30 March 2012

Intro to Print Course, Term 2, Auckland

Whitecliffe College of Art & Design is offering an evening printmaking course
called Introduction to Printmaking in Term 2.
The course will be on on Tuesday nights from 6-9pm,
from 1 May to 12 June (no class 22 May), and will be tutored by Ruby Oakley.

This introductory course covers five different processes of print making which are not commonly taught.
These include monoprinting using gelatine plate
so students will not need a press to continue printing at home.
Other processes include drypoint etching on plastic, linocut, collagraph and pronto plate lithography.

By focusing on a different printing process each week
students will discover their own style to create their own printing plates and prints on paper.
It is my aim to ensure students leave with the confidence
to produce more plates and prints completely on their own.

The course is aimed at beginners and those with some experience.
$250 per term (plus a $55 material fee to cover the cost of ALL materials, paid directly to the tutor)

29 March 2012

Wright Brothers: Printers

I read this post on Printeresting the other day.
It was the first time I'd heard that the infamous Wright Brothers were printers!
so I thought I'd share it with you printmakers:
Everyone knows why the Wright Brothers had the technical expertise 
and persistence to succeed where others had failed, right? 
First they operated a bicycle repair shop, and soon manufactured bikes of their own. 
Eventually, in that shop in Ohio, they took to tinkering with airfoil design, 
and the rest is history!

But did you know what was on the second floor of that bicycle shop? 
That’s right: a print studio...

The Wrights’ interest in print was in fact “their first love,” 
The boys started their first printing operation as teens, 
printing newsletters, and apparently made woodcuts even as children. 
This is a pretty adorable woodcut of a cat by a young Wilbur Wright:
.
Very interesting!



19 March 2012

Anthony Davies, 23Mar-29Apr, Hamilton

Artspost in Hamilton will be hosting an exhibition of works by Anthony Davies.
Closing The Gap is a series of 15 prints, etching and aquatint.
and will be on display from 23 March to 29 April.
An opening preview will be held on 22 March at 5.30pm.

Anthony Davies, from the Closing the Gap series

‘Closing the Gap’ investigates recent socio-political events in Aotearoa New Zealand. 
Viewing his work questions whether New Zealand is grappling with growing division, 
seeking to dene its cultural identity, and at the mercy of consumer culture? 
Davies says, “I want people to think about how other people live, how they exist. 
People should be aware of what’s going on in the world”. 
This exhibition celebrates a return to the traditional techniques 
of classical intaglio printmaking: etching, aquatint, dry point and sugar lift. 
Having a great ‘drawing hand’ and confidence with printmaking processes 
allows Davies to exploit the printmaker’s language of mark-making 
to express contemporary comment.



16 March 2012

Boundless / In The Frame, 19-31March, Hastings

Boundless / In the Frame is a joint exhibition presented by members of 
 with exhibitors who come from throughout New Zealand, 
as well as Scotland, Australia and the Netherlands.

The exhibition will be shown from 19-31 March 
at the Hastings Community Arts Centre,
and then travel to the Wellington Academy of Fine Arts in May. 


The works in the exhibition In the Frame / Boundless were selected by 
Jill Webster, a print tutor at EIT committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional print, 
and Anthony Davies, a printmaker who has taught and exhibited extensively worldwide. 

Boundless: explores the boundaries of print and challenges the concept 
that prints have to be framed or constrained by editioning or the flatness of paper 

In the Frame: encourages a contemporary approach to print 
while acknowledging the importance of traditional printmaking techniques. 

There will be an official opening at 2pm on Saturday 24 March,
 followed by a public floor talk by selector Jill Webster.

15 March 2012

Intaglio Workshop, 13 April, Malborough Sounds

Lochmara Lodge & Arts Centre in Queen Charlotte Sound
is hosting a workshop called A Window Into Printmaking (for Grownups)
10am-2pm on Friday 13 April, being tutored by Maria Martin-Smith 

Learn about the contemplative process of intaglio printmaking 
through the process of drypoint on transparent film. 
Explore your own language of mark-making with new tools and a new process. 
Suitable for both the complete beginner and competent artists, 
you can choose to bring your own 75mm x 100mm images to draw from 
or be inspired by the natural beauty around you.

If you are in or near the Nelson / Picton / Malborough Sounds areas,

12 March 2012

Fatu Feu'u, 14-23March, Christchurch

The Exhibition Ola runs from 14-23 March at Ilam Campus Gallery 
There is an opening preview of these works by Fatu Feu'u  
5.30pm tomorrow night Tuesday 13 March.
And there is also a floor talk at 1pm Wednesday 14 March if you are in Christchurch.

To mark the 15 years of the Macmillan Brown Pacific Artist in residence programme, 
Fatu Feu'u (the first recipient in 1996) returned to Christchurch 
to complete a second residency in 2011. 
As part of this, Feu'u researched and wrote a new body of poetry 
which will be published accompanied by paintings and a series of lithographs. 


In post-earthquake Christchurch the issues concerning the 
creative re-growth and rebuilding of a community 
have been of particular concern to Fatu Feu'u. 

Ola, explains the artist, explores the affection for or love we have for where we come from. 
A Samoan word that functions as both noun and verb, Ola means 'life' and 'to create life.' 
Feu'u plays with the two merging concepts of Ola in his exhibition, 
exploring the human capacity to love, hope and grow in times of adversity. 


 



Mark Graver, 14Mar-21Apr, Wellington

Mark Graver's exhibition Shadowplay opens at Solander in Wellington on Wednsday night.
If you are in the area, stop in and take a look!


Shadowplay presents new acrylic resist etchings and collagraphs
 that continue to explore on-going themes of memory, place and time.
These recent works use imagery observed, remembered and abstracted from nature.
These works explore memory, loss and memorial
while other large scale collagraphs and etchings focus on light and shadow
as metaphors for the passage of time.

In 2010, Mark Graver was the winner of the 9th Lessedra World Art Print Annual, Bulgaria.

11 March 2012

Colour Blend Tutorial for Relief Prints

I was just reading this tutorial by 'LinocutBoy' and I thought I'd share with you.
This simple colour gradation and spot colour inking makes the 2-pass print more interesting:


It's a good, simple idea that would work with linocuts or woodcuts,
and I encourage you to try it sometime, just for fun!

You can read the full tutorial here:



08 March 2012

Annie Sandano, 14Mar-5Apr, Auckland

There will be a 'preview' of Annie Sandano's exhibition
at Seed Gallery in Newmarket
on Tuesday 13 March from 5:30-7:30pm


If you can't make it to the preview,
the exhibition is open from 14 March - 5 April 2012

See www.seedgallery.co.nz for more details.


02 March 2012

32nd Mini Print International of CadaquƩs 2012

The deadline for submitting works to the 
32nd Mini Print International of CadaquƩs 2012
has been extended to 30 April 2012.




Open to all artists, printing techniques and tendencies,
each artist should submit four prints.
The image must not be bigger than 10x10cm. 
The paper must not be bigger than 18x18cm
Cost to enter is €80 (approx NZ$120-130 at the current rate)


In the 31st Mini Print competition last year,
 there were 692 exhibiting artists from 57 countries!
Here are works by the 6 winners from last year:

Roger Dewint (Belgium), Hirsute, 2011
 Etching


NĆŗria Calsapeu (Spain), Gallina, 2011
 Cut plate and collage


MarĆ­a FernĆ”ndez Rivas (Argentina), Del Circo, 2011
Etching and Aquatint


Andrew Donohoe (Australia), Florentine Fantasy, 2011
 Linocut


Kyoshiro Takahashi (Japan), Moon’s Time – 3, 2011
Drypoint and Collagraph


Noriaki Kondoh (Japan), K9 #02 
Silkscreen