26 November 2013

Heart 2013, 30Nov-24Dec, Wellington

You are invited to celebrate the opening of Solander Gallery's annual Christmas exhibition.
It is a cash-and-carry exhibition of small works for $300 or less. 
Doors open at 10am on Saturday 30 November.


Heart 2013 is an exhibition featuring a wide range of talented Solander artists 
who have all made works that reflect what inspires and excites them as artists.


18 November 2013

Studio Visit: The Print Studio, Inverlochy House, Wellington

Louise Rutherford shows us around the Print Studio at Inverlochy House in Wellington.

"Unless you turn down the quiet lane, you’d never know it was there.
The city has grown up around Inverlochy House;
a Victorian mansion designed for a prominent local family in the late 1870s.
In the early 20th century, the place was divided into four flats.
Despite plans to knock it down and build a hotel in the 1970’s, the house survived.
It was finally gifted to the city of Wellington for use in the arts
and formally became Inverlochy Art School in December of 1987.

Inverlochy House, Wellington

The different ages and stages of the house have all left their mark on the place;
a bank of old grey school lockers, banged about and decorated with skating stickers
coexists with the elegant curves of the carved Mahogany bannisters.
Biscuit tins and mismatched cups are laid out in the common room
under the chandelier and elaborate ceiling mouldings decorated with scrolls, angels, curlicues and flowers.
More recent walls intersect with original ones; the steep servants’ stairs now lead to the jewellery studio,
instead of to the mansion’s kitchen, or the downstairs flat.


Today, the fourteen rooms and two bathrooms of the 'unrivalled family residence' of the 1800s
is home to a huge range of art classes, including many types of printmaking.
When there are no classes going on, The Print Studio is used by Wellington printmakers
to bring their work into being.
To get to The Print Studio, you make your way down the beautiful tiled hallway and up the grand staircase. The rich red-brown glow of the carved bannisters speaks of long ago elegance
but now the red carpet is scuffed and frayed by 25 years of art students’ feet.

The studio itself is well equipped.
It has two presses for etching and stone lithography, an aquatint box,
wetting down area, enclosed acid baths, hot plate and intaglio and relief tools.
It’s easy to get into the flow here. The high ceilings and white walls are full of prints;
bearing testimony to the many Wellington printmakers who have known and loved this place.

Louise Rutherford is one of the many Wellington printmakers
who knows and loves the Inverlochy House Printmaking Studio.

The Print Studio itself was originally brought to Inverlochy by the painter and printmaker John Drawbridge, and it still seems to keep something of John’s spirit and bold, joyful vision of the world.
Speaking of spirits, the house is reputed to be haunted.
Sometimes, on quiet afternoons, I’ve felt a benign presence in the print studio,
but that could just be because I love it.

In the summer, we drag the dusty windows of The Print Studio open by their heavy wooden frames
and Wellington sunshine streams in.
Inverlochy House is right in the middle of the city, but here it is a little oasis of quiet.
The palms, flaxes and big old trees outside the windows make me feel like I’m in the forest."

To find out more about Louise Rutherford’s work: http://louiserutherford.wordpress.com/ 
To find out more about Inverlochy House: http://www.inverlochy.org.nz/The-Print-Studio

16 November 2013

Floortalk: Impressionist Printmaking, 3pm 24Nov, Te Papa, Wellington

There will be a Floortalk on Impressionist Printmaking 
at 3pm–3.45pm on Sunday 24 November, 
 Te Ihomatua / Gallery on 4, Te Papa in Wellington.
Exhibition entry fee of $17.50 per adult applies.

Join art historian David Maskill for a fascinating floortalk 
on impressionist prints and printmaking from the exhibition Colour & Light.

Camille & Lucien Pissarro, Women weeding the grass, from ‘Les travaux des champs’, 1893-1895
Woodcut

The impressionists’ ability to capture the fleeting effects 
of light, colour, and atmosphere in paint is surely their greatest claim to fame. 
What is less well known is that many of the impressionist painters 
also sought to achieve the same ends in the medium of original prints.

This talk examines a range of impressionist prints, 
both those included in the current exhibition Colour & Light 
and those from Te Papa’s own rich collections.

David Maskill is a senior lecturer in art history at Victoria University of Wellington 
and is a specialist in the history of prints and printmaking.



05 November 2013

Impressions III, 4-16Nov, Lower Hutt

Impressions III is on now at the Odlin Gallery in Lower Hutt. 
It will run from 10am-4pm daily until Sunday 16 November.

Impressions III is the Hutt Art Society printmakers’ third annual show.
Prints using modern techniques such as digital and photographic processes will be shown 
alongside etchings, drypoints, monoprints, collagraphs, solar-plate prints, and woodprints, 
giving visitors the chance to see a wide variety of techniques all in one show.

A printmaker will be present throughout the show 
to answer questions about the various processes. 
Framed and unframed work will be for sale during the exhibition.

 Impressions III guest artist Sam Broad (centre) with Hutt Art Society printmakers
(L: Jan Mueller Welschof & Jocelyn Hendry, R: Jeanie Randall & Jo Constable)

Guest artist Sam Broad’s lively woodcuts will be a feature of the show.
Filled with witty, often acerbic, sometimes poignant, comments on life and politics in New Zealand.
Broad is also a guest tutor at the Hutt Art Society’s Summer School in January 2014, 
helping students to achieve tonal and linear forms in woodcut and linocut printmaking.



Job Vacancy: Printmaking Tutor, Lower Hutt

The Learning Connexion are seeking a new Printmaking Tutor to join their onsite team.
This is a fixed-term contract in tertiary level school of art and creativity 
based in the Hutt Valley, Wellington.


The role involves delivery of two full-day classes each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 
and an evening class which is currently being offered on Mondays from 6-9pm. 
The term runs for seven consecutive weeks 
and training for the position may commence mid-January 
to coincide with the Term 1 start date of Monday 28 January 2014.

Specifically, each class has a different printmaking focus 
so looking for someone who can teach a minimum of screen-printing, dry point, and woodcut.
There is also scope to deliver a broader range of printmaking techniques in later terms, 
so applicants with more extensive experience in other print areas are welcome to apply.

To be successful in this position you will need to be able to:
• Work with students in ways which are respectful, helpful and supportive
• Deliver to students with a broad range of abilities
• Understand and articulate the creative process and how this connects with students’ work
• Deliver class content through a blend of both discussion and hands-on demonstration
• Be flexible, patient and able to think on your feet

Training and course outlines will be provided to the successful applicant to work from, 
but prior teaching experience is required. 
We also expect our tutors to be practising artists with an active personal practise.

To apply for the position, please email a current resume, 
with examples of your creative practise, and a covering letter to recruitment@tlc.ac.nz

Applications close at 5pm on Sunday 17 November 2013.

02 November 2013

Rust Blooms, 2-14 Nov, Auckland

Rust Blooms is a joint exhibition by Julienne Francis and Celia Walker 
at Depot Gallery in Devonport from 2-14 November,
exploring the random and unexpected effects of rust printing
 in both wall-hung works and three-dimensional artists’ books.  


The varying hues of weathered iron are incorporated with other print processes in a range of new work. 
 Both artists have been accumulating discarded objects and fragments 
that are used for eco-printing onto mulberry, kozo and other printmaking papers.  
The shifting rust tones are used for works that look at nature, history and more abstract forms.


25 October 2013

WaiPrint, 1Nov-2Dec, Hamilton

WaiPrint is the 24th annual exhibition of works by Waikato printmakers,
hosted at Artspost Galleries in Hamilton
from 1 November to 2 December,
with an opening preview on Thursday 31 October at 5:30pm.


These new works by printmakers of the Waikato Society of Arts 
demonstrate a variety of techniques 
including etching, drypoint, woodcut, linocut, wood engraving, solarplate and collagraph.

24 October 2013

Ruth Davey, 1Nov-2Dec, Hamilton

Making Her Mark: 35 Years of Drawing and Printmaking by Ruth Davey
is being exhibited at Artspost Galleries in Hamilton
from 1 November to 2 December,
with an opening preview on Thursday 31 October at 5:30pm.

Ruth Davey

Ruth Davey has been making prints for over forty years. 
This exhibition shows a diverse range of subject matter, print processes and creative challenges 
and all are expressed strongly with a personal style 
and commitment to this ever-changing field of art.

12 October 2013

Proof Makers, 21Oct-13Dec, Hamilton

Proof Makers, an exhibition of 9 contemporary NZ Printmakers,
will be open to the public from Monday 21 October to Friday 13 December 2013
at Calder & Lawson Gallery, Academy of Performing Arts, University of Waikato, Hamilton
(Because you are my friends, I'll also let you know that there is an event preview 
at 6pm on Friday 18 October)


Featured artists are:
Carole Shepheard, Lynn Taylor, Neil Emmerson, Nicol Sanders-O’Shea, 
Olav Nielsen, Philip Carbon, Sam Harrison, Steve Lovett and Struan Hamilton
Curated by Steph Chalmers

Proof Makers is an introduction to innovative approaches happening in NZ printmaking. 
Works by these nine printmakers challenge conservative notions 
of what printmaking is and how it is constructed and presented. 
Proof Makers barely scratches the surface of contemporary printmaking practice in New Zealand.

 “These nine artists prove that printmaking is a contemporary medium 
that can compete with painting and photography,” 
says Waikato University Art Collection Curator Steph Chalmers.
“They push against common assumptions of what printmaking is and how it’s presented.”
Steph Chalmers, herself an artist with a Fine Arts degree in printmaking 
says she is committed to raising the profile of printmaking as a medium. 
“It’s hugely satisfying to be able to pull together a selection of significant contemporary printmakers
 to celebrate this broad and complex genre of art making.”

Olav Nielsen, The Magpies Said, 2013
Mezzotint, brass printers plate and print, 32x21cm

Steve Lovett, Clean Cut, 2013
Digital and screen print on cotton rag paper, 70x100cm

Nicol Sanders-O'Shea, Per Diem, 2013
Screenprint and acrylic on board. Installation of 51 pieces.

This exhibition coincides with other print-based exhibitions at Arts Post Galleries in Hamilton: 
 Making Her Mark, a retrospective exhibition of the works of Ruth Davey 
(one of Hamilton’s most respected and prolific printmakers), 
Punctum (21 works from a CPCANZ group workshop lead by Carole Shepheard earlier this year),
and WaiPrint 2013 (the annual Waikato Printmakers exhibition). 
So go make a day of enjoying printmaking in Hamilton!



11 October 2013

First Impressions Prize Winners, til 9 Nov, Auckland

First Impressions National Printmaking Exhibition opened earlier this week
at Mairangi Arts Centre, 20 Hastings Rd, Mairangi Bay in Auckland.
This exhibition showcases printmaking from artists across New Zealand

For those of you who are out of Auckland, I thought you might like to see,
so here are some of the 60 works included in the show, and the prize winners:

 1st Prize: Struan Hamilton for Lebbeus Suite 1

Struan Hamilton, Lebbeus Suite 1
Viscosity etching

2nd Prize: Marty Vreede for Give Away


Marty Vreede, Give Away
Woodcut, wax, harekeke

3rd Prize:  Rosemary Mortimer for Paper On Paper: A Dialogue (Blue Version)
Rosemary Mortimer, Paper On Paper: A Dialogue (Blue Version)
Offset surface print
3 Merit Award Winners:

Sheree Stone for Untitled II (Substratum)
Kheang Ov for My Two Friends
Julia Ellery for Playing Possum

Sheree Stone, Untitled II (Substratum)
Screenprint

Kheang Ov, My Two Friends
Reduction woodcut

Julia Ellery, Playing Possum
Plate lithography

I felt that there was great diversity in processes and styles,
and a broad range of subject matter too - there is something for everyone!
It is open until 9 November, so I really encourage you to go see the exhibition if you can make it,
and while you are there also cast your vote for the 'People's Choice Award'.

Unfortunately I can't put all 60 works on here,
but here are few other interesting prints I enjoyed that you might like to see:

Bev Head, Untitled
Solarplate intaglio

Diane Harries, Landfall
Monoprint collage
Emma McLellan, Cloned Birds Room
Screenprint and painting
 
Mariette van Zuydam, Still Life with Turtle
Woodcut
Samer Hatam, Hard Lines
Etching

Images courtesy of artists and Mairangi Arts Centre
[PS. I will update this in a few days to add the judges' comments about the winners,
please check back soon to read more]

10 October 2013

Call for Entries: ImPressive IV Print Exhibition, by 14 October, Auckland

Just a quick reminder that Monday 14 October is the last day to submit work
for ImPressive IV (2013) printmaking exhibition,
the fourth annual Print exhibition at Nathan Homestead, Manurewa, Auckland

The ImPressive IV exhibition will be on 24 October – 17 November
and is featured in the South Side Arts Festival. 
 

This year there is a concept theme for ImPressive IV: 
Te Moana Nui a Kiwa – The Great Ocean of Kiwa.
As a nation at the Southern end of the globe 
surrounded by the salt waters of the Pacific and Tasman, 
the sea is a major part of our lives and history. 
Printmakers are invited to interpret the concept through their chosen print process.

Prints must be the artist’s own work, 
should not have been made in a class, 
and must be hand pulled. 
No strictly digital prints will be accepted (mixed media print acceptable).

Works for the show will be selected.
Entry fee: $10 for up to three works per artist
Work to be delivered to Nathan Homestead by 14 October.
To get a copy of the entry form, contact Nathan Homestead
 

05 October 2013

ArtWeek, 11-20Oct, Auckland

ArtWeek is coming to Auckland from 11-20 October.

I just read that ArtWeek organisers are inviting people to contribute 
to a conversation about the exhibitions associated with ArtWeek.
Now is your chance to review an exhibition you find interesting 
(whether it takes your fancy or not)
 or to comment on exhibitions and the visual arts in New Zealand 
with a short article (200-600 words).

Winning entries selected by the ArtWeek panel of judges
— The best piece of writing each month wins a 2 year subscription to Art News.
— The best writing for the quarter wins editorial space in Art News next issue.

It is great to have this opportunity for us to dialogue about printmaking here in NZ,
so lets also take an opportunity to share our thoughts and ideas about printmaking with others.
Click here to go to the page to enter your thoughts: artweekauckland.co.nz/artzine/entry

Here are a few exhibitions that you may like to 'review':

Corban Estate Arts Centre, until 20 October
Kim Lowe is an artist and printmaker of New Zealand Chinese and Pakeha descent. 
Lowe’s latest exhibition features prints that allude to a fabricated family narrative 
based loosely on past events and snippets of her family's mixed history.

Kim Lowe, Making Waves with Clouds and Rain, 2013

Seed Gallery, Newmarket, from 9-26 October
John Pusateri’s manipulated (sometimes obliterated) images of birds 
comment on the complex history of animal preservation, speciation and extinction. 
He highlights the irony of living things destroyed in order 
that they are better known, catalogued, and preserved. 

John Pusateri, Night, Night, Night, Day


Mairangi Arts Centre, 9 October to 9 Novenber
This exhibition showcases printmaking from artists across New Zealand.



Black Asterisk, 11 - 31 October
International award winning printmaker Prue MacDougall presents 30 solar-plate etchings 
created for her solo exhibition in Cadaques, Spain, earlier this year.

Prue MacDougall, Unicorn, 2013

So set aside a little time to during ArtWeek to see one of these shows,
then go to the page to enter your review:

04 October 2013

Te Kowhai Print Trust Open Days, 11-12Oct, Whangarei

Te Kowhai Print Trust are holding some Open Days
from 10am-3pm on Friday 11 & Saturday 12 October 2013

Visit TKPT at the Quarry Arts Centre (21 Selwyn Ave) and see what they’re all about. 
There will be print workshops and demonstrations 
in etching, woodcut, letterpress, wood type and screenprinting,
as well as a number of cool printing activities for the kids.

You can also screenprint your own t-shirt or tea towel
Between 10-11am on both Friday and Saturday, 
bring your own blank cotton T-shirt and we will help you screen print it. 
If you don’t have a T-shirt we have tea towels you can purchase and print too. 
There are some very cool designs you can choose from.


Did you know you can hire the TKPT studio facilities for $50 a day?!
That includes use of the press, and members get a 20% discount...
An individual membership subscription is only $35 per year 
and gives you discount on supplies, workshops, 
and your chance to input into the future direction of the trust.

If you live in or near Whangarei go check it out!
Also, Whangarei is near/far enough away from Auckland to make it an ideal destination 
for a weekend retreat or an art holiday with friends, it also has tons of great beaches...
I think I might drive up and check out the studio facilities.
Sounds like it will be a fun day, hope to see you there!

Check out www.tkpt.org for more information about Te Kowhai Print Trust.



03 October 2013

Prue MacDougall, 10-31Oct, Auckland

Black Asterisk is proud to present 30 solar-plate etchings 
created by International award winning printmaker Prue MacDougall 
for her solo exhibition in Cadaques, Spain, earlier this year.


Prue will present a floor talk in the gallery at 1pm on Saturday 19 October 
on her work and experience at Cadaques 
and as a speaker at IMPACT International Printmaking Conference in Scotland. 

http://www.blackasterisk.co.nz/exhibitions/curious-translation

27 September 2013

Waitakere Printers Exhibition, 3-6Oct, West Auckland

The Waitakere Printers group that meet monthly at Corban Estate Arts Centre 
is having their annual exhibition in the Old Barrel Store at CEAC in Henderson, West Auckland. 

Opening night is on Thursday 3 October from 5:30pm 
The exhibition is only on for 3 days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) 
so make sure you don't miss it!

This opening night is also the opening night for the Trusts Awards 
which is also held at Corbans, so there would be lots to come & see that night.


Featuring works by Ruby Oakley, Alicia Poultney, Lorraine Vickery,
Val Cuthbert, Lynn Bryant, Toni Hartill, Dianne Charraz, 
Jacqui Madelin and Tracey Singer.
Artworks will be for sale.

22 September 2013

Jean Loomis, 27Sept-28Oct, Hamilton

Possession, a series of 12 framed screenprints by Jean Loomis
is on at Artspost Galleries in Hamilton from 27 September to 28 October
Focusing on Te Kuri, Young Nick's Head and the events that have taken place since Cook's visit.

Jean Loomis, from the series Possession
Screenprint


18 September 2013

Workshops & Open Days at LakeHouse, Takapuna

If you live in or near Auckland, mark these dates in your diaries
for LakeHouse Workshops and Open Days:

 Saturday 12 October 
WORKSHOP 1: Collagraph for Children 
with Erinna Law (one day workshop)

Sunday 13 October
OPEN DAY - Heritage Day at The Lake House 
The Studio will be OPEN all day, 
with demonstrations, displays and an exhibition of work by members


Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October
WORKSHOP 2:  Drypoint 
with Ellen Reimannn-Filby and Celia Walker (two day workshop)

Saturday 2 November 
WORKSHOP 3: Beginners Solarplate 
with Susan Hurrell-Fieldes (one day workshop)

Sunday 3 November
OPEN DAY
Open to visits by other printmakers


All workshops to be booked through the LakeHouse Office
37 Fred Thomas Drive, Barry’s Point Reserve, Takapuna
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9.30am-4pm
Phone: (09) 486 4877

15 September 2013

Studio Visit: GTO Printers

Yesterday I visited Graham Judd at GTO Printers, a small specialist printing company
situated in Birkenhead, on the North Shore of Auckland.

GTO offer unique print capabilities not found in many other printing businesses,
such as traditional letterpress and thermographic printing.
Saturday isn't a usual work day for Graham,
however, about once a month Graham offers a workshop in letterpress at GTO.

Graham Judd, the owner, trained as a letterpress machinist, then retrained on offset.
He started GTO Printers about 20 years ago, and is the General Manager,
yet you can see his passion and enthusiasm for the craft of printing.

Graham show a student how to match ink colours:
select the PMS swatch that you want to mix,
make the recipe using the %s by weight
(this requires having the correct ink colours,
but is a good general guideline regardless) 

GTO Printers have 4 Adana 8x5 printing machines
which are ideal for printing cards and invitations
- a great tabletop model for a small studio

In the morning students explore Graham's eclectic collection
of lead and wood type and ornaments
to print a range of experiments and practice inking

Here's an unusual find in Graham's collection:
a vintage font with separate outline and fill sorts
(I've not seen these sorts before)

During the afternoon session, workshop participants
can produce a set of personal cards of their own design

Graham's Albion (recently returned from being loaned to the local library).
This students print had an uneven result (one side heavy, other side light),
so Graham showed us how to level the pressing height
by placing a piece of type under each corner and tightening the bolts. 

...a basic cylinder press for proofing...
I love how the paper is registered
using the clip from a clipboard - Genius!
I'll have to remember that one.

Much of GTO's commercial letterpress work is done on the Heidelberg 10x15 platen

Graham holds a poster by Tara McLeod,
showing that letterpress is also great for large works

A sample of a card made by Kim
from Passion For Paper

Kim's card used fluorescent red ink
with thermographic powder
to create the raised metallic gold sheen.
I'd never seen this process done in person,
so that was a great learning experience for me too!

Graham has a collection of videos in YouTube which show the processes.
If you are interested, you can see them here:
click here to see GTO Printers' YouTube Channel

If you're interested in doing a letterpress workshop
I think Graham has a Christmas card workshop planned for November.
Or get a group of 4 people and see if you can book your own lesson?
Click here to see GTO's website for more details about the workshops,
or Email Graham or phone 09 480 0218

Alternative Printmaking Videos

In NZ we love inventive ideas.
This weekend I found a few videos that show some new ways to print without a press,
I thought I'd share with you because it look like a lot of fun:



Also, check out this video of a 'Lego Printer':
I wonder if I can build one for my office?


If you have any suggestions for interesting videos about printmaking
then please comment below with the link.

13 September 2013

Product: SolarFast (Light-Sensitive Dye)

Jacquard Products in USA just released a new product called SolarFast in August. 
It’s an easy-to-use, light-sensitive dye that can be applied to fabric or paper
to create photograms, continuous tone photographs, shadow prints, etc.



This would be a great product for textiles and for teaching,
as images can be exposed directly onto the paper/wood/fabric
without the need to print through a screen.
Great for those who want textile prints without access to equipment,
or for workshops with children and artists!

As the product has only just been released a month ago in USA,
I haven't been able to find suppliers yet 
but I'll keep you informed and perhaps we can play with it here in NZ soon.
Check out these ultra-cheesey promo videos that show you how it works:



I can't wait to get my hands on some to make some prints!
Any of you interested??



COLOR CHART - SolarFast
100 Golden Yellow104 Red108 Teal112 Brown
101 Orange105 Violet109 Green113 Black
102 Burnt Orange106 Purple110 Avocado
103 Scarlet107 Blue111 Sepia