This is an unusual work by the Scottish artist Alfons Bytautas. It is a little etching and aquatint print. It is pencil signed: Bytautas and editioned as No. 1 out of 30 impressions.
Dimensions: Frame Size 24.5 x 29.5 cm. Image Size: 12 x 16 cm.
It features three mystical subjects: a Celtic Labyrinth, a Tarot card featuring the sun and a little star pentangle symbol. The motifs reflect his interest in codes, signs and symbols – from the magical symbolism of alchemy to pixels and binary codes. These symbols would also fit in with his being a bit of an amateur magician.
Alfons was born in Selkirk in 1955 and studied painting at the Edinburgh College of Art from 1972 - 1977. And then went to Paris where he studied at Atelier 17, the studio of the celebrated Modernist printmaker Stanley William Hayter.
Alfons was Master Printmaker at Edinburgh Printmakers' Workshop from 1979 to 2009, where he was instrumental in developing and promoting innovative print techniques. Bytautas was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1994 and became a Royal Scottish Academician in 2005.
Alfons is now working as Senior Technician at the Fine Art Printmaking Studio at Northumbria University. His pioneering research in printmaking and using acrylic resist etching and photopolymer techniques helped establish his reputation internationally.
On a personal level, I had a lot of fun and interesting times with Alfons when he used to bring his students and friends into the Print Room of the National Gallery of Scotland. He was also interested in studying the technique and works of Goya, Rembrandt, Redon etc. In his capacity as a master print maker - the Gallery would often ask Alfons to take special impressions from some of the historic copper etching plates in the Gallery collection.
UK Postage will be with Royal Mail Recorded Post. This will cost about £5.50 and applied to your order at the checkout.