The Faroe Islands’ graphic workshop, Steinprent, was founded in Tórshavn in 1999 and has since served as a meeting place for professional, contemporary artists on the islands. Originally the workshop was housed in the National Gallery but is now located in a former factory building, Østrøm, by the harbour in Tórshavn. Steinprent’s Jan Andersson, Fríða Matras Brekku, Louise Aakerman-Nielsen and Mikkjal Matras Andersson work on the first floor alongside Faroese and foreign visual artists who exhibit on the ground floor. The workshop is like a living thing allowing people to meet people. Undoubtedly Steinprent owes its popularity to the professional skills of the workshop staff as well as the warm welcome which awaits both artists and guests. 

A large and ever-increasing number of visual artists have worked at Steinprent: Per Kirkeby (1938-2018) who wrote Rejsen till Færøerne, Vibeke Mencke Nielsen, Bjørn Nørgaard, Ian McKeever, John Kørner and Julie Sass. The workshop has collaborated with all the above-established artists as well as Marius Olsen whose outstanding graphic work is in a league of its own within the world of Faroese graphics. His landscape work is quite different – a form of mirroring can be observed which creates a sense of distance between the subject and the viewer – a cause for reflection. 

Lithography is a complicated operation dependent on several unusual processes. Steinprent uses heavy lithographic limestones from Solnhofen in Germany. Firstly, any old motifs are ground off the stone, then two stones are rubbed against each other using water and carborundum power to render the surface smooth and suitable to be illustrated with greasy chalk or markers. The artist must use a new stone for each colour – since each colour is printed separately the whole process can be quite time-consuming. On completion, the stone is treated so that the grease sticks to the stone surface. Then, a test print is made which provides an opportunity for alterations to be introduced.