30 June 2011

Graeme Peebles Talk 2 July Cancelled

 Solander have had to cancel Graeme Peebles' floor talk
scheduled for this Saturday 2 July @ 2pm.
Unfortunately, his trip to NZ has again been thwarted by the volcanic ash cloud from Chile.

Apologies to all who were looking forward to meeting with Graeme
and hope you will stop in to see the mezzotint show anyway.

29 June 2011

Screenprint Workshop for Teachers, Auckland, 2 July

This Saturday 2 July there is a photo screenprint workshop for teachers
being hosted by the Art Department at Dilworth Senior School.
 It is open to both intermediate and secondary teachers. Starting at 10am.

Eleanor Whyle, Pania On The Rocks
Screenprint, 38x56cm, edition of 10

The presenter is Eleanor Whyle (formally of Snake Studios). 
Bring pencil and paper for notes and a memory stick to take away resources.

Contact Dilworth School for more details or to register.
Please pass this on to other art teachers.

28 June 2011

Collateral, Artists Talk, 2 July

In association with the Collateral: Printmaking as Social Commentary exhibition
on at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland from 1 July - 20 August,
there will also be a talk given by artists
Sandra Thomson, Michael Reed and Robin White
 discussing aspects of printmaking with exhibition curator, Elizabeth Rankin.
This talk is on this Saturday 2 July at 1pm.

Sandra Thomson, Dirty Linen.



27 June 2011

Nicol Sanders-O'Shea exhibition, 3-20 July

NorthArt are hosting an exhibition of works by
Nicol Sanders-O’Shea & Wellesley Binding
called ‘Suburbanomics

The opening reception is 4-6pm Sunday 3 July,
the exhibition will continue until 20 July.

Nicol Sanders-O’Shea, Accident, 2011
Screenprint & acrylic on MDF

Nicol Sanders-O'Shea's work:
“An invasion and accumulation of discarded toys and household junk
portrays a fictionalised and sensationalised personal domestic experience.
'Eden' is viewed from a different perspective now, it questions who is playing.”

See NorthArt's website for a map and opening hours.



26 June 2011

The Photographers' Award - Enter by 30 June


Just a 'last minut reminder' about the Photographers' Award Competition -
Photos must be submitted by Thursday 30 June.


First Prize is a full scholarship to the MIT Certificate in Photography programme
(this course is 6 months, based at Newmarket, valued at $2372)
+ Winning Entries will have their work professionally printed at no charge
and displayed in a public exhibition in the gallery space
at MIT’s Newmarket Campus, Level 4, 277 Broadway, Newmarket.
+ Peoples Choice Award gives you the opportunity to vote for the best work in the exhibition.
The winning selection will be awarded a prize at the end of the gallery exhibition.

Anyone can enter, however please note the following:
First Prize scholarship is in Auckland, is not transferable or redeemable for cash.

Please visit the website for more details and tell your friends and family
about this great opportunity to develop their talent in photography.
Some places are available for the course at the MIT Newmarket campus starting Semester 2.

25 June 2011

Pakiwhaitara – Stories to Tell, on til 17 June

I was just reading about this exhibition called
Pakiwhaitara – Stories to Tell on now at Ramp Gallery in the Waikato until 17 June.
It sounds quite like an interesting idea so thought I'd share:


For this print portfolio 20 artists, from Australia, Mexico and New Zealand,
have combined to contribute their interpretation of a myth or legend
that has a personal resonance for them, based on fact or fiction, past or present.
The resulting imagery and stories reflect a diversity of cultural backgrounds,
Maori, Pakeha, Zenadh Kes, Tongan, Chinese and Mexican.
The images also present a range of attitudes,
from respectful to provocative reappraisals of past and present stories and issues.

The artists are: Anna Dalzell, Simon Edwards, Te Maari Gardiner-Ngata, Victor Hernandez,
Ben Hodges, Kim Lowe, Euan Macleod, Kulimoeanga Maka, Riki Manuel, Arturo Meade,
Xavier Meade, Elizabeth Moyle, Hannah Page, Samuel Reed, Michael Reed, Glen Stringer,
Dylan Taylor, Kiri Te Wake, Sandra Thomson and Wayne Youle.
A few artworks from the show
Pakiwhaitara – Stories to Tell, 2011

This project was initiated by Michael Reed and supported by
the School of Art & Design at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.
Special thanks to all the artists, along with Michael Kempson, Sydney,
Paloma Ramos and Theo Tremblay, Cairns, writer Dorothee Pauli,
designer Samuel Reed and editorial advisor Belinda Gregg for their generous input and support.

Marian McGuire's The Labours of Herakles, Waikato

Marian Maguire's exhibition The Labours of Herakles
is currently touring and is now on at
Waikato Museum in Hamilton from 25 June - 25 September 2011

Marian Maguire, Herakles Clears The Land, 2007
Lithograph on Velin Arches White 250g

24 June 2011

Collateral exhibition, Auckland, 1 July - 20 August

 There is an exhibition called Collateral: Printmaking as Social Commentary
on at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland from 1 July - 20 August. 
Opening Friday 1 July at 5.30pm, with guest speaker Robin White.

 Daniel Heyman (USA), Michael Reed (NZ),
Sandra Thomson (NZ) and Diane Victor (South Africa) 
utilise the versatility of print processes in diverse ways
that offer the traditional pleasures of fine prints and also more unexpected forms:
delicate etchings and drypoints, ingenious artist's books,
vibrant screenprint designs on a variety of fabric supports, and engravings on metal.

Curated by Elizabeth Rankin (Department of Art History, University of Auckland)
with support from University of Auckland’s Faculty of Arts,
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and the CPIT Foundation.

Michael Reed, Maim Radius, 2007
Digital inkjet prints of assembled screenprinted bandage

and photocopy on acetate, 147x109cm.

Invited to witness interviews of Iraqi detainees by American human rights lawyers,
Daniel Heyman (USA) sought to restore their individuality and dignity
after endless humiliating exposure as victims in the media.
He uses the directness of drypoint to capture likenesses of the men with rapid immediacy,
adding the words of their testament in inscriptions that invade the spaces around their heads.

Media reports also caught the attention of Diane Victor (South Africa),
but in this case she was outraged by how little attention was given
to public corruption and personal tragedies in post-apartheid South Africa.
Her etchings reveal some of these Disasters of Peace, as she calls them,
depicted in painstakingly delicate surfaces that compellingly draw us in
to linger over events that viewers might otherwise avoid.

Sandra Thomson (NZ) exploits the versatility of screenprinting to create linear forms
reminiscent of medieval woodcuts in order to explore saintly stories
and more contemporary incidents of suffering in the church.
Working on fabric, she evokes the sumptuousness of religious vestments
or references more humble apparel, such as the singlets she creates
to suggest the vulnerability of abused children.

Michael Reed (NZ) uses fabric supports for many of his prints to convey a social imperative.
He deploys the connotations of varied textiles (including drapes, carpet runners, or bandages)
 to contribute additional layers of meaning to the transfixing texts imprinted on his works, indicting those who make and sell arms for profit.

All four of these artists demonstrate printmaking's ability
to create forms that unite visual delight with social acuity.

23 June 2011

Milk & Honey Exhibition Opens 28 June

Wanna come to Annie's exhibition opening on Tuesday night?
Here are the details:



22 June 2011

PaperGraphica Open Again

Last night I received an email from PaperGraphica in Christchurch
to say they have tidied up after the recent earthquakes,
now the gallery and print studio are up-and-running as normal.

Many Christchurch people have not been so lucky
so PaperGraphica say thanks to everyone for their messages of concern & support.

Currently in the gallery is a stock show featuring work by:
Gretchen Albrecht, Barry Cleavin, Rudolf Boelee, Nigel Buxton,
Bodo Korsig, Marian Maguire and Margaret Silverwood
Rudolf Boelee, New Zealand Forest Products 4 (Linemen), 2008
Acrylic paint, silkscreen and lacquer on board, 40x80cm

21 June 2011

International Print Exchange 2011 (UK)

The International Print Exchange is an unjuried print exchange
with no assigned theme, open to all, that celebrates fine art printmaking.

Green Door Printmaking Studio in UK heartily invite national and international printmakers
to participate in the 3rd annual exchange (IPE 2011)

Print size is maximum of 10x10cm, paper size maximum of 14x14cm, edition of 10.
All submissions must be created using a recognised printmaking process
(screenprint, etching, lithography, mezzotint, drypoint, linocut, woodcut, collagraph, etc).
Purely digital or photographic prints will not be accepted, however,
the inclusion of digital or photographic work as part of the image creation process is welcomed,
provided that the final physical print is not produced using an exclusively digital print process.
Chine collé techniques must be used in conjunction with archival glues and archival papers.

Entries close 31 August 2011
but they ask that you 'RSVP' if you would like to participate.

19 June 2011

Update - Email & Facebook

For those of you that read this blog regularly
you may have noticed two new widgets have appeared
near the bottom of the lists in the right-hand column.


You can now 'Subscribe by Email' so you don't miss the latest news on the website
(I have tested it - the email arrived within 24hrs after the post appeared)
Just type in the email address you want it to be sent to, and press 'Submit'.


Also, I have established a NZ Printmakers page on Facebook
for those of you who enjoy social networking... hit the 'Like' button to join.
Come chat about printmaking stuff, ask questions, see what others are working on,
other links to print websites or blogs, tell us about your latest experiments & projects,
perhaps also collaborate & meet other NZ printmakers?!

17 June 2011

Waiheke Art Award

Waiheke National Art Award 2011
is calling for submissions of two-dimensional works in any medium.
Award of $5000
This years selector is Henry Symonds,
Dean of Instruction and Undergraduate Studies at Whitecliffe College.

Sponsored by Waiheke Community Art Gallery, Kennedy Point Vineyard and

Open to any NZ resident, one work per artist, entry fee $45.
All works must be original, and must have been completed in the past year,
not completed in a class of instruction, and not exhibited previously.
Works must be for sale, and not larger than 120cm in height or length.

Closing date for entries is Friday 29 July.



16 June 2011

Graeme Peebles Talk, 3 July

Due to the disruptions to trans-Tasman flights
 Solander have had to postpone Graeme Peebles' artist talk
which was originally scheduled for this Saturday in Wellington.
The new time for the talk for 2pm Saturday 3 July.


Described as 'one of the finest mezzotint artists in the world'
and this year's winner of the $12,000 acquisitive Burnie Print Prize (Australia),
Graeme Peebles will be a very interesting artist to meet!
I wish I was near Wellington so I could go too...

This talk will coincide with the group mezzotint exhibition on at Solander Gallery
called Rock Yourself Out! (which is on 15 June -23 July).
 This is a free event however an RSVP would be appreciated.
Please contact the gallery to rsvp or email info@solandergallery.co.nz

15 June 2011

Printmaking Demonstration, 25 June

Join Solander Gallery director and printmaking artist Vincent Drane
on Saturday 25 June at 2pm in the gallery
as he shows the subtle differences between printmaking mediums
to art enthusiasts and collectors of limited edition prints.
 
Vincent will be demonstrating the printing of different types of print mediums
including etchings, woodcuts, wood engravings and monotypes.
This demonstration will take approximately one hour.
 

 This is a free event however an RSVP would be appreciated.
Contact Solander at info@solandergallery.co.nz

14 June 2011

Proudly Kiwi!!!

This website has very strong support and participation
from NZ printmakers across the whole of Aotearoa,
but I was surprised when I read the latest statistics for this blog:
Over 60% of the views were from outside NZ!

I'm excited that so many people from around the world
are enjoying the work of NZ Printmakers!
I'm so glad that you international readers are able to be inspired
and participate in the print community here through the internet.
Gordon Walters, Kapiti, 1984
Screenprint on paper

And I also wanted to say that I'm very proud of you kiwi printmakers!
There is such a great variety of styles and viewpoints expressed in your prints,
along with your innovative use of processes ('good old kiwi ingenuity'),
and your understated sensitivity to culture and identity with our beautiful land.

Although not often in the spotlight, printmaking continues to thrive here in NZ.
Post your comments below and tell me your favourite NZ-made prints & printmakers
and I'll try to feature them on the website in the coming months...

13 June 2011

WSA Painting & Printmaking Award

Waikato Society of Arts are holding their annual
New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award 2012

Open to any New Zealand citizen or anyone who holds permanent residency.
The First Prize is $20,000.
Merit awards may be awarded at the judge’s discretion.
Entries close on 11 October 2011

Two-dimensional works to be on board, canvas or paper,
in any media and may include prints, photos, and collage.
Size of work (inclusive of frame) is a maximum of 150cm by 150cm, depth 5cm
Here are some prints that were finalists in the 2011 Award:









The entry fee is $40 per entry. Artists may submit more than one entry.
Entry is by submission of one coloured A4 photograph or digital print of your work.

Entry forms are available either as hard copy or can be downloaded here.
Finalists are selected in November.

10 June 2011

Graeme Cornwell's New York Residency

I received this email recently from Graeme Cornwell describing his recent residency in New York.
Graeme was happy for me to share it with you NZ Printmakers, so I hope you enjoy reading it too:

New York, New York - Print Installation - Temporary Residency 2
"The first I heard of the Prawat Laucharoen Print Installation residency was when
Australian / New Zealand curator and writer Anne Kirker contacted me in October 2010
asking if I was interested in a catalogue she was writing about a
‘fantastic but intense print residency’ she had been involved with in Manhattan.
I said that I was interested, imagining a fat catalogue would soon arrive in the mail.
Instead, everything went silent until I received an email about 8 months later
from Prawat Laucharoen himself inviting me to the Manhattan Residency Programme
in April 2011. At first I thought his email was a hoax or even worse: Spam.
However after thoroughly investigating the email,
I realised that it was indeed a genuine invitation from a truly outstanding
American Master Printer (of Erwin Hollander Press fame).
So without hesitation, I accepted.

The artists that had been invited to the residency were all very interesting
with a strong international flavour:
Tomie Arai (Japanese New Yorker), Skowmon Hastanan (Thai New Yorker),
Prawat Laucharoen (Thai New Yorker), Maki Kuulei Morinoue (Japanese Hawaiian),
Marcia Pasqua (American Hawaiian), Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thai National)
and of course yours truly (New Zealand).

Manhattan is thoroughly worthwhile the jet-lag and small effort to get there;
it is vibrantly exciting, stimulating, quite safe, and friendly (overwhelmingly so at times).
Prawat Laucharoen’s residence is a loft located midway between the bottom end
of Central Park and the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island.
We were so close to New York’s major Chelsea Gallery area,
 well as China Town, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Little Italy,
Union Square (the site of Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’),
and got to visit the Guggenheim, MOMA and The Metropolitan.
Prawat’s could not be located in a better place.
Prawat also took us to see important art sites close to Manhattan,
Such as Dia Beacon, a minimalist museum
(including works by Louise Bourgoeis, Sol le Wit and Richard Sierra, to name just a few)
and Storm King, a sculptural park on the outskirts of New York
containing works of key sculptors of the 20th Century. What a Blast!!!!
 
My habit was to visit galleries in Chelsea and other Manhattan sites in the morning;
in the early afternoon we would travel to Horace Mann
(the studio and gallery where we worked and exhibited),
and to stay working in the studio till late evening.
Then we would all travel back in Prawat’s car, visiting an array of markets
buying meat, vegetables, wines, and other delicious delectables on the way home.
Prawat whose culinary skills were prodigious would insist on cooking us amazing meals
while we would talk all night long all the while plied with excellent wines and tid-bits.
Conversations were never dull, with many stimulating ideas and cultures exchanged
in the heady atmosphere created by Prawat’s special aromas and culinary concoctions.
Eating was definitely a highlight of the residency.


The piece that I produced for the residency was not a print in any traditional sense
but an environmental and site-specific piece, to meet the brief: Print in the Expanded Field!
Entitled Indecipherable Script - A Scribbled Letter Sent To The Philistines,
it consisted of a cone approximately 2 meters in height
made of light wood and covered in brown paper.
This cone contained water which dripped from its point.

As the water dripped, the cone, suspended on a pulley system with a counter weight,
would slowly lighten, rising to the ceiling over a period of about 8 hours.
Water from the dripping cone landed on a pile of newspapers (
The New York Financial Times)
and digging its way into the pile eventually soaking the pile of printed paper with water.
Embedded in the pile of paper were seeds (appropriately named ‘
Liquid Sunshine’ grass seed).
Over the period of three weeks the seed sprouted and began to grow over the pile of newspaper.


While creating an installation and taking part in an exhibition
was one of the major considerations of this residency
what I got from the residency was much more than an opportunity to consider
the challenging concept of ‘Print In The Expanded Field’.
But this residency was successful in other ways for me as well.
As a result of the residency I met several dealers and artists
and I was offered yet another opportunity to participate in a group show
in New York at Chelsea’s CATM Gallery.

But even more than this for me this residency was an opportunity to discover Manhattan,
to make contact with a part of me I did not know existed before I went to Manhattan,
to tune in to fleeting ideas, to engage with contemporary artists,
see innovative artists scrabbling their way through the morass of inventive humanity,
in the company of the really interesting and exciting artists
that Prawat Laucharoen was inspired to collect together.
In short it was the opportunity to engage in
the evolving social sculptural organism which is New York.
Is this thriving conceptually dynamic social sculpture 'print in the expanded field'? I say Yes."

I think this is very interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Graeme's work
and seeing how this might influence ideas of other NZ printmakers
to explore an expanded field of ideas and practice in print.

09 June 2011

Mezzotint Group Show, Wellington

A group exhibition of mezzotints, called Rock Yourself Out!
is opening at Solander Gallery in Wellington
next Wednesday 15 June at 5.30pm, and will be shown until 23 July 2011.
This exhibition features six printmaking artists
specializing in the technically demanding medium of mezzotint printmaking:
Chris Adams, Stuart Duffin (UK), Kathryn Madill, Alex Milsom,
Graeme Peebles (Australia) and Fleur Williams.

Kathryn Madill
Mezzotint Etching, 18x17cm.

Graeme Peebles, The Night Dancer
Mezzotint Etching, 26x34cm

Each artist, in their own way, exploits the rich tonal range available through this medium
to create works of immense beauty and sensitivity.
I have always been intrigued by mezzotints;
I admire how much work goes into the plate before the image emerges.
Subtly different from an image that has had aquatint tone added,
 I especially enjoy their velvety texture.
What do you think - are mezzotints worth the effort???

07 June 2011

Gelatin Printmaking Workshop, Dunedin, 25 June

Lynn Taylor, from Dunedin, sent me info about a gelatine printing workshop
she taught on 1 June at ‘The Woolshed’ (Kathy Boyle’s studio) in Napier.
I've never tried it before but it sounds very interesting!


From what I've read, it seems like a combination of monoprinting & collagraph,
in which a gelatin slab is used as a printing plate.
Lynn says it is an accessible and flexible way to create images.


While resolved images can be achieved,
Lynn prefers to approach the medium as a drawing process
as once you are underway so many possibilities can be explored.
In Napier, the ten participants worked intensively for four hours,
printing on a multitude of papers & fabrics with acrylic paint and textile inks.


Another workshop is scheduled to be held in Dunedin on 25 June.
Contact Lynn if you want to register for the Dunedin workshop
or you can read more about the process here on Lynn's Blog.

06 June 2011

Monotype & Collagraph Workshop, Wellington, 10 July

Solander Gallery are hosting a one day workshop with guest artist Graham Hall,
in Wellington on Sunday 10 July.

The workshop will be exploring monotype and collagraph techniques
(with a particular focus on the round 'Tondo' format
in the style of narrative artist William Kentridge).


This workshop is suitable for both beginners and more experienced artists.
Some preparatory drawing will be required.
Workshop runs from 9.30am-4pm
Cost $130, including all materials and equipment.
Places are limited so booking is essential.
To register, email info@solandergallery.co.nz

05 June 2011

Ben Reid & Inge Doesburg Exhibitions

Just a reminder that the exhibitions of Ben Reid & Inge Doesburg
are on at Solander Gallery in Wellington until this Saturday 11 June.

Ben Reid, The Eileen Greenwood Memorial Trophy, 2010
drypoint and woodblock on paper, 66x48cm, edition of 12.

Inge Doesburg, Harbour III, 2010
Etching on paper, 39x53cm, edition of 12.

So if you are in the area, go and tell us what you think...