Printmakers’ Printmaker
Over the Printfest weekend each year, we ask the exhibiting artists to nominate their favourite printmaker. That artist becomes our Printmakers’ Printmaker, an accolade which is particularly meaningful to artists as it reflects recognition by their peers. They are awarded a free stand for the following year.
A new tradition began in 2024 to work with the Printfest in Schools programme; the Printmakers’ Printmaker is invited to help prepare the schools brief for the start of the next academic year, and to be the judge of the schools entries to select the two new YOUNG Printmakers of the Year. Winners are on the Printfest in Schools webpage
Printmakers’ Printmakers:
2025 – Aga Kubish
2024 – Jemma Gunning
2023 – Sally Adkins
2022 – Gail Mason
2021 – pandemic II
2020 – pandemic I
2019 – Helen Murgatroyd
2018 – Flora McLachlan
2017 – Georgina Bown
2016 – interregnum
2015 – Fouzia Zafar
2014 – Joanna Bourne
2013 – Rosemary Vanns
2012 – Ross Loveday
2011 – Angela Harding
2010 – Henrietta Corbett
2009 – Julia Manning
2008 – Raymond Higgs
2007 – Simon Ripley
2004 – Shelley Burgoyne
Printmakers’ Printmaker 2026 ~ Martin Grover
Martin Grover is an accomplished and inventive screen printer, he hand paints his stencils directly onto the screen, creating richly coloured densely layered prints that resonate with gentle humour. His prints are a curious blend of realism and romanticism, skilfully presenting narratives inspired by ephemera, anecdotal evidence and apocryphal stories. Talking about his print ‘The Drifters’, inspired by a 1950’s novel, Martin reflected on his response to the book’s imagery, hinting at a similar play between surface and undercurrent and that sense of being drawn in by something seemingly benign, before the work reveals its darker edge: “Sometimes I like doing that, it’s very subtle, you can sort of lure people in… it’s a response to the imagery in the book.”
Martin is looking forward to returning to Printfest in 2027 as our Printmakers’ Printmaker to take up his free stand, discuss his work at the opening talk and judge the Printfest Young Printmaker Awards.
Martin Grover was also recognised with the Printmakers of Scotland Award, presented by Deb Wing.