan. In 1983 Bytautas studied in Paris at Atelier 17, the studio of the esteemed Modernist printmaker Stanley William Hayter. In 1994 he was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Scottish Academy, becoming a full academician in 2006. His work is represented in public & private collections in the UK, Europe and USA

‘Ode to Joy’ Artist Statement

This exhibition is a selection of my most abstract work, which I hope responds to the architecture of Sarah’s house & gallery and its rural setting. I tend to think visually when working on my artwork. Ideas evolve as I draw, paint or use collage. It is thinking through a profound engagement with tools and materials. Creating an artwork becomes a material record of my thinking process. Generally I begin by working freely and without any preconceptions, experimenting with the ways in which I can construct an image. I often use several materials at one time, as each has its own characteristic quality and I enjoy contrasting messy, smudgy marks with more controlled work. For me, adopting a playful approach when working is beneficial. Not only can it make things more enjoyable but it is a useful activity for freeing the mind. With luck, this can be conducive to achieving unusual and surprising results.