Graphic Studio Gallery is pleased to showcase the work of artists and Graphic Studio Dublin members Jean Bardon and Louise Leonard.

For Jean Bardon the use of a gold background, as seen in Japanese folding screens or in the paintings of the early Renaissance, has always held an interest. The calm, meditative feeling that seems to radiate from these works is a quality Bardon has brought to her new etchings. Combining the strong, structured shapes of plants and landscape with the luminosity of gold leaf, she creates works that have the capacity to communicate a sense of stillness and tranquility to the spectator.

Born in Dublin, Bardon studied at Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design between 1970 and 1974. She then spent a period living and working in Amsterdam. It was during this time that she developed an interest in printmaking. She became a member of Graphic Studio Dublin in 1990 and since then has exhibited nationally and internationally, with her work held in many collections.

Louise Leonard presents "Town & Country" a set of linocuts and etchings inspired by urban and rural landscapes both local and from further afield. The work has an illustrative quality, with each image telling a personal story from places visited to stills of day-to-day experiences. Leonard uses carving tools to draw graphic bold outlines in lino, and in her etchings, washes of acid to convey atmosphere, light and darkness.

Leonard was born in Dublin, and studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, graduating with a BA in Visual Communication in 1983. Leonard established a graphic design partnership on leaving college, specialising in illustration. The Educational Company Ireland, Fallons, Gill & MacMillan, Poolbeg, The Department of Education and the European Commission Representative in Ireland, Office of Public Works and Schroedel, Germany have published her work.