A new print fair at Spike Island celebrates contemporary printmaking while honouring the legacy of Peter Reddick RWA – the generous, visionary artist who helped lay the foundations for Bristol’s thriving print community.…
“… Spike Island owes a huge debt of gratitude to Peter… he is part of the DNA of this project…”
by Spike Print Studio
Peter Reddick (1924 -2010) was a prominent British printmaker who, as well as teaching, made around 500 wood engravings for books published by the Folio Society, including 18 volumes of the novels and stories of Thomas Hardy. Reddick was a member of the Royal Society of Painter/Printmakers and the Society of Wood Engravers, and also became an academician at the RWA, where his work was celebrated in 2012 with a retrospective exhibition titled ‘Beautiful World’.
Reddick advocated for the arts, and his supportive influence can still be traced in Bristol’s present-day landscape. He exuded kindness and vision to Bristol’s community of creatives, and in 1976 he was a central figure in establishing the collaborative, artist-led studio ‘Artspace’. This new studio scheme began in McArther’s Warehouse and was envisioned as a place where creatives could come together, share resources, and promote artistic awareness. Within this space, Peter set up print facilities under the name Bristol Print Workshop. Open to members from all strands of the Artspace collective, it provided etching and relief printing facilities and fostered a collaborative environment that continued to evolve over the years.
Artspace was forced to leave McArther’s building in 1996. Peter was a driving force in this move and gave himself to the project. The relocation formed what is now Spike Island, in Cumberland Road, a huge art space in the former Brook Bond Tea factory. This experiment in creativity led directly to the vibrant creative ecosystems that continue to thrive at Spike Island and Spike Print Studio today. As fellow founding member of Artspace John O’Connor succinctly put it:
“Spike Island owes a huge debt of gratitude to Peter, and it stands here today as a testimony to him – he is part of the DNA of this project. He was a deeply humane person and was motivated, less by the bricks and mortar of Spike than by the welfare of the hundreds and maybe thousands of artists that have worked here and will come to work here in the future. A kind, modest and true gentleman.’
This year marks the 50th year since the inception of these prominent art spaces. As part of a programme of 50-year celebrations, Spike Island and Spike Print Studio are delighted to announce the launch of Spike Print Fair, a new three-day printmaking fair taking place 24–26th July at Spike Island. The fair is presented in partnership with the UWE Bristol School of Arts and Centre for Print Research (CFPR).
Bringing together over fifty independent printmakers and small presses, Spike Print Fair will transform Spike Island into a vibrant marketplace for contemporary print. Visitors will have the chance to view and buy original works directly from artists, as well as participate in workshops and attend a programme of talks.
There will also be opportunities to take a tour of Spike Print Studio, which is now the largest open-access print studio in the South West, providing education and open access in screen printing, etching and relief printing. The studios are used seven days a week, filled with a busy learning programme offering classes for all, and professional facilities to its membership of artists.
Peter remained an active part of Spike Print Studio, sharing his time and knowledge, right up until he died in 2010. His ethos lives on today in the vibrant, creative community that continues to thrive there. His spirit is deeply embedded in the studio, as is his beloved Vandercook Letterpress, which, when moved to Cumberland Road, was permanently cemented into the floor. The press is still going strong and is a daily reminder of Peter’s legacy in the building.
Join us at the Spike Print Fair at Spike Island this summer.
Friday 24th July, 6pm – 9pm, Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th July, 10am – 5pm. Free entrance.
The Floating Circle 