Jean Bardon - prints and biography

Jean Bardon (b. 1952, Dublin, Ireland) is a contemporary printmaker whose delicate, decorative etchings are celebrated for their refinement, craftsmanship, and contemplative beauty. After graduating from Dun Laoghaire College of Art in 1974, Bardon moved to Amsterdam, where she worked as a studio assistant. It was there that she discovered etching, enrolling in classes at De Werkschuit, then an experimental studio on one of the city’s houseboats. This introduction to printmaking would become the foundation of her artistic career.

Upon returning to Dublin, Bardon joined the Graphic Studio Dublin, Ireland’s oldest cooperative printmaking workshop. There she refined her technical and creative skills under the guidance of artists Stephen Lawlor and James McCreary, both of whom encouraged her to pursue etching as a central focus. The collaborative and experimental spirit of the studio provided an ideal setting for Bardon to develop her own visual language.

Bardon’s work often draws inspiration from botanical art, with its formality, ornament, and boldness of composition. She is fascinated by decorative detail, influenced by her long-standing admiration for the patterns, lines, and simplicity found in Asian art. This focus on stylized natural forms—leaves, flowers, and organic patterns—imbues her etchings with a sense of harmony and balance.

In recent years, Bardon has expanded her practice through the use of gold leaf, applied to selected etchings. Inspired by the opulent folding screens of Japan and the luminous surfaces of early Sienese Renaissance painting, this element adds a serene and contemplative quality to her imagery. The combination of etched line, subtle color, and gilded surface creates works that are both meditative and strikingly decorative.

Her prints have been widely exhibited and are represented in public and private collections in Ireland and abroad. In 2002, she received recognition at the Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, affirming her place among Ireland’s leading contemporary printmakers.

Through her art, Jean Bardon continues to bridge traditions of East and West, balancing the discipline of etching with her love of ornament, pattern, and light.

Artist Statement:

The formality, ornamental qualities and boldness of botanical art have strongly informed the development of my work in recent times. My love of decorative detail has from the beginning been a feature of my work. This stems from my admiration for the patterns, line and simplicity of form found in Asian art.
More recently, another element has been introduced, with the use of gold leaf on some of my etchings. Influenced by the extensive use of gold on Japanese folding screens, and in early Renaissance painting of the Sienese School in particular, it brings, I feel, a serene and contemplative quality to my work.