In an old pink house in the heart of Skövde is the Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad. Here, graphic artists from all over Skaraborg gather to work, learn and meet.

If you get off the train or bus at Skövde travel center, to the right of Kulturhuset you can look for a building with a plastered, pink facade and two-story windows. This is the Pink House, which houses both an art school and a graphics workshop. If you walk around the block, you'll come to a white gate that leads you into an inviting cobblestone courtyard, and straight ahead is the entrance to the Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad. >>

On the walls of the workshop, exhibition posters from members' exhibitions are juxtaposed with graphic sheets and information notes. The interior rooms smell of paint and coffee from the kitchen. The wooden floors creak and the mirrored doors and high skirting boards show that the house holds many memories.

Mission: To develop and preserve

Marianne Förars chairs the non-profit association, which has around 70 active members.

- Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad is a meeting point for artists who want to develop their graphic techniques. We have a clear mission from the municipality and the region: To develop and preserve the art graphic techniques. Here it is possible to work with the classic graphic techniques such as drypoint, soft ground etching, letterpress and screen printing, but also the digital ones such as photopolymer and computer graphics, says Marianne.

One of the newer members is Ben Smith, a textile artist and Englishman who arrived in Skara via Stockholm and Berlin. He works in artist Andreas Eriksson's studio in Lidköping and comes to the workshop to develop his skills in graphic art.

- I started etching a year ago when I attended an evening course here. I'm still experimenting and really enjoy the community of artists here," he says.

Knowledge in your hands

The workshop organizes courses both for artists who want further training and for beginners. Working in the workshop means handling printing presses, other machines and also chemical substances. Therefore, if you want to become a member, you need to attend a basic course before applying for membership.

- "Graphic art is knowledge that has to sit in your hands, you can't read about it," says Marianne as she shows us around the premises, which in addition to workrooms also include the exhibition area "One room and four windows" where each artist has their own sales box.

For those who are curious about what art graphics means, Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad will be at the Family Day on March 23 >> at Skövde Kulturhus where you can try your hand at making a graphic print. You're invited!

Facts about Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad in Skövde

The workshop is and has been a workplace for several Skaraborg artists such as Bernt Jutemar, Mats Svensson, Camilla Alfredsson, Gun-Britt Larsson, Maria Segerström, Edna Cers, Chennet Juhlin and Bill Haberman.

Every year, the workshop produces a Friendship File. with prints from two graphic designers at an affordable price. This year, Eva Riise and Jan Hilmersson are responsible for the pages in this year's Vänmapp.

Check out Skaraborgs konstgrafiska verkstad on Youtube:

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