31 July 2011

NZ Printmakers at Impact7

They have just updated their website with the programme, and participants who are speaking.


Here's the NZ Printmakers listed on their website so far:

Dr Bepen Bhana (Lecturer, Visual Arts, Manukau Institute of Technology)
Dr Iain Buchanan (Assoc Professor, Art History, University of Auckland)
Emma Febvre-Richards (Lecturer, Fine Arts, Massey University)
Steve Lovett (Lecturer, Visual Arts, Manukau Institute of Technology)
Faith McManus (Artist / Lecturer, Visual Arts, NorthTec)
Jacqueline Naismith (Lecturer, Communication Design, Massey University)
Annette O'Sullivan (Lecturer, Communication Design, Massey University)
John Pusateri (Founder & Director, Auckland Print Studio / Lecturer, Architecture, Unitec)
Elizabeth Rankin (Lecturer, Art History, University of Auckland)
Jill Webster (Lecturer, Arts & Design, Eastern Institute Of Technology)
Christopher White (Lecturer, Visual Arts & Design, Whitireia)
Tracey Williams (Artist / Curator / Gallery Manager, Papakura Art Gallery)

Congratulations to you all! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your topics.
I'll keep you updated as more info is released,
hopefully the lists of Demonstrations and Exhibitions will be next!

30 July 2011

Impressions: An Exploration of Printmaking, until 19 August, Eltham

The Village Gallery in Eltham, Taranaki is currently hosting an exhibition called
Impressions: An Exploration of Printmaking on now until Friday 19th August 2011 

Curated by Michaela Stoneman, Arts Coordinator at South Taranaki District Council,
the exhibition will showcase a range of techniques and different styles within the medium,
by a selection of printmakers from around New Zealand.


Works have been selected  from private collections to demonstrate the wide scope of printmaking.
Artists include Michael Smither, Jenny Dolezel, Cliff Whiting, John and Allison Brebner,
Rachel Garland, Mark Graver, Faith McManus, Margaret Silverwood, Catherine Macdonald,
Rebecca White, Joash Daly, Kathryn Madill, David Brebner, Kate Logan and more.

On Saturday 6 August 10am-4pm John Brebner will run a workshop
to create artists journals that feature letterpress, embossing and book binding,
$25 per person including materials, click here for more details on registering.

Also on Saturday 13 August there will be an Open Day
which will feature informal curator, artist talks and hands-on activities for all ages.

28 July 2011

People of Print Website

I was just reading about a UK-based website called People of Print,
 established in May 2008 by Marcroy Smith,
originally created as a library of printmakers and designers with a sole purpose to 'inspire'
...and we can always do with a little extra inspiration occasionally.


Working alongside many creative designers and developers, 
People of Print is going to move forward as a platform for 
"emerging and talented printmakers from across the globe" 
to exhibit and sell their work both online and at shows.

They aim to work collaboratively with anyone they can, 
including solo artists, studios, shops, agencies and collectives 
in order to develop a global community in the world of print.

Which is why I thought it might be worthy of a quick mention here,
as I know you all love seeing what's new with print and design.
Perhaps you may like to be part of the 'global community',
go check it out... www.peopleofprint.com 

27 July 2011

How Could We Resist? Exhibition

I really enjoyed the opening of How Could We Resist? last night in Mt Eden, Auckland.
There was a good turnout of artists and print-admirers, 
and some lively discussion about processes and 'favourites'.

The exhibition is part of an ongoing travelling show by members of CPCANZ
including works by Kathy Boyle, Beth Charles, Julia Ellery, Julienne Francis,
Bev Head, Susan Hurrell-Fieldes, Susanne Khouri, Prue MacDougall,
Anna Nelson, Hilary Ramage, Basia Smolnicki, Joan Travaglia, and many more!


All 83 printed works, approximately 10x10cm, are for sale at $100 (unframed)
and it is 'cash & carry' so I recommend going to see it now
before all the 'favourite' prints find new homes.

So if you are in Auckland then stop in for a quick look, 
it is on at Mt Eden Village Centre, on the corner of Mt Eden Rd and Ngauruhoe St
(the other corner by CircusCircus Cafe)
 and is open weekdays 10am-4pm and Saturday 10am-2pm until15 August



26 July 2011

Biennial International Print Show

Just to let you know entries are now being sought for 
Art at Wharepuke's Biennial International Print Show

Their second international open submission print show will be held
at Art at Wharepuke from 10 December 2011 to 7 Jan 2012


The prize includes a solo show in 2012 at time arranged to suit,
gallery representation in NZ, fully optimised dedicated web page for one year.
Representation may be offered to more than one artist.

You may enter up to 3 entries, with a maximum paper size of A4 (29.7x21cm)
made using any original printmaking technique (no photographs or giclée reproductions)

The entry fee is NZ$50 for NZ residents, or NZ$70 for international entries.
This covers return postage and catalogue, admin and exhibition costs.

Initial entry is to be made by CD or email,
and the deadline for submissions is 1 November 2011.

For full details and the entry form see:

25 July 2011

Impact7 Earlybird Registration Closes 31 July

Just a quick reminder for you NZ Printmakers, 
if you are thinking of attending the Impact7 Printmaking Conference 
in Melbourne from 27-30 September,
you can get a discount of AU$50 if you take advantage of 'early bird' price 
and register by this Sunday 31 July.


I'm keen to find out how many of you NZ Printmakers are contemplating going.

Collateral, Guided Tour, 30 July

In association with the Collateral: Printmaking as Social Commentary exhibition
on at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland from 1 July - 20 August,
curator Elizabeth Rankin (Professor of Art History at The University of Auckland)
will be giving a guided tour of the exhibition on Saturday 30 July at 1pm

24 July 2011

Simon Kaan, Kim Lowe and Karen Stevens Exhibition

New works by artists Simon Kaan, Kim Lowe and Karen Stevens 
will be exhibited at Solander Gallery in Wellington from 29 July - 3 September.
The opening event is on this Friday 29 July from 5.30-7pm. 

Simon Kaan, Untitled, 2011
Intaglio Woodcut, 100x72cm

Simon Kaan draws on his Maori and Chinese background 
in large scale intaglio woodcut works of serene beauty. 
Characteristic icons of the waka, moth, 
tree and water infuse these works with symbolism.

Kim Lowe draws on her Chinese heritage with an exploration of Whakapapa, 
mixed race identity and the binary ambiguities of Taoist yin and yang 
in relief works of stylized oriental patterns.
Karen Stevens, Waitarere #2, 2011
Woodcut, 60x42cm

Karen Stevens finds inspiration for this new body of dramatic woodcuts in the simple forms of seedpods. 
Karen is seduced by their tactile beauty, 
intricacy and the circumstances of their chance discovery. 
“Each seed pod is a reminder of the location I found it in, and the journey I took to get there.”

Check out www.solandergallery.co.nz for more information about location and opening hours.

23 July 2011

Visit to Jerusalem Print Workshop

 A week or so ago, when I was in the Middle East, I visit the Jerusalem Print Workshop.
It is a very well-equipped facility (I wish my workshop was that organised),
and the gallery is a spacious network of rooms you can wander through at leisure,
with a very interesting variety of prints of diverse colours, textures and imagery.


I enjoyed my visit there and thought I'd share a few pictures that were exhibited at that time:

Works by Dov Heller, from the exhibiton Tel Gamma
Etchings & aquatints

Dov Heller, Primavara VIII, 2002
Screenprint, 28x38cm, edition of 35

Yaacov Dorchen, Window with Tears, 2005
Etching with angle-grinder

Uriel Miron, J-M, 2006
Etching and soft ground

You can also check out some other print artists they represent here on their website.


22 July 2011

Random Places To Find Printmaking

As I was sitting in Singapore Airport the other day,
I saw a group of primary-aged children looking industrious by a large table.
With several hours to wait I decided to see what they were up to.

To my surprise they were making prints!
(or at least I should say taking rubbings from carved stones)
The materials were provided by Singapore Airport.


I momentarily considered joining in, would have been fun to ink them up...


Where is the most unusual place you have seen printmaking???

21 July 2011

John Reynolds

PaperGraphica has an exhibition of new prints and drawings by John Reynolds
called The Violet Hour on display now in Christchurch until 13 August.

John Reynolds, The Violet Air I, 2011
Etching, 16x26cm, edition of 12

See PaperGraphica's website for more information.

20 July 2011

How Could We Resist? Auckland

How Can We Resist? is a travelling mini print exhibition
which is about to open at Mt Eden Village Centre (corner of Mt Eden Rd and Ngauruhoe St)
from 27 July - 15 August (open weekdays 9am-4pm, Saturday 10am-2pm)


The exhibition contains original works of art by printmakers from all over New Zealand.
The printing techniques used to create these works include
mezzotint, intaglio, relief, monoprint and screenprint.

Auckland is the latest city to proudly host this exhibition,
after previous shows in Whanganui, Pirongia, Hamilton, Taupo, Greymouth and Blenheim.

The prices are $100 for unframed, and $140 for framed work (Sorry no eftpos available)
You will be able to take your purchased work home straight away,
so get in early to select from all the available works.

19 July 2011

Damien Hirst Exhibition, Auckland

I just heard about this Damien Hirst exhibition that opens 5-7pm tonight (Tuesday 19 July)
Titled The Dead and The Souls, these prints are on show from 20 July til 27 August
at Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland.

The two bodies of editioned work, The Dead (2009) and The Souls (2010) 
envelop several of Hirst's well known concerns; 
death and life, beauty and desire with a dynamism typical of Hirst's work. 
The consecutive series are each made up of a few compositions 
in various colour-ways and each print is in an edition of only fifteen. 


InThe Souls butterflies symbolises both the beauty of life and its impermanence, 
and metaphors for faith and death, 
while the skull imagery in The Dead make overt reference to mortality. 
Laid out like museum specimens and more or less anatomically correct 
Hirst has beautified his subjects through the use of block foil printing. 

Of The Souls Hirst has said "I love butterflies because when they are dead they look alive. 
The foil block makes the butterflies have a feel similar to the actual butterflies 
in the way that they reflect the light. 
After The Dead I had to do the butterflies because you can't have one without the other". [Bracewell, M. (2010)]

As well as the two collections above will be showcasing several of Hirst's sculptural Spin Skull works, 
three butterfly paintings and the impressive original, Beautiful Apollo Idealisation Painting.

Seldom seen in New Zealand, this is a great opportunity to see some of Damien Hirst's prints.
I look forward to going to see them myself!

17 July 2011

Interview: Brad Novak

Who are you and how did you become a printmaker?
Brad Novak
Painter, Printmaker and Doctor
Born in Auckland New Zealand with Croatian Heritage.
Website – http://www.bradnovak.co.nz/

The ‘story’ of how I became a printmaker began over 10 years ago
on my overseas experience while living in the UK.
My then girlfriend Katrina (now my wonderful wife) introduced me
to contemporary art on a visit to the Tate Modern in London.
I’m happy to admit that originally my understanding of what constituted art,
(or 'good art') was very narrow... and that was realism.
She challenged me to make my own artwork on returning to NZ,
and the rest as they say is history.

Since that day I have become an avid studier of art –
I’ve read tonnes of art books, talked to loads of people about art,
been lucky enough to visit museums and galleries around the world,
and of course worked hard to develop my own artistic career.
This started with painting, but around 3 years ago I was drawn to try print making
as another way to express my creative ideas but also to get my work out to a larger audience.
I was lucky enough to meet two of NZ’s top printmakers, Tony Ogle and Michael Smither.
And they were both extremely generous with their time and advice,
even offering to teach me a little of the vast knowledge they have attained – this was so helpful.

Brad Novak, Reservoir Birds of NZ 1.1, 2010
Screenprint, 56x76cm, edition of 80

What is your favourite thing about printmaking?
The process!
I have only tried screen printing to date and I love the whole process.
Of course this starts with an idea, which then needs to be ‘drawn’ in some way
and transferred onto light sensitive emulsion within screens.
Even though you have a good idea of what the final artwork is going to look like
I have increasingly started introducing more ad hoc decisions during printing.
This means that rather than simply creating an idea and printing it...
the artwork may actually change during the printing process.

This includes things like changing colours at the last minute or during printing,
adding in changes as we go, or intentionally introducing ‘flaws’
to give each print in the edition its own individuality.

Describe your most memorable printmaking moment.
It would have to be creating my first screen print and seeing the edition sell out.
The challenging thing about producing a ‘true’ edition
is that the entire 80 or so prints are completed up front and of course that costs a lot.
So seeing an image really resonate with the art buying public is such a pleasure.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a few of these and I don’t take it for granted.

Brad Novak printing Hope for Canterbury (after Warhol)

What or who influences your work and/or subject matter?
I am strongly influenced by the Pop artists of the US in the 1960’s like Lichtenstein and Warhol.
I love the fact they took everyday things and made them into fine art – genius.
Several NZ artists have influenced me too:
Bill Hammond, Michael Smither, Gordon Walters and Max Gimblett.

Brad Novak, Eye Chart for Rugby Fever 1.1, 2011
Screenprint, 76x53, edition of 80
Can you offer one small piece of advice to share with other NZ Printmakers?
Keep producing! Ignore the tall poppies or the knockers.
Also, if an edition doesn’t go as well as you’d hoped just keep going.
Your next print could be your best.
Oh and talk to other artists – it can be an isolating career
and one of the most enjoyable things I’ve found is developing great friendships
with lots of people who have very similar interests to me.


16 July 2011

Collateral, Poetry Day, 22 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 be an event this week on Friday 22 July at 1pm.

Gus Fisher Gallery is linking up with National Poetry Day,
where poet Nick Flynn is featured in a collaborative artist’s book
about Iraq detainees, with printmaker Daniel Heyman  

Daniel Heyman, Abu Ghraib Detainee Interview Project
Image from exhibition at The Print Center, 2007

11 July 2011

Woodcut Workshop, Wellington, 28 August

Solander Gallery are hosting a one day workshop with guest artist Sam Broad
in Wellington on Sunday 28 August.

The workshop will introduce techniques to create exciting and dynamic woodcut prints.
Learn design transfer, cutting and printing techniques
to create a strong graphic image of your own design.


 No previous experience is required.
Some preparatory drawing will be required.
Cost $130 including all materials and equipment.
Places are limited so booking is essential.
To register, email info@solandergallery.co.nz

07 July 2011

Interview: Basia Smolnicki


I enjoy that 'print' is such an incredibly useful and diverse medium to work with,
and thought I'd highlight some of it's many applications,
both in art and other aspects of craft & design.

Here's a little intro to Basia Smolnicki, a very interesting artist based in Wellington.
I recently saw images of these glass works, installed in an open-plan office at the Ministry of Health.
I really like that they are print installations / applied design, yet still very arty
 and in keeping with the style and look of her other image-making.
I thought you might like to see how Basia is applying 'print' in inventive ways,
inside and outside of galleries.
 


What is your favourite thing about printmaking?
Printmaking is a very exciting and stimulating process for me
because of the many print possibilities that can be either worked by hand or using new technology.
I have a traditional etching press and a computer in my studio.
Every day I am constantly making decisions about the quality or type of ink to use,
creating masks and stencils for new work and looking at the layering of the artwork.
Either I'm mixing real pigments by hand, or on my computer manipulating pixels and vector shapes.

How did you come to be a printmaker?
I was first introduced to printmaking by John Drawbridge
while studying Visual Communication at Wellington Design school in the 1980s.
I became interested in applying my printmaking techniques and ideas to media other than paper
when I met my husband architect Paul Kerr-Hislop.
In particular I started exploring the use of sandblasted glass as an element of architecture,
using diffuse and clear areas of glass as 'figure and ground'
to introduce images and iconography into the architectural environment.

Basia Smolnicki, Recovery, 2009
Woodcut (white ink on black paper)
Describe your work:
I now spend about a third of my time making works on paper to sell through galleries,
a third of my time teaching printmaking in workshops around Wellington
and the final third producing sandblasted designs on glass as commissioned artworks.


I've often been asked what my work is - craft, design, or ʻinstallationʼ?
I'd like to think of it is a hybridisation of contemporary art that explores these boundaries.
My work may have started out as printmaking
but it has evolved into something between fine art and applied design.

Sandblasted design on an internal glass wall
allows for maximum natural light to reach an otherwise dark room in the middle of a house.
Architectural renovation designed by Paul Kerr-Hislop and artwork by Basia Smolnicki.

For example, sandblasted glass work employs many techniques acquired from printmaking on paper,
just using a different medium. 
 In sandblasting, the sand fractures the exposed surface of the smooth clear glass surface
transforming it into a shattered, rough textured glass surface.
You can blast a variety of materials, metal, perspex, mirror and different types of glass
and even colored ĘĽcathedralĘĽ glass.
Once installed the glass comes to life when light is directed through the glass plane.

Sometimes clients have asked me for sandblasted designs on panes of glass already installed.
I have found a stick-on vinyl that closely resembles the sandblasted glass effect.
Designs can be sketched by hand, scanned onto the computer
and then digitised ready for laser cutting.
I can then take the laser cut vinyl to the site and apply it carefully to the pane of glass in situ.
The process is very versatile, I could adapt the designs on computer file to produce cut out vinyl
as artwork for corporate logos, or for an entrance lobby floor feature, the list goes on....


 I also continue to use the same masking and stencil resist methods
when etching zinc and aluminium plates in copper sulphate and salt,
and manage to achieve a good range of contrasting dark to light tones
with or without using aquatint methods.

Basia Smolnicki, inked up laser-cut woodblock with a proofed image
combined with collaged hand-colored paper on Magnani Pescia yellow paper.
Image size 18x26cm, paper size 28x38cm

What are you working on now?
My latest project is exploring my Polish heritage, Mum & Dad arrived in NZ after WW2.
I have been creating artwork that is scanned into Photoshop on the computer
and then digitised ready to laser-cut a wood block from MDF board.
The wood blocks are based on decorative and traditional Polish paper cut outs, but with a kiwi twist.
The wood block is inked and printed onto paper,
 collaged with hand-painted coloured papers for a simple but multi-coloured print.
The possibilities are endless!

Basia is teaching printmaking classes in term 3 in Wellington
at Artsight and also at Inverlochy Art School,
and you can see more images of Basia's artworks and glass installations on her Flickr gallery.

04 July 2011

Collateral, WMC Talk, 9 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 be a presentation given by Wellington Media Collective
 on this coming Saturday 9 July at 1pm.

Wellington Media Collective began as a volunteer organisation in 1978,
working alongside community, trade union, arts and activist groups
through published posters, magazines and leaflets, including lobbying against apartheid.
 
Members Chris McBride and Philip Kelly will discuss their activities
with Ian Wedde (project managing an archive, book and exhibition)
and the importance of print to communicate their message.