Solander Gallery: Advice for Printmakers


About Solander Gallery
Solander Gallery (Wellington) specialises in contemporary 'works on paper'.
Works encompass contemporary drawings, watercolours and limited-edition artist prints
including etchings, screenprints, woodcuts and mezzotints.

Representing over 45 New Zealand and International artists,
we hold regular feature exhibitions and have an extensive selection of works on permanent folio display.
Solander also runs a workshop and demonstration program in the gallery
for people interested in learning more about printmaking and works on paper.


Why Printmaking?
Printmaking has always been the primary focus of the gallery.
Our passion for works on paper, particularly printmaking,
has grown out of our understanding of the mediums, such as etching, lithography and relief
by being practicing printmaking artists ourselves.

We are excited by the rich visual language of printmaking mediums.
The mark of the chisel in lino or wood, the crispness of the etched line in a hard ground etching
or the texture of a lithographic drawing on stone,
all bring a unique energy and authenticity to prints that cannot easily be reproduced in other visual art forms.

We see our role as a gallery to help viewers appreciate the work of printmaking artists as a fine art medium,
acknowledging the engagement of printmaking artists with contemporary art issues,
and the level of skill required to realise these ideas through the print medium.


Selecting Shows
Solander's exhibition programme is planned 12 months in advance.
We seek proposals from artists that we feel have been committed to developing a body of new work.
Our programming is also conscious of the balance
between different types of work across our yearly calendar
and also the distribution of emerging and more established artists through the programme.

Advice to Printmakers
Make sure that when work is editioned it is presented professionally. For example:
  • Paper is torn neatly to size
  • The plate is centred on the sheet
  • No fingerprints or ink stains in the margins
  • Acknowledge when an edition contains significant variations across the edition
  • Margins should be at least 50mm or more
  • Neat writing on the signature / edition line
  • Keep accurate records of the edition and sales
  • Interleave prints with acid free tissue 

We are regularly approached by emerging artists, and some are unprepared for their presentations.
When artists approach a gallery, it is very important that they do so
in as organised and professional manner as possible. For example:
  • Make sure the style of work you are presenting is an appropriate fit to the gallery you are approaching.
  • Images should be good quality photography, and be provided as jpeg format with image resolution of about 0.5megabyte (approx 500kb).
  • Artist CV’s should be well written, with only arts relevant information included.
  • Chronological dates should have most recent dates at the top of the list.
  • An artist statement is a very important tool to broadly explain the works and your influences as an artist. This should be a maximum of about 2-3 paragraphs.
  • Make sure you follow up with a phone call to the gallery after making initial contact.
  • A knock-back now does not mean a knock-back forever and we would encourage you to make contact again if you have completed a new body of work.

You can check out Solander's website to see their artists and prints,
as well as upcoming exhibitions and workshops.

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