Image: Baldessin Studio, St Andrews.

Baldessin Studio

Baldessin Studio, a not-for-profit organisation located on Wurundjeri-willam country (St Andrews), is a printmaking studio built on the rich legacy of the renowned printmaker George Baldessin (1939-78). With artists at its core, the studio cultivates and champions printmaking embodying George’s generosity of spirit and passion for fostering creativity.

Operating since 2001, when it was reawakened after George’s untimely death in 1978, the studio operates out of the original bluestone atelier complete with his custom-built etching press. The bushland setting of this significant studio offers a unique environment for artists to connect more deeply with their practice, the extended printmaking community and the robust tradition of Australian printmaking, all the while strengthening technical mastery and proficiency.

 The studio offers a yearly program of workshops, masterclasses, fellowships and events in intaglio, relief and photo-based printmaking techniques, with a focus on hybrid and contemporary practices. In addition, the studio also offers public access days, residences and collaborative editioning services.

Baldessin Studio has partnered with State Library Victoria since 2014, hosting two fellowships annually, and participates regularly in the NGV Book Fair and Sydney Contemporary. In 2016 the studio published ‘The Baldessin & Friends Commemorative Folio’ featuring seven celebrated Australian artsists – Rick Amor, GW Bot, Jock Clutterbuck, Michael Leunig, Jan Senbergs, Imants Tillers and John Wolseley (with an introductory text by Professor Sasha Grishin) – all of whom shared a personal connection to George, or to the Studio itself.