Call for Entries: 36th Mini Print International of Cadaqués, by 15 March 2016

The Mini Print International of Cadaqués 

is the most popular and longest running exhibition of miniprints in the world.

The exhibition usually includes around 650 artists from some 50 countries of all the continents. 

The technical and formal quality of the works is very high. 

This has encouraged us to continue organizing the show year after year since 1981.

Last year, five New Zealand printmakers were selected for this exhibition;

Barbara Graham, Celia Walker, Geoff Tune, Ruby Oakley, and Sue Cooke

but here are the overall winners images: 

William Barnhart (US), Days of Delight
Drypoint and chine collé

Danielle Grosbusch (Luxembourg), Verbindlich – III
Soft ground and aquatint

Litzco Yamamiya (Japan), One-Man Show
Etching and aquatint

Cristina Pérez i Alay (Spain), Combatent
Etching, drypoint and collage

Stephen Lawlor (Ireland), Blue Tutu
Etching

Victoria Westmacott-Wrede (Germany), House in a Village
Etching

In each call, a qualified jury makes a selection of six works. 

The award winning artists are invited to have a solo show at Taller Galeria Fort in Cadaqués. 

This Mini Print aims to show the exhibition to the largest amount of public. 

During recent years it has travelled to various countries 

(United States, Japan, Korea, France, England, Ireland, Finland, Andorra, 

Mexico, Colombia, Spain, etc.) where it has achieved great success.

Since 1995, the exhibition has been shown annually in L'Etangd'Art Gallery in Bages, France, 

and in the UK at the same time as in Cadaqués. 

In addition there are national and international shows which may take place sporadically.

Each artist can submit four different prints. 

Open to all printmaking techniques and tendencies.

The image must not be bigger than 10x10cm, the paper must not be bigger than 18x18cm.

See www.miniprint.org for more information about entering.

Call for Entries: Lessedra Mini Print 2016, Bulgaria, by 15 March

Call for entries to 15th Lessedra World Art Print Annual – MINI PRINT 2016 
This is an international print annual 

No art form has broader implications in contemporary society than that of the print. 
The aim is to gather and exhibit contemporary art print works from all over the world 
and to contribute to the contacts and the exchange between artists, art lovers and collectors 
and to stimulate the research into paper, inks, and other materials used in printmaking.

Judges Karin Byrne and Briar Craig at Lessedra Gallery

Each artist should send no more than 3 works: original prints, created in 2015/2016. 
Entries may feature any type of method of printmaking, signed and numbered by the artist. 
The maximum dimensions of a work are 29x23cm (paper size).

First Prize is USD 500, with purchase of works by additional agreement
and invitation for a solo presentation of the artist in conjunction with the next annual exhibition.

For more information, click here to see the Lessedra Mini Pint website

Artist Profile: Susanne Khouri

Susanne Khouri started her art journey with part-time study to a Bachelor of Visual Arts 

where she majored in Printmaking, through MIT and UoA.

She has established her own home studio, she exhibits her printmaking work at least once a year.

Susanne enjoys sharing her skills, teaching screenprinting at Lake House Art Centre.

The techniques she uses most often in her work are aquatint and screenprint. 

The aquatint etching process enables her to create tonal variations 

which can be strong as well as subtle, often on the same plate. 

She then layers colour and imagery by screenprinting photographs or drawings over an aquatint base.

At the end of 2015, Susanne Khouri had an exhibition at Depot Artspace with Celia Walker.

They each made 20 works, which were each 20x20cm. 

Susanne's series came about by serendipity when rolling out some Akua ink on a glass plate.

Instead of flattening out the ink, it created an uneven cloud-like image.

This discovery lifted her spirits, and the light veil of colour influenced the direction the series took.

Creating visual interest, and a slight feeling of the book/movie "The Unbearable Lightness of Being".

Meeting the challenge to make 20 works, she enthusiastically ended up with more than 40.

Some inspiration came from the works of the German photographer, Uta Barthe,

who's dreamlike, ethereal images are taken in and outside of her apartment. 

Susanne is undecided how far to go to go with this idea,

and not end up with nothing much to look at, and welcomes your feedback.

Susanne's new website will be up and running very soon.

Looking forward to see it soon.

4th Wharepuke International Open Printmaking Show, Kerikeri

The 4th Wharepuke Open Printmaking Show 

features 25 artists from 12 different countries selected from open submission.

The exhibition is divided into two parts:

Part One runs from 14 January to 7 February and features work by

Eman Al Hashemi (UAE), Ximena Bórquez (Chile), Neala Glass (NZ),

Melissa Harshman (USA), Sallyann Hingston (NZ), Amanda Kralovic (USA),

Jakob Lee (USA), Steve Lovett (NZ), LUCE (Belgium), Julia Ludwig (Germany),

Judy Major-Girardin (Canada), Mia O (Japan), Kavita Nayar (India), 

Hamish Oakley-Browne (NZ), Ruth Simons (UK), and Sandra Williams (Australia)

Part Two will take place from 11 February to 6 March and will feature work by

Margaret Ashman (UK), Tom Baggaley (UAE), Richard Hricko (USA),

Carolyn Mckenzie Craig (Australia), Miwako Nishizawa (USA), Sumi Perera (UK)

Joseph Ryan (Ireland), Mustafa Sidki (UK), and Ella Weber (USA)

XIMENA BÓRQUEZ , Desert Wind, 2013
Screenprint, 75x70cm

JUDY MAJOR–GIRARDIN (Canada), Permeable Membrane #2, 2015
wood lithography and relief stencils, 71x99cm

EMAN AL HASHEMI (UAE), Red Circle, 2015
Intaglio relief print and stamp, 74x68cm

STEVE LOVETT (NZ), Endless Mistakes, Carefully Programmed, 2015
Screenprint, 76x56cm

LUCE (Belgium), Eclosion, 2015
Intaglio, spit bite, drypoint, 57x75cm

Call for Entries: Small Print International, by 22 March

Leicester Print Workshop is celebrating their 30th Birthday in 2016 

with the return of our international miniprint exhibition.

Small Print International is an exhibition of contemporary fine art miniprints. 

Comprising 150 images that measure no more than 100 square cm, 

every contemporary print process will be welcomed 

from etching, lithography, letterpress, relief, screenprinting and digital prints.

Artists from across the world are invited to submit work 

with a deadline for entries by 22 March.

Small Print International will tour to 5 UK venues during 2016 and 2017.

Works will be selected by a small team of curators and printmakers, including:

Angela Harding (artist), Wuon-Gean Ho (artist and news editor of Printmaking Today),

Jennifer Ramkalawon (a curator in Dept of Prints and Drawings, British Museum).

See www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/smallprint for more information

and to download the entry form.

PCA Year Of Print 2016

A special 'shout-out' to the Print Council of Australia 

who will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year!!!

To commemorate, they are hosting the Year Of Print (#PCAYoP2016)

with a long list of events exhibitions, competitions, workshops and residencies throughout the year.

Check out the calendar at www.printcouncil.org.au/events/

The Year of Print will foster discussion on contemporary practices and promotion of printmaking.

Check out this video and see what's happening over the ditch at the PCA:

We wish all Aussie printmakers a very joyous celebration of printmaking,

and are very excited for the future ahead!!!

Call for Entries: InkFest 2016, by 30 May

InkMasters Cairns Inc invites all printmakers to submit entries 

to the InkMasters Print Exhibition.

Entries must be received (either electronically or by mail) by 30 May

Click here for the link to the online entry form.

InkFest is a biennial festival of printmaking, in it's third presentation. 

The standout event of InkFest is the InkMasters Print Exhibition, 

featuring outstanding original prints from international, national and regional artists. 

A public lecture by notable Australian artist G.W. Bot will precede the launch and prizegiving. 

The full InkFest programme includes acclaimed Australian artists-in-residence 

who each give a public Artist’s Forum as well as master classes for InkMaster members. 

InkMaster artist/printmakers also deliver workshops across a range of disciplines, 

including mezzotint, Japanese woodblock, intaglio and relief.

Get ready to roll during InkFest at The BIG PRINT community event, 

where very large linocuts will be made by hundreds of kids & adults, and printed with a steam roller.

InkMasters works tirelessly to raise the profile of printmaking as an art form to the wider community. They providing information about printmaking processes,

to encourage the appreciation of these unique, original and highly collectible works of art.

Artist Profile: Prue MacDougall

NZ printmaker Prue MacDougall's addiction to printmaking started at an early age.

She always enjoyed working with paper, collecting stamps, tickets, cigar collars 

and Victorian swops (for scrapbooking), which she would then use to create surreal collages. 

At school, art was her favourite subject, always drawing and making things outside of class time. 

Prue went on to study at the Elam School of Fine Art, University of Auckland.  

She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction in 1985, 

and was awarded the Auckland University Annual Prize of Excellence in Fine Arts. 

After completing her studies, it seemed a natural extension to become an art teacher.

She went onto become Head of Art at Selwyn College in Auckland.

Mostly working in the medium of etching, Prue says creating is a form of meditation: 

it blocks out the world, it helps her express personal thoughts and feelings. 

Through art she is able to tell stories, create illusion and perform magic.

When Prue travels, she love to visit Natural History Museums, like the Horniman Museum (London).

‘Cabinets of curiosities’ or ‘wonder rooms’ house small collections of extraordinary objects. 

Prue’s art practice has always operated like a metaphorical stage

 in which she contrives whimsical tableau to reflect her life experiences and relationships. 

Her compositions echo the haunting imagery of Goya, Rego and, to a lesser extent, Piranesi. 

Prue is inspired by these master printmakers' application of chiaroscuro and theatrical drama.

Prue Mac Dougall, Landing On Your Feet (detail), 2015
Solarplate

In 2015 Prue was one of the coordinators of Thinking of Place, 

a collaborative venture between Australian and New Zealand based printmakers. 

 Recently shown at Depot Artspace, Auckland,

it is presently on show at KickArts Contemporary Arts in Cairns, 

and then will travel to Post Office Gallery in Ballarat, from 6 April to 21 May.

Prue Mac Dougall, Juno, 2015
Etching and screenprint, 40x29cm

Prue is also part of the Aotearoa SGCI Themed Portfolio collaboration 

which will be taken to the Southern Graphic Council International Conference 

 in Portland, Oregon USA, 30 March – 2 April 2016.

The theme of this portfolio is 'Flux: The Edge of Yesterday and Tomorrow'.

Also at this conference Prue has a 2D and 3D sculptural print in the Trans-Dimensional Exhibition.

Prue is also currently working towards two solo shows in Auckland and Wellington, 

and various selected group exhibitions in 2016.

For more information, or to see more of Prue's work, 

check out her website: http://pruemacdougall.com

Seeking Feature Artists for NZ Printmakers 2016

The new year often brings new inspiration...

This year I am thinking that I'd like to feature one NZ Printmaker every week;

both here on the blog, and also on the NZ Printmakers Facebook page.

So, here's your invitation... if you're a NZ-based artists using printmaking, 

and you want to be one of my featured artists, or have a newsworthy projects or exhibition,

all you need to do is email me, with 250-400 words about yourself and your printmaking,

and include a few jpg photos (one of yourself & some of your recent prints).

Easy!!! Go on, do it now!!!

Intro to Screenprinting, Jan/Feb, Auckland

You can learn the basics of screenprinting in just one day!

This Introduction to Screenprint course teaches you about the essential pieces of equipment,
the processes and techniques, as well as plenty of hands-on printing time to play and make.

This course is suitable for beginners, with only 3-4 students per class, 

and the content can be tailored to your own project ideas.

With the guidance of a very experienced tutor,
you will learn hand-cut stencils, masking, hand-drawn images,
as well as the basics of photo emulsion for more detailed designs.
Techniques and inks for printing on both paper and fabric will be taught.

Introduction to Screenprint workshops are currently scheduled on the following dates:
10am-4pm on Saturday 16 January
10am-4pm on Saturday 23 January
10am-4pm on Saturday 13 February
10am-4pm on Saturday 20 February

$135 per person includes inks, paper, screens and equipment used during workshop.
Located near Eden Park in Auckland.
Please email to confirm availability of places on your preferred session.

For more info about upcoming dates, or to register, click here to email Delwyn.

Happy New Year 2016!!!

Happy New Year to all you NZ printmakers!

I'm thinking about what fun and helpful blog articles I can offer to you in 2016...

I'm open to suggestions about what printmaking articles you're interested in reading, 

or if you have any ideas for beneficial topics you want me to write about this year.

Comment below or email me, and I'll see what I can do!

I'd love to hear about your printmaking New Years goals or resolutions;

Perhaps you want to learn a new process?

A new printmaking project or exhibition?

Need to hone your technical skills? Or to develop your ideas further?

I'm also looking forward to hearing about your exhibitions and projects,

so please remember to send me details so I can 'spread the word' for you.