Double Elephant began with a Columbian “Eagle” Printing Press : one of the first iron presses ever made.  For years the press had sat in pieces in a barn in Leicestershire near Simon Ripley’s family home.  A remnant from his grandfather’s commercial print business, the press had been used for all letterpress work from a stationer’s factory in Perth, Scotland. After studying Fine Art printmaking at Plymouth University Simon rescued this beautiful old machine and decided that he was going to put it to good use – and thus the idea of Double Elephant Print Workshop was born.

Lynn Bailey was a contemporary of Simon’s at Plymouth University and  the main supporter of the workshop vision.  In 1997 they called a meeting of Exeter’s creatives to discuss forming a printmaker artist’s cooperative. They were eager to foster a community where artists of all backgrounds and experience levels could meet and develop their artistic practice through printmaking – Double Elephant’s policy of participation and making art available to all - working inside and out of the studio, was a keystone from the start.

Lynn and Simon were inspired by Dartington Print workshop and Ormond Road workshops in north London. They began running classes from a studio at the Old Bakery on Spicer Road in Exeter;  the space was cold and badly lit but that didn’t stop their membership and course attendance from growing rapidly. Some of these early members are still with Double Elephant today.

With support from ALIAS and pARTicipate (Arts Council funded guidance and funding for artist led initiatives) the scope of Double Elephant began to grow. This support led from Double Elephant’s first exhibition in 2000 at Exeter Arts Centre, to a move of premises in 2008 into the brighter and warmer studio space we now enjoy in Exeter Phoenix. It also helped with the creation of a project working with adults suffering from poor mental health  - the first incarnation of our award winning group Print on Prescription and the start of our outreach programme to schools and beyond.

Double Elephant began as a dream of the ideal work model – a place where artists could share their skills and earn money whilst being supported in their art work. It has grown to become a thriving member of the arts community in the South West, a hub for professionals and first-timers to gain new skills and inspiration.