Robert Sellar Print Collection goes on display at Flowerfield Arts Centre
Thu, January 13, 2022
An exhibition celebrating the work of Robert Sellar is now open at Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart.
The beautiful collection has gone on display to mark the 20th anniversary of the donation of a large collection of print work, woodcuts, lino prints, and etchings created by the artist before his death in 2002.
Many pieces included in the Robert Sellar Print Collection now owned by Flowerfield Arts Centre are featured as part of the current exhibition, and they help to shine a light on the skilled artistry and generosity of spirit of one of Northern Ireland’s finest adopted sons.
Although born in Scotland, Robert lived here for over 70 years. As a youth he won a scholarship to the Belfast College of Art, before entering teaching, with posts at Larne Technical School and Belfast Royal Academy.
Appointed Advisor in Art Education to the North-Eastern Education Board, he worked in this role from 1948 until he retired to Castlerock in 1984.
While he worked in a variety of media including oil, watercolour, acrylic, and pastels, his main interest lay in the discipline demanded of printmaking that came from hand cut or hand-engraved blocks. Their surfaces are, as he has said, ‘either there or not’, and a slip of the knife, gouge or graver may cause ruin to hours or days of patient work.
Becoming a master printmaker, his work is represented in the collection of the British Council and held in many private and public collections across the world. His skill is also preserved in the stained-glass windows he designed at Castlerock Presbyterian Church, where he worshipped for many years.
The Robert Sellar Print Collection exhibition continues until Saturday 29th January 2022.
For more information, contact Flowerfield Arts Centre on 028 7083 1400 or visit www.flowerfield.org.
