Aston Workshop captures the art of the Aston Martin

Media Release : Monday June 25, 2007

A range of top quality Aston Martin framed and unframed prints are now available to buy thanks to a new website from The Aston Workshop in County Durham.

www.astonart.com offers a selection of prints and atmospheric shots of Aston Martins for art collectors and classic car enthusiasts. The photographs are part of a joint initiative between Aston Workshop, the only facility in the UK to offer Aston Martin car sales with the back up of a Paint and Body Centre, and an award-winning local photographer Tim Wallace who owns Ambient Life Photography.

Prices start at £60 and the photographs are available in a variety of finishes from print form to canvas making them a perfect gift for an Aston Martin fan. The website gives the option for the prints to be framed and the photographs can be printed on Fuji ReFlex paper which gives a vibrant high gloss coated finish with a 200 year anti-fade coating that is normally reserved for exhibition material.

The idea of Aston Art developed when Tim Wallace visited the Aston Workshop to take photos of the cars for a personal project. Aston Workshop owner Bob Fountain was so impressed with his work that he asked Tim to develop a selection of artwork as part of the gift range. Plans are now underway to produce a high quality photographic calendar for 2008 in a similar style to the legendary Pirelli calendars.

Tim said: “I’m really pleased with the results of the photographs that I’ve taken and I enjoyed taking pictures of such beautiful cars. Aston Martin cars are great subjects for photography using natural light as they have fantastic form and shape. We now have over 50 high quality prints showcasing the beauty of the cars from the older DB1 to the modern Vantage.

“Almost all of the shots have been taken in Beamish at the Aston Workshop and we have plans over the next few months to continue work with some featured local landmarks. I’m looking forward to the launch of Astonart.com and to taking the Aston Art project on to the next stage.”

All of the framing is carried out by a skilled craftsman and frames are made specifically for each print in either black or silver with an individually cut mount for every image.

The art is printed photographically to exhibition quality standards using a LightJet 5000 printer onto Fuji Crystal Archive Professional Photographic papers to achieve optimum results in terms of quality and longevity. These papers are available in either a gloss or matt finish.

For the ultimate in print quality the artwork can be printed onto the Fuji Reflex paper, a durable polyester-based print material with an incredibly high gloss finish. The combination of the Lightjet printer and Fujiflex material produce high-definition display prints with superb detail and high colour saturation.

The Aston Workshop, which is the only facility in the UK to offer car sales with the back up of a Paint and Body Centre, boasts a dedicated team of staff who are passionate about rebuilding and caring for the Aston Martin. Founded on an ethos of ‘The Ultimate Aston Martin Restoration’ the workshop is devoted to achieving perfection using bespoke craftsmanship, traditional methods and time-honoured techniques. Bob Fountain, owner of the Aston Workshop, said: “I think the photographs that Tim has taken have really captured the Aston Martin style. We are really excited about adding another service to our range and I think that these prints will make great high quality presents for someone who appreciates the unique beauty of Aston Martins.”

Bob Fountain established the workshop in 1988, inspired by a personal interest in the restoration of Aston Martin cars. The Aston Workshop has restored cars that have won prizes in the USA, Switzerland, Hong Kong and The Netherlands.

These include Antwerp classic Salon 2002, Concours D’Elegance Categorie 3 1951-1975, Benson & Hedges, Concours Class Winner B, 23rd July 1989, and Concours Class Winner E, 24th July 1988, Callendar Park.

www.astonart.com is now live and prints are available to buy online through the secure server. The Aston Workshop also sells a range of gifts and accessories on the website www.aston.co.uk.

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Aston Workshop, Red Row, Beamish, County Durham, DH9 0RW, tel: 01207 233 525 www.aston.co.uk