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Apr.12,2010The art of printing is believed to have originated from China thousands of years ago, but the first recorded history credits it to Caxton as well as Guttenberg. Much of the styling found on many later printing machines, traced its roots back to some of the Victorian presses which had a really heavy and gothic influence. This led to Engineers designing printing machines for artists not artists designing printing presses for themselves.
Artist were, for several years restricted and only able to print their work at print houses. Machines were revered without being used to their full potential. The machine was the main thing not what was being printed.
This is where we were until Dave Gunning came along and designed a super fabricated machine which is totally ‘hands on’ back in the late eighties. The immediate results were fantastic and the machine design has become honed and perfected during the last twenty years. Daves on-going adventure is to educate, to be sure the art of etching and printing never dies. Born amongst the steel works in Bilston West Midlands 55 years ago Dave has a long family pedigree of steel bashing. Daves portfolio is pretty impressive too, he can boast pieces of his artwork displayed in Westminster Palce, The Royal Collection along with the National Museum of Wales.
Unlike any other printing machines available, every press is hand made in Ironbridge, Shropshire. Sutiable for printing anything from woodcuts to etchings. Dave offers a lifetime warranty with all of his presses, such is the grade of both the workmanship and also the prints themselves.Dave Gunnings Gunningarts printing presses are located in schools, colleges and artists studios. In fact he has produced over 1000 of these excellent printing machines.One even takes a pride of place within the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, an accolade any artist or designer would be proud of.
‘I saw a press in a museum in Paris that was Picasso’s, I never dreamed I would have a press I hade made in a museum as an exhibit!’ Dave Gunning 2009
This article is a guest blog post written on behlaf of Ironbridge Fine Arts & Framing, Vendors of Gunningarts Etching Printing Presses and specialists in Bespoke Framing. For more information about Etching Printing Press, check out www.ironbridgeframing.co.uk
