Scotland has a reputation for producing some of Britain’s finest printmakers and the Scottish Printmakers Exhibition at the Zillah Bell Gallery in Thirsk will showcase work by the best of these including Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Royal Academician Barbara Rae and 2014 Turner Prize nominee Ciara Phillips. "This is an important exhibition showcasing not only the latest work by major artists from north of the border, but also vibrant work from the next generation of exciting printmakers." comments Sarah Greenslade, Zillah Bell Gallery Manager and Curator of the Exhibition. Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, is arguably one of the UK's favourite living artists, whose work can be seen at the Tate Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As a printmaker for over four decades she has experimented with a wide range of printing media and this is a chance to take a closer look at a delightful selection of etchings and screenprints portraying the studies of cats, irises and tulips that she is noted for. This show will also represent the next generation of printmakers such as Ciara Phillips, who was one of the 4 artists nominated for the 2014 Turner Prize, and who works with all kinds of prints: screenprints, textiles, and photos. Works by Barbara Rae CBE RA, a British painter and printmaker who is a member of the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy of Arts, Bruce McLean and Philip Reeves will hang alongside less well known printmakers who have been selected in collaboration with the Glasgow Print Studio in an exhibition which demonstrates the versatility of this medium and should be very attractive to collectors of prints. "Printmaking is the most democratic medium in art. It makes collecting work by today's major artists affordable to the smaller budget." says John Bell, Owner of Zillah Bell Gallery, he continues: "The Gallery's reputation for showing excellent printmaking has been built on such exhibitions as our highlights of the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition and our annual hosting of the Society of Wood Engravers international Exhibition. The addition of the Scottish Printmakers Exhibition to our calendar is a further opportunity to show important printmaking in the North of England." Scottish Printmakers opens at Zillah Bell Gallery on Sat 9 May and will run until 30 June 2015. The gallery is located on Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1PQ, for more details visit www.zillahbellgallery.co.uk