Sir Terry Frost, RA: Rare Prints from the artist's Estate

About

Terry Frost is one of the most significant printmakers of the twentieth century" - Dominic Kemp from the Introduction to his Terry Frost Prints Catalogue Raisonee, 2010

In this exhibition we have a unique opportunity to view some of the rarer prints produced by Sir Terry Frost from 1990 to 2003.

These include the magnificent Timberaine sets of woodcuts: These are a series of 10 triptych woodcuts (A to J, each 105 x 150 cm) published by Paragon Press in 2000-1, printed by Hugh Stoneman at Stoneman Graphics in an edition of 16 (A-f) or 10 (G-J).

The idea for Timberaines came from a large painting of stripes, which itself was inspired by tree trunks in a forest. Terry Frost referred to the painting as "a jungle"; the title is concocted from "Timber" and "Rainforest".

He said "I wanted a title that described what I was doing. Timberaine is a rainforest; it is about timber abnd trunks". In creating the sets of prints, Frost enjoyed experimenting with the weight and tone of colours, relating them to each other and arranging them in different sequences.

We will be exhibiting Timberaine A, which was previously shown in the recent Tate Retropective at Newlyn and Exchange Galleries from October 2015 to commemorate the centenary of the artists birth.

The SS Portfolio is a set of 8 etchings with chinese tissue (chin colle) attached to Somerset White Textured 300gsm paper. Published by Terry Frost and printed by Hugh Stoneman at Stoneman Graphics, Cornwall in an edition 30. The set is presented in a grey cloth bound portfolio with a foil blocked 'SS' design on the cover. In the portfolio there is also two extra sheets on the same paper: A title sheet with the edition number and a list of works. See short video below.

This will be the first time the full set of eight prints have been exhibited together.

"SS" relates to the letters in the registration number for all fishing boats from St Ives, Terry Frost would have seen it countless times on his walks to the quay, and it also featured in many paintings (& prints). The eight images both abstract and figurative, are personal to Terry Frost, his home in St Ives as well as favourite places.

Ouzo and Black Olives relates to Cyprus where Terry Frost taught at the Summer Art School in Lemba, run by Stass Paraskos. Founded in 1969 the art school also attracted other UK artists including Anthony Caro, Euan Uglow and Bridget Riley. In fact, so many members of Britain's Royal Academy, the heart of the British art world, have a Cyprus College of Art connection that the art historian John Cornell has written in The London Magazine that the Cyprus College of Art is responsible for introducing Cypriot elements into British art. Terry Frost loved Cyprus and many works were inspired by the island's physical beauty as well as its' mythology. 

The Trewellard Sun series (1989) was the first to be commissioned by Charles Booth-Clibborn (owner of Paragon Press). Linocut was chosen as the medium for the strong, flat and rich colours tha could be achieved. From his home in Newlyn, Terry Frost could see the sun set over the tin mines near the village of Trewellard in the West. The sun had been a recurring theme in his work ever since his move to Cornwall (See also Black and Red Sunburst).

An exhibition of Terry Frost prints would not be complete without one inspired by the poems of Federico Lorca. We have chosen "Black for Lorca" from 1991, after the "Eleven Poems by Federico Garcia Lorca" (the Lorca Suite) of 1989. Unlike the earlier set of etchings, Black for Lorca is an etching and lithograph.

The only screenprint in the exhibition is "Yellow, Black and Red for Nice" (2001), which includes two collage elements. This was published by the artist and printed at Coriander Studios, London. This composition has also been made as a sculpture by Terry Frost, which was exhibtied in Nice, France and also more recently the the Centenary exhibition at Leamington Museum and Art Gallery in 2015.

Alongside the prints we will also be selling Dominc Kemp's "Terry Frost Prints - catalogue raisonee" (both the standard and deluxe edition with a print) and signed copies of Roger Bristow's biography "A Painter's Life". In additon we have a few signed copies of other Terry Frost books some with drawings