Artist/Maker: Anne Desmet - Aberystwyth University School of Art Museums and Galleries

Printmaker. Desmet gained both a BA & MA at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University, as well as a postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking at London’s Central School of Art and Design. She was awarded a scholarship at the British School in Rome in 1989, and in 2011 she was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, making her only the third wood engraver ever elected to the RA in its entire history. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), a Member of the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) and was editor of Printmaking Today from 1998-2013, along with being co-author of Handmade Prints (2000), co-editor of Printmakers – the Directory (2006), and author of Primary Prints (2010). She uses the traditional printmaking techniques of wood engraving and lino cutting, but draws on a variety of materials to create layered collages. Her work ranges from small scale, detailed examinations to sweeping, often fantastical, panoramas viewed from a bird’s eye perspective. She has taught wood engraving at institutions including the RA Schools, the British Museum and Middlesex University, as well as acting as External Examiner in Fine Art for Aberystwyth University and Kingston College of Art. Her work has been shown in several solo exhibitions both in the UK and abroad, likewise her work is featured in prestigious collections worldwide.