Garatelier

/Open studio

By appointment

The workshop
is open to artists.

If you have a printmaking project, you can work on it here. Even if it is still only an idea: we start by talking about it.

Every piece of work asks for something different. Write and tell me what you have in mind and we will work out together how to make it here, with which technique and in how long.

Write and tell me about your project→

What you can do here

Here you will find the press, the materials and my hands. You bring the project, even if it is only a sketch.

/The space

Works from «Tracce» on the walls, next to the press
The walls of the room
The etching corner, with the sink and the blue wall
The etching corner
The ink shelf and palette knives above the glass slab
The inks
Two prints hanging in front of the windows
Hanging prints
Works from «Tracce» on the white wall
The exhibition wall
The workbench, with plants and works on show
The workbench
Containers and bottles on the blue wall
The blue wall
The sink corner in the evening, with the light on
In the evening

/How it works

Let’s talk together

What happens after your email, step by step.

I

You write to me

An email, however short

Tell me who you are and what you would like to do. Three lines are enough, and I answer you myself.

II

We talk it over

In person or on a video call

Where the work stands, which technique it calls for, what constraints it has. If the workshop is not the right place for your project I will say so straight away.

III

We put it all in writing

Before we start

Days, materials, costs, who does what. We agree it together and I write it down before we begin.

IV

We work together

In the workshop, beside the press

We try, we print, we do it again. We keep every state proof: they count as much as the finished print.

/Two ways

Time in the studio depends on your project

One day, two, or a series of sessions: it depends on what you want to make. The way of working is the same.

I — Days in the workshop

One or two days

One printing technique from beginning to end: plate, bite, ink, press. You leave with your own prints.

We decide the starting point beforehand, from what you already know how to do. Whether it is the first time or the hundredth, the day is built around you.

On your own or in a pair, with dates agreed each time. There is no course calendar.

Hands on the plate

Who it’s for

  • Anyone who wants to learn a technique
  • Anyone who knows one and wants to sharpen it
  • Printmaking and art school students
  • Artists working in other media
An edition in progress

II — Production and collaboration

Consecutive days

For work already under way: a series, an artist’s book, an edition to finish. The project and the plates stay yours.

You usually bring the paper. If you have none, mine is here: it is counted as it is used and added to the quote.

This is the most common arrangement, and it often unfolds over several sessions spread out in time.

In the making

Residencies

A long stretch, from the first proof to the closing presentation: experimenting, producing, documenting.

The first ones are being shaped with artists, academies and institutions. If you have work that would make sense developed here, write to me anyway.

Propose your project→

A project in development, laid out on the wall
The closing presentation of a residency

/In practice

Who brings what

Here you’ll find

  • An intaglio press of 125 × 72
  • Trays, mordants, grounds and needle tools
  • Inks and solvents
  • Printing papers, if you have none — charged as used
  • My hands, and a conversation about the work
  • Photographs of the process

You bring

  • The project, even if only sketched
  • Any plates already begun
  • Visual references, if you have them
  • The paper, usually
  • Time: work done in a hurry shows

Costs depend on the days, the materials and the format. We agree them along with the project and I write them down before we begin.

/Questions

The questions I am asked most often

If yours is not here, write and ask: I am glad to answer.

Do I need to know how to etch already?
No. A day in the workshop needs no experience at all; for a project it helps to have in mind what you want to arrive at, and we build the technical side together. We decide the starting point beforehand.
Who owns the plates and the prints?
Yours. The workshop takes no rights over what is made here. If a work ends up in the gallery on this site we agree it first, and the credits are given in full.
And what if the project doesn’t work?
It happens, and it is part of the work: the proofs that fail often say more than the ones that succeed. If an idea cannot be done with the means I have, I will say so straight away.
Can two of us come?
Yes, for days in the workshop and for many projects. The space has a physical limit: beyond two people we look at it case by case.
Do I bring the paper?
Usually yes: paper is a choice that belongs to the work, and anyone arriving with a project under way already has their own. If you have none, the store has a range of weights: it is counted as it is used.
How much notice do you need?
A couple of weeks is enough for a single day. For longer sessions it is worth writing further ahead, because it has to fit around the rest of the programme.
Can I use the workshop on my own?
No, we always work side by side: acids are handled here, and standing next to the person printing is part of the work.
Is intaglio the only kind of printing?
No. We print intaglio, relief and screenprint, and the workshop houses every stage that leads to the sheet, cutting the plate included. If the technique you need is not among these I will say so straight away.
Is there somewhere to stay nearby?
The workshop has no guest quarters. Rubano and Padua have plenty to choose from, and Mestrino-Ronchi station is a few minutes away: for longer stays I will point you in the right direction.

/Write to me

Write and tell me about your project

Many collaborations have started from a three-line email.

I answer you myself. From the first conversation we work out together whether the workshop is the right place for your work.

  • I reply within a few days
  • Writing commits you to nothing
  • Costs and days we work out together, afterwards

Would you rather email? info@garatelier.com

Tell me what you would like to do in the workshop

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