Peacock Visual Arts, Scotland | Wallpaper*

Tucked away down a quiet side street in the historic centre of Aberdeen is a veritable hotbed of creative activity. Started in 1974 as a simple fine art print studio by a group of Gray’s School of Art graduates – inspired by the beautiful etchings of their teacher Ian Fleming – Peacock Visual Arts has grown into a major operation, equipped with a darkroom, a broadcast-quality editing suite, a digital department, a gallery and a stellar programme of exhibitions, making it something of catalyst on the Scottish arts scene, albeit in a remarkably unassuming fashion.

But, as diverse as its output may be, the gallery has print-making at its heart, in all its forms, from relief printing to etching and screen printing. Peacock Visual Arts was born at a time when there was a burst of interest in print-making in Scotland. ‘The print galleries in London were very commercial, so the Scottish Arts Council liked the fact that Peacock was initiated by artists,’ says the gallery’s director, Lindsay Gordon. ‘They were quite enlightened and gave us vital funding.’