John Howard Print Studios is a high-quality and vibrant facility offering opportunities for new and experienced printmakers to develop their skills and expertise.
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You can view John Howard's work at www.johnhowardprintmaker.com
Born July 1958 in Birmingham, England, John is married with three children. He worked in industry in the Midlands for ten years before studying Fine Art at University of Central England as a mature student. He graduated from there in 1989 with a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art. John was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in 1995 and a Member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) in 1996. He moved to Cornwall in August 1995 for greater professional and personal fulfillment and now runs a printmaking studio in an iconic eco-building, offering courses, workshops and open access to other printmakers. He has taught as a visiting lecturer at University of Central England, University of Warwick, University of Coventry and Birmingham Print Workshop and is a regular contributor to courses at King Edward’s School, Birmingham and University College Falmouth.
Themes
John’s early work drew heavily on his experiences in industry, with a series of prints and drawings based on his work in Birmingham and Black Country foundries, evoking the dramatic lighting effects created by blast furnaces in the dark and sombre interiors.
His work then focused on architectural themes, exploring relationships between space, structure and light, both internal and external.
Since moving to Cornwall John has been able to develop his interest in discovering unusual and different perspectives on the natural environment. His particular expertise is in exploiting the qualities of light and experimenting with form and structure, both natural and man-made.
Although known primarily as printmaker, John also paints and considers it important to draw regularly to improve visual awareness and gain new insight.
Public Commissions
John Howard had successfully completed commissions for four different companies when he was selected to work on a major project at St. John’s College, Oxford. The architects MacCormac Jamieson Prichard commissioned a number of artists to contribute to their internationally acclaimed design and construction of new residences at the College. His brief was to record the progress of the building in a dynamic and creative fashion and he produced a series of etchings and drypoints that were exhibited at the opening of the residences in 1994.
Following this John Howard was funded by West Midlands Arts to work as artist-in-residence at Birmingham Repertory Theatre during the 1994/95 season. The resulting body of work was shown at the Repertory Theatre in autumn 1995.
Early in 1996 John completed a commission for the University of Central England on the occasion of the refurbishment of their splendid Victorian School of Art.
Following completion of a limited edition print of Soho House, home of Matthew Boulton, pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, for the Lunar Society in Birmingham, John was commissioned by Birmingham City Council to produce a series of prints relating to the ornaments and interior of the Soho House Museum. The resulting exhibition opened at Soho House in October 1996.
Exhibitions (selected)
Open Exhibitions
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1988 – 1994
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Annual Exhibition, ‘Mid Art’, Dudley Art Gallery |
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1988 -- 1990
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Annual ‘Open Print’ Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London
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1990 – 1994
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Manchester Academy of Fine Art Open, Annual Exhibition
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1990,1993 – 1996, 2003 – 2004
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Annual Hunting National Art Exhibition |
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1991 – 1994, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2010
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Royal Academy Summer Exhibition |
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1990 |
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114th Exhibition of Contemporary Prints, Bankside Gallery, London
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1994, 2001, 2009 |
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Royal West of England Academy Open Print Exhibition, Bristol
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1995, 1996 |
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National Print Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
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2000 |
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Christmas Exhibition 2000, South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts
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2007 2007, 2009, 2010 |
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The Pastel Society Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London Originals, Mall Galleries, London
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2008, 2010 2008 |
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Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Open Exhibition St. Ives Society of Artists Open Exhibition
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2010 |
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Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Print Biennial 2010 - Guest Artist
‘Printmakers and Painters’ exhibition, Artmill, Plymouth |
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Group Exhibitions |
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1989 |
‘Whitworth Young Contemporaries’, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
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1990 |
BT New Contemporaries Touring ‘The Birmingham School’, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery
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1991 – 2006, 2009 – 2010 |
Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Annual Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London
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1991 |
‘Print Europe’ Touring, Barbican, London
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1992 |
‘Birmingham Contemporary Artists’, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery Edinburgh Contemporary Art Fair
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1994 |
‘In Search of the Black Country’, Walsall Museum and Art Gallery
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1996, 1997 |
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Members Exhibition
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1998 |
‘Prints in Focus: Whistler to Hockney and beyond’, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery
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1999 |
‘No Day Without a Line: Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers 1880 –1999’, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
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2001 |
‘Off Cuts’, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Bankside Gallery, London ‘Art and Industry’, Dudley Museum and Art Gallery
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2002 |
‘Starting a Collection, Art First, Cork Street, London
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2003 |
Art First in Print, Art First, Cork Street, London ‘Hellenic Adventure’, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Bankside Gallery, London
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2004 |
Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Exhibition, New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey
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2005 |
‘Virtual to actual’, Silverwell Fine Art, Falmouth Arts Centre ‘Impressions’, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
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2006 |
Landscapes and Interiors, Lander Gallery, Truro |
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2007 |
Printmaking in Penwith, Penlee Museum and Art Gallery Penwith Printmakers, Lander Gallery, Truro |
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2008 |
Coast Exhibition, Lander Gallery, Truro Penwith Printmakers, Atlantic Gallery, Falmouth and St. Just ‘Prints from the Studio’, Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, Falmouth and Gallery 49, Falmouth
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2009 |
Impress ’09 National Printmaking Exhibition, Gloucester Printmaker Birmingham In Print, Bond Gallery, Birmingham Four Printmakers from the John Howard Print Studio, Morvah Schoolhouse Gallery
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2009 – 2011 |
‘Prints from the Studio’, Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, Falmouth |
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2010
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A4 Printmakers and John Howard Print Studios, Open Space Gallery, Penryn
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2011 |
‘Print!’, The Exchange, Penzance ‘Bite!’, Mall Galleries, London ‘Down by the Sea’, Lander Gallery, Truro ‘Paper, Scissors, Stone’, Lander Gallery, Truro ‘Ascendors: 5 approaches to printmaking’, Back Lane West gallery, Redruth Group show, The Exchange, Penzance |
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Solo Exhibitions |
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1991 |
‘A Piranesian View of Birmingham’, Midlands Contemporary Art, Birmingham
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1992 |
‘A Piranesian View of Birmingham II’, Midlands Contemporary Art, Birmingham Solo Exhibition, St. George’s Brandon Hill, Bristol
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1995 |
‘Piranesian Views’, Art First, Cork Street, London then Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham Solo Exhibition, University of Central England, Birmingham
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1996 |
‘Soho House: Interior and Ornament’, Soho House Museum, Birmingham
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1998 |
Solo Exhibition, North Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, Camelford, Cornwall
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2000 |
‘still,seeing’, Falmouth Arts Centre, Cornwall |
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Solo Exhibition, Cornerstone Gallery, St. Ives, Cornwall
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2002 |
Solo Exhibition, Cornerstone Gallery, St. Ives, Cornwall
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2001 - 2007 |
Recent works, Falmouth Arts Centre, Cornwall
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Awards and Prizes (selected)
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1988 |
Finalist, Royal Academy Young Printmaker of the Year (London)
Collier Framing and Chameleon Gallery Award (Newcastle)
Rowlinson Scholarship (University of Central England)
First Prize, Whitworth Wallis Marine Painting Competition (Birmingham)
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1989 |
Galleries Magazine 1989 Print Award (London) First Prize, Whitworth Wallis Marine Painting Competition (Birmingham) E J Phipps Bequest Student Prize (Birmingham) First Prize, FRBSA Annual Exhibition (Birmingham) Runner up, Graduate Artist of the Year (London)
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1990 |
Purchase Prize, ‘Mid Art 90’ (Dudley) Third Prize, New England Art Club (London)
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1993 |
First Prize, Major Open Award (Manchester) Second Prize, ‘Mid Art 93’ (Dudley) Print Prize, Department of Transport Art Competition (London)
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1994 |
Third Prize, Royal West of England Academy Open Print Exhibition (Bristol)
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1996 |
First and second print prizes and highly commended award, Society of Artists in Cornwall (Liskeard) |
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2008 |
Second prize, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Open Exhibition |
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2010
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Best Print in Show - Grenville Davey Award, Originals 2010, Mall Galleries., London 2nd prize - Foley Art Prize, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Open Exhibition |
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Teaching Experience
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1991 – 95 |
Part time lecturer in printmaking, visual studies and life drawing, Sutton Coldfield College of Further Education, West Midlands.
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1991 – 93 |
Visiting lecturer, University of Central England, Birmingham.
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1992 – 95 |
Print workshops at Birmingham Print Workshop for a number of schools and colleges.
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1993 |
Workshop at Dudley Art Gallery.
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1994 |
Visiting lecturer, Warwick University.
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1994 – 95 |
Visiting lecturer, Coventry University.
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1995 |
Professional Practice lecturer, Falmouth College of Arts.
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1995 |
Workshop at Leamington Spa Art Gallery.
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1996 |
Workshop for Art Department staff at King Edward’s School, Birmingham.
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1996 – 2006 |
Falmouth College of Arts Printmaking Summer School.
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1997 – present |
Visiting lecturer, King Edward’s School, Birmingham.
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1998 – present |
Part time lecturer, Falmouth College of Arts. |
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2007 – present |
Regular courses, workshops, individual tutored sessions for students through to experienced artists at my own studio |
Collections
Surikov Academy of Arts, Moscow
Chameleon Gallery, Newcastle
University of Central England
Hereford College of Art
Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery
Dudley Art Gallery
Bankside Gallery, London
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Birmingham University
British Gas
Severn Trent Water
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
House of Commons
National Grid
Warwick University
Manchester Art Gallery
Walsall Museum and Art Gallery
Soho House Museum, Birmingham
Lunar Society, Birmingham
St. John’s College, Oxford
Private collections