20 June 2016

Sam Farquhar, 24June-25July, Auckland

Sam Farquhar is of Scottish, English and Ngati Rahiri descent. 
An exhibition of her work opens 5.30pm Thursday 24 June 
at Kura Gallery in Auckland, through to 25 July.
The show is a mix of framed and unframed prints, past and present.

Sam Farquhar, Te Whetu Tuatahi
limited edition print, 51x37cm

Sam currently resides on family land in rural Helensville, north of Auckland.
Sam graduated with a Diploma in Textile & Design at Wellington Polytechnic in the 90s, 
followed by completing post-graduate studies in Nelson.
She embarked on producing woodblock prints and small canvas blocks (depicting native themes) 
to supply a selection of galleries in Aotearoa. 
Sam also worked in the film industry in the art and costume departments.

Sam exhibits regularly with printmakers of Toi Whakataa Press – 
a printmakers collective that is made up of strong and established individual printmakers. 
Sam describes her work as very graphic. 
She uses the print technique of woodcut to express and convey movement and emotion with line. 
Sam’s images depict a mix of Maori mythology and narratives from New Zealand history, 
often placing them into her immediate environment, 
or into landscapes which she strongly identifies with.

For more information see www.kuragallery.co.nz

16 June 2016

Lithography Course, 19-21 Aug, Whangarei

Te Kowhai Print Trust is hosting Experimental Drawing Through Lithography 
being tutored by the very talented artist and printmaker Alexis Neal.

Friday 19 to Sunday 21 August, 9.30am–4pm daily
Only 8 spaces available, so get in quickly if you're interested.


The main focus will be experimental drawing combining relief techniques. 
Working in pairs, you'll achieve a small lithographic print edition.

Day One: Making sure our stones are level with technical discussions and demonstrations. 
Experimenting with drawing, using a variety of lithography pencils, tusche washes 
combined with relief techniques. First etch will go onto stones.

Day Two: Opening the stones up and replacing our drawing material with roll up ink 
and putting a second etching on. 

Day Three: Continue printing small editions in pairs and working on stones.

Cost: $225, including all materials except paper, 
Either bring your own favourite print paper, 
or arrange in advance to purchase through TKPT.



Pin & Tab Registration

Many printmaking processes require 'registration' of multiple layers.
The better your ability to line up the layers, the more accurate your output.
A while ago I was at a demonstration with a guest artist from overseas,
and in their bag of tools they had some registration pins, which I loved!

Ternes-Burton Register Pins are a stainless steel base 0.33mm thick (.013")
with a precision machined stainless steel button, with multiple welds for strength.
Both the tops of the buttons and the bottoms of the bases are hand-polished to prevent scratches.
The hole in the base provides additional taping area,
which helps prevent movement and makes the pins easier to handle.
The pins are used with thick mylar tabs with holes.
These are attached to your paper for perfect alignment.


The button height depends upon the number of layers, 
as well as the thickness of layers being attached to the pin. 
The most common register pin they sell is the 1/4" x .085". 
This means that the button is 6.35mm (1/4") in diameter, and 2.16mm (.085") high.
However, they come in a variety of heights, round and elongated buttons.

Ternes-Burton Pins (L-R): 3.05mm (.120"), 2.16mm (.085"), 1.78mm (.070"), 1.40mm (.055")

Ternes-Burton Pins [side angle]
(L-R): 3.05mm (.120"), 2.16mm (.085"), 1.78mm (.070"), 1.40mm (.055")

Ideally you want to pick a button height lower than your plate,
as you don't want the button to leave an indent in your paper as you take an impression.

2.16mm (.085") next to a 3mm laser-cut woodblock plate
  

The most simple way to use them is simply using a hole punch directly into the paper.
The downside of this method is that paper holes stretch quicker than the mylar,
and you need to trim a strip of paper to remove the holes from the finished print.


To aid with alignment, you can purchase a bag of stripping tabs (made of heavy mylar).
With a set of two (or more) stainless steel pins, and enough reusable plastic tabs to tape to each sheet,
the system gives perfect registration system, and is ideal for woodblocks and lino prints.


To use the pin and tab system for an edition, first prepare all your paper as usual.
Using a marked board or cutting mat, tape down the tabs using masking tape or parcel tape.
Align paper to the grid, attach the tabs to the button, and tape tab to the back of each sheet.
Repeat for the whole edition. Even if the paper isn't perfectly square or uneven size, it works perfectly.
Once you've registered your first print, all the others will snap to the same spot exactly!

You can also buy the same buttons as individual 'assembly pins' to create you own registration board.


More info to follow...

I'd really love the help of a couple of you to help me test these out, to give a review on this product.
So if you want to to get your try some, head over to Facebook, 'like' NZ Printmakers page
and comment on the post about registration,
to go into the draw to win a pair of pins and some tabs [NZ residents only].


04 June 2016

Exhibition: Paul McLachlan, to 18 June, Christchurch

If you're in or near Christchurch, get along to see Paul McLachlan's exhibition HOLY FIRE 
on at Chambers Art Gallery until 18 June.
These works were created during Paul’s three-month art residency in Bangkok, 
which was supported by the Asia New Zealand Foundation. 

Drawn from his explorations of the city through temples, galleries, museums and the streets, 
these images focus on the permeable membrane that separates the spiritual world from the everyday;
 a focus on a spiritual climate that saturates the whole of Bangkok city life. 
This project has been informed by experiences, exchanges, conversations and relationships 
cultivated during his time at Art Hof in Phra Khanong.

Paul McLachlan, Apples of Epiphany, 2016
Lithograph, 227 x 284mm

Images are built-up using drawings, photographs, found imagery and natural scenes. 
Graphic black and white shapes have been utilised to form lyrical and poetic worlds 
that slip between light and dark and positive and negative space, 
while drawing on Thai art conventions. 
Most notably, the nang yai arts (shadow puppets), 
which use light and silhouettes to illustrate the epic Ramakien narratives,
 and the black line-work of the gold leaf and lacquer panels of the Ayutthaya period; 
decorative and allegorical depictions of paradise-like natural worlds.

Paul McLachlan, Ghost Dance, 2016
Lithograph, 227 x 284mm

The prints in this exhibition were printed upon returning to New Zealand 
using a photo-lithograph process at the University of Canterbury.

McLachlan’s residency is chronicled at www.paulmclachlan.co.nz/blog