ABOUT WE

Printing The exes by Georgina Gratrix in February. Three plates executed in spitbite and aquatint. Here we are printing on Zerkall Copperplate 250gsm.
For ink we use Charbonnel.

Michael Taylor doing spitbite with Ferric Chloride onto brass during a collaborative work period in March.

Here we pulling a monotype on Zerkall Copperplate 250gsm by Marlise Keith in April.

Printing …working with Douglas… by Christian Nerf in May. The print is made up of 2 plates executed in polymer photogravure onto Zerkall Copperplate 250gsm.

If there’s a word that encapsulates the essence of what happens at WE, it’s ‘collaboration’. As a professional printmaking studio, Warren Editions facilitates a dynamic relationship between artist and printmaker - a dialogue of praxis, of creative experimentation and technical expertise. It’s why the acronym ‘WE’ exists, capturing as it does something of this collaborative spirit.

Based in Cape Town, and established in 2008 by master printmaker Zhané Warren, Warren Editions prints and publishes fine art prints. Balancing a commitment to traditional processes with a creative and flexible attitude, the studio specialises in the intaglio techniques of etching and polymer photogravure, as well as monotype and relief. Works are available for sale at the studio, and can be viewed by appointment (a personal introduction to the studio’s output, a unique cross-section of print-based work). Alternatively, prints can be previewed and purchased online.

At Warren Editions value is placed on projects that contribute meaningfully to the discourse of contemporary art and culture in South Africa. Warren Editions collaborates, under the lead of Zhané Warren, not only with established artists but also emerging ones - visual practitioners who, although not primarily printmakers, share our belief in printmaking as a contemporary medium. For the artist, realising a project at Warren Editions is an exploratory process, a conversation. Initiated by the artist’s vision, and facilitated by the skills and experience of a dedicated printmaking team of three printmakers. As the master printmaker, Zhané Warren is personally involved in all projects; sharing her experience, introducing appropriate techniques, and encouraging artists to explore various possibilities - and in so doing to discover, in print, their own visual language. This sort of layered collaboration between artist and studio, this partnering of play and organisation that is printmaking, invariably leads to new and exciting directions in an artist’s practice.

Warren Editions fosters a culture of learning in regards to printmaking. A pedagogue at heart, Zhané runs workshops in etching, aquatint, monotype and polymer photogravure. Typically, a workshop will run over three or four Saturdays, and attendees are subsequently encouraged to attend the studio’s Wednesday night open-sessions. These evenings allow aspiring printmakers to apply their new-found skills under the supervision of a Warren Editions printmaker. The studio also runs an active internship programme. Prospective interns submit applications, and on acceptance spend two months working in the studio, learning valuable printmaking skills within a professional environment. Interns spend two and half days a week (of their two months) assisting on studio projects, and are encouraged to pursue a personal printmaking project in the time remaining.

Aside from the beautiful view, bright natural light and excellent coffee, the studio at Warren Editions is a fresh and flexible space – as much a personal workspace for the artist as a working printmaking facility. With a 2 x 1 m bed, our custom-made press handles extra large plates and full paper sheets, whilst the layout and functionality of the various print stations – from inking and wiping to aquatint application – reflects the ergonomics of a studio in action. When it comes to the storage and handling of prints, the love for works on paper is reflected in strict archival practice. And, whether in the preparation and etching of plates or the editioning of prints, all studio processes are undertaken in as non-toxic and environmentally friendly a manner as possible. Adhering to the perfectionist (stickler for detail!) code of the commited craftsperson, excellence in printmaking is, at Warren Editions, a matter of passion, integrity and, of course, collaboration…

Let’s print.