Exhibition Schedule:

Waikato Museum, Hamilton

Friday 4 May 2018 to Sunday 5 August 201

Aratoi, Wairarapa Museum of Art and History, with PCANZ, Masterton

16 September - late November 2017

Pataka Art + Museum, Porirua in association with the Print Council of Aotearoa New Zealand

20 May – 13 Aug 2017 

The Brief

Concept: Printmaking is often perceived as work of two dimensions framed on a wall.  The challenge of this exhibition is to encourage printmakers to explore different ways of engaging with imagery, materials and processes and to make use of different technologies.  This work may address a cross-over of disciplines (for example sculpture or installation) and include materials such as textiles, ceramics, or glass.  

 Medium: The work must include traditional printmaking techniques. Works made exclusively of inkjet and or giclee prints will not be accepted though these print methods may form a lesser part of the final work.

This is a selected exhibition. The work was selected by a committee chaired by Mark Hutchins- Pond, the Contemporary Art Curator, Pataka Art + Museum, and Dr Carole Shepheard.

A small number of guest artists were also invited to include work in the exhibition in Pataka.

The 22 Print Council Member Entries selected for this exhibition:

(Click on image to enlarge)

Bridget Allen, Sunrose emplacement, 2017

Wood block prints on news print applied with wheat paste

The installation of Sunrose Emplacement is on an old military guard house, a checkpoint on the road out to Godley Head fort, on the Port Hills above Christchurch. It's importance somewhat lost now days, painted grey and tagged. People drive or bike pass.
In 2016 I finished a series of reduction woodblock prints based on the repetition of pattern found on wallpaper. Four different blocks that fit together to complete a pattern that can then be endlessly repeated. Seeing the tagging on the old guard house I thought I could wallpaper the structure and use my prints for what they were inspired by. Wallpaper is usually used on the inside of a building. Once I had installed the prints on the old guard house it radiated harmony. The colours of the paper and prints fit into the dry grass hill, echoing the brightly coloured Lycra of runners and cyclists along with the wild flowers that have made the Port Hills their home.

Elle Anderson, A Florilegium - The Gathering of Weeds, 2017

Screenprints on glass

A patch of weeds has an ephemeral quality about it, always shifting and changing, depending on seasons and weather patterns. It becomes a gathering of temporary souls, as some will move on, while others become permanent fixtures of the group. These groups of plants form an ever changing back drop to our world. They arrive without notice, taking up spaces and places we may have temporarily neglected. But these plants were once gathered as treasures for food, medicine or simply a memory. To gather is belonging to something, what ever that something is.

Jacqueline Aust, Portal, 2017

Digital inkjet and intaglio prints on silk georgette, pine dowel and framing, poplar twigs

During an artist residency in Arenys de Munt (Spain) I became interested in the issue of scale and proportion, particularly in terms of man-made structures and the environment. Each evening I would walk in the hills or through the village to the sea. Although my daily outlook from the studio included fields and hills, the village itself was full of monolithic apartment blocks that towered over the older buildings, once supporting a different community life, closer to the land. I have always been drawn to expressive mark-making and curious about the effect of well designed spaces. So the combined effect of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s beautiful ‘German Pavilion’ and the work of Antoni Tàpies in the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (both in Barcelona) underpinned my response to this place. Portal, 2017 considers the effect of man-made structures (both physical and idealogical) on our relationship with the environment. While the title implies a doorway to another space, placing the work against the wall precludes our movement through, forcing us to consider our intentions and, perhaps, the impact of our decisions.

Hanneke Barendregt, Pop up Book in Black, 2016

Serigraphic prints on paper 

My intention as an Artist who creates Artist's Books is to make a new reality, layering up printmaking and drawing techniques to create a desired space. With my background in architecture I like to work in 3D. In this work I've made a series of images that I've layered and built into a small installation or a book on printed and folded paper. 

Kathy Boyle, Ground Cover 2017

Collagraph, etching, linocut plaster, pins 

Walking the dog in a favourite local park is a valued time for observation, reflective thought and creative possibilities.
On the leaf littered pathways I discover a wealth of small, natural treasures: seeds, pods, leaves, bark, objects that are beautiful and extraordinary.
It is these countless shapes, patterns, textures and colours, created by nature, that provide the foundation for my work Ground Cover 

Beth Charles, All Wound Up, 2017

Relief and monoprints on various papers using oil and water based inks

All Wound Up: ' wound up'- excited (fig.): to coil completely: to wind the spring or the mechanism of tightly: to furl (obs.): to tighten: to restore to harmony (Shak.): to tease: to irritate, annoy, anger (slang). Chambers dictionary definition (1990).
Recycled relief and monoprints were cut into narrow strips, glued into a continuous thread and wound up into a ball. All the prints were harmed in the process - coiled, irritated, annoyed, angered and then finally restored to harmony.

Julia Ellery, Hei Tiki Cabinet of Curiosity, 2017
Mezzotint, etching and solar plate prints on harekeke paper, paper cache, resin.plaster, mdd board, paint, piano hinges, plastic mirror

Hybrid images of female Hei Tiki reference five generations of my whakapapa in Aotearoa dating from 1830s Kapiti Coast to the present day. My work celebrates the impact the union of Maori and European cultures have had on subsequent descendants and in particular my own family. The thirst for education, the art of story-telling, voices singing unaccompanied in perfect pitch, the hospitality and eye for beauty, the over-riding spirituality in whatever form it took and the wonder of the bizarre and quirky. I dedicate this work to Marilyn and Marty Vreede whose active support and mentoring from start to finish of this project I treasure. 

Lisa Feyen, My Body as an "O", 2017

Copper sulphate etching, found pianola paper, mounted on twelve aluminum plates with concealed wooden floating frames and stands

My Body as an ‘O’ is a floor work that addresses the structure of language in the form of a feminine presence, investigating the conflict of difference embedded in the landscape of everyday speech and text that defines gender roles. A body is present, yet reveals herself slowly to the viewer, piece by piece; unfolding like a map or a piece of music. The rise and fall of the plates enables multiple views and an interplay of light from a number of perspectives. For printmakers, the engagement with surface is paramount, and in this work materials interact with concept, surface with depth. These contrasts highlight ongoing tensions that exist between surface and imagery; the gestural mark in dialogue with type, the rounded foetal form presented on a structured grid, the lightness of vintage pianola paper mounted on rigid, shiny aluminium plates, and the energetic impressions made by red ink resisting concealment by a heavy layer of black. This conversation provides no answers, yet allows the subject to be heard. The semiotics of her voice is listened to, considered, remembered.

Jo Giddens, Titles, 2017

Letter press on paper, hand bound with linen thread in vinyl and plywood cover

A large format book, hand printed and bound with a wooden cover designed to preserve a body of letterpress artwork —once 20 individual pieces 400mm x 400mm, hung as a typographic grid installation.
As with many large installations, parts of the original work have been sold and gifted to friends. By remaking the individual parts of the ‘Titles’ work the integrity of the work is not lost but re-contextualised as a publication, the gestalt of the work revealed page after page –rather than as a whole on the gallery wall.
Text is set in large old wooden gothic type and the quotes and subtitles set in Record Gothic Italic cast in lead—with many thanks to Marty Vreede for the use of his Ludlo casting machine.

Mark Graver, Process, 2017 

Acrylic resist etching, chine-colle, archival digital inkjet, plastic spacers, screws, magnets 

PROCESS: 1. A systematic series of actions directed to some end. 2. A continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner. 3. The action of going forward or on. 4. The condition of being carried on.

There is still argument, and often confusion, among printmakers, dealers and audiences as to whether digital printmaking should be considered in the same way as traditional techniques or indeed as original printmaking at all.
Designed as a fluid installation of connected parts Process aims to create a dialogue through and across some of these traditional and digital techniques.
The prints are in three groups: acrylic resist etchings, digital archival inkjets and combinations of these two techniques.
The etchings were made using modern non-toxic acrylic resists and metal salt mordants mirroring traditional etching practices, they were then photographed and digitally manipulated to create separate (original) archival inkjets.
Some of the digital prints were then overprinted with etchings and some of the etchings were overprinted digitally.
The inkjets are therefore derived from the imagery produced through the etching process via the matrix of a computer.The digital prints exist as original, repeatable works. The etchings are random variable selections from parts of larger plates.

Esther Hansen, Bonnet for Mary Bumby, 2017

Digital print, black paper, gold leaf, glue, statin ribbon, wood stand 

This black paper bonnet utilises digital printing techniques covered with gold leaf to honour the life and influence of Mary Bumby. The bonnet is simply presented at eye level on a slender column as if Bumby is occupying the space underneath.
When Mary Bumby landed at the Hokianga Wesleyan Mission in March 1839, she brought ashore two hives of honey bees from Sydney. This is Mary’s sweet legacy. The myths and lore of bee keeping sparks narrative’s within my practice around stewardship, celebration and mourning. While honouring the past I am also keenly aware of the bee’s precarious position within our eco-system due to pesticides, invasive parasites and colony collapse disorder.
I have fictionalised Bumby’s death on her voyage home to Thirsk where bees create an honour guard, flying her body home to be laid to rest. This work blends old and new traditions to express sentiment linked to the impact of pioneering women’s influence on future generations. You are invited to consider not just the history of the past but the possible history of the future in the tale of the bees. 

Diane Harries, Distant Memory, 2017

Linocut and collagraph prints, embossing on paper, Acrolin hinges, metal studs, wooden pages and base, LED light, switch and battery unit. Woodwork credit to Royce Johnson. 

I am intrigued by the idea of “home” while undertaking a long journey of adventure in foreign parts; “home” becomes a memory you take with you, of a safe haven that now seems very distant, and a little unreal.
In Medieval times, travel was a risky journey into little-known territory, where there were unimagined wonders and perils. Mapmakers in 1400 guessed at those marvels. At that time, the lighthouse functioned as a beacon to guide sailors home to port. I use it as a symbol of homecoming and safety. 

Toni Hartill, There be Treasure, 2017

Caustic etch lino, lino cut, monotype, papercut, fabriano 5 paper 300g, acrylic wool, crochet, wire

Pop-up theatres, shoe-box dioramas and press-and-fold paper toys all spark the nostalgia of childhood memories, of the magic of taking a two dimensional image and transforming it into a three dimensional "world". Through a combination of techniques including monotype, caustic etch, linocut, and old-school paper craft, I venture to reignite the viewer's magical childhood powers of imagination to step through the looking glass and enter the Lilliputian world of this rocky pool.

A 2d image holds the viewer at arm's length, as a spectator, viewing the work from a single perspective. Transforming the image into 3 dimensions the viewer's perception and involvement changes. The transition becomes easier, for the viewer, to cross the divide between impartial spectator and engaged participant as they alter position to peer into the depths to see what is hidden and to view the changing vista.

Inspired by the natural environment I am drawn to look for beauty in unexpected places and I endeavour to draw the viewer in to share in my experiences. My often visited theme of rockpools stems from my fascination since childhood of these mini microcosms abundant along our shores, each one unique in its inhabitants and ecology, tiny treasure chests of the sea.

Maree Horner, Quintessential Impressions, 2017

Woodblock prints, cardboard

The ubiquitous cardboard box is a found object that I have used often while investigating basic objects, with added figurative elements, that evoke female and/or male and explore the relationship between gender. However, in this work the internal and external, the unspoken and the articulate, the provocative and the familiar weave a largely feminine impression. The process of printmaking allows me to draw out ideas, pushing boundaries between the disciplines of print and paint, and here print within sculptural installation. 

Susanne Khouri,  A tender presence, 2017

Fine art paper, Silk organza, Mini magnets, Nails

The model for my work was a manikin which I found discarded in an inorganic rubbish collection on our street. For a long time I had it sitting on a shelf in my studio waiting for my inspiration to make use of it in my work. It had a quiet presence. Its small, delicate form which once had been used to fit clothes for a child, reminded me of dressing my own children but also being dressed by my own mother. Using the organza was a way to gently dress the little form again. Time has passed. The child has grown up and the manikin is of no use. To me it has come to represent an absence.

Emma McLellan, Spares for the Broken Hearted, 2017

Screen printed felt assemblage

This work plays with an idea of recreated cloned spare parts and the future possibility of growing human tissue. My work for several years has combined a fascination with the hybrid, medical science and genetic engineering. I like to draw parallels with the inherent nature of print; multiplication, and the science and act of cloning. Hand printed and stitched these ‘cloned hearts’ are imperfect mutated copies of an original template. Pushing print into soft textile sculpture allows the work a playfulness not present in a 2D print behind a glass or mount.

Nan Mulder, Dream Book, 2016

Images: mezzotint, Text: screen print, Cover: linen 

For my ‘Dream Book’ I used parts of larger prints and these details inspired me to write the text, which is screen-printed in gold on black paper. As everything on the prints seems to float, it is as images that enter and leave a dream. I glued the prints and text and made the cover in linen, and them bound the book. The back cover is the reverse on the front, and these opposites play with light and darkness

Kathy Reilly, Looking at You Looking at Me – the Birds of Ulva Island, 2017

Etching (zinc) and Drypoint on Hahnemuhle paper; Embroidery thread; Card of various gsm weights; Embossed hand painted Hahnemuhle paper "case"; Possum leather; gold paper binders 

Based on a recent trip to Ulva Island bird sanctuary, this work encapsulates my impression of the natural wonder of the place, and the conservation efforts on show to enhance a safe haven for our native birds. I had an overwhelming sense of being observed while exploring the pathways on the island. As though the birds were watching me, as much as I was watching them. It occurred to me that history is repeating itself – with a twist. European naturalists catalogued and named bird species they encountered, sending most of the original specimens collected, back to museums in Europe to be displayed in diorama illustrating the natural habitat in far away lands.
Today we are collecting birds from one place, to preserve and display in another, safer place for all to see. A more enduring and satisfactory solution to our curiosity. The introduced possum pest, that threatens native bird viability in so much of the rest of New Zealand, is sacrificed in this work to strengthen the walls - the boundaries of the diorama in which my birds are displayed. Stitching represents our efforts in conservation, to construct the preferred setting for display.

Nicol Sanders-O'Shea, Immeasurable, 2017

Serigraphic prints, spray paint and acrylic on board 

This series of work explores notions of seriality through repetitive printed elements. Multiple randomly placed targets explore evolving values and ideals significant to our limitless desire for self-improvement. Family targets such as siblings playing together, loving pets, endless cleaning and household organization, thoughts of travel and escapism are familiar triggers associated with growing up and parenthood. My contemporary printmaking approach is considered ‘boundless’. I use multiple printed layers of appropriated illustrations, colours and patterns to capture concepts about our culture with a nostalgic pop sensibility that is complex, fragmented and unpredictable. 

Michaela Stoneman, The Menagerie - An Alphabet Book, 2016

27 page concertina fold book; Etching, stamp and hand lettering; Hahnemuhle 300gsm paper. 

My art practice currently explores etching and relief printmaking processes, linking our natural world to the human condition. My prints are a form of communication, often based on rhythms, sets and pattern. Artist books are a linear extension of this practice. The idea for this book, The Menagerie - An Alphabet Book’ evolved during a stint of etching for 100 consecutive days. I began reproducing 17th century engravings of animals, drawing in a style to convey personality and physical attributes through line. I used mechanical tools (an old engraver and a new Dremel) to scribe the lines for the aluminium plates. The resulting creatures are a visual portrayal of what could have been described verbally by a traveller on return from an adventure or the imagination of a dreamer. The book format is displayed open for the viewer to appreciate 'The Menagerie' as a group of familiars, to be paired and compared. A line of zoology, symbol and fable. The selection of the animals for each letter reflects my personal affiliations to and curiosity of the creatures. Vampires, harpies and yeti are all welcome here. 

Robyn Tillman, The Journey, 2017

Paper, Ink, Thread, Video 

I have used a sculptural approach with traditional printmaking to produce marks that portray the feelings and thoughts whilst on a walk. The meandering print reinforces the notion that life is not straight forward, and the textured printed circles, joined by a tenuous thread, convey the trodden path of discarded choices. Glimpses taken within the print are displayed digitally. “The Journey” resulted from a walk in an Eucalypt forest in Victoria, a temporary home to my ancestors, and a place of significance to me and my family. The magnificent trees were thrown into light and dark shadows, each step giving a different view. The layers of leaves and bark underfoot were the result of a past lives.
I contemplated the decisions I had made, and choices afforded to me, that have contributed to my own life journey and recalled a poem by Robert Frost, the title of which is the most memorable “The Road Not Taken”. The print represents a walk or a journey. On one side, the marks represent the outside world… expectations, influences and constraints of society and family; whilst the other side is a representation of my own thoughts, and also references the poem. The markings on the map suggest possibly journeys. The circles, joined by thread in a random pattern, become a journey in themselves, and represents “The Road Not Taken”. An invitation is extended to the viewer to photograph the work for themselves. In this way, their selections make up a new version of “The Journey”. 

Jill Webster, Tall Story, 2016

Monoprinting, screenprinting, drawing and paint on cardboard

The work, Tall Story, continues my investigation into book form. Through exercising the craft of the printmaker-bookmaker I investigate notions of truth, knowledge, language and the status of the book itself as a carrier of meaning. Digital technologies continue to threaten the existence of the physical book and my work explores this uncertain and unstable ground. Tall Story speaks to the following proposition, “an incomplete story meets a bookform that lacks orientation and a loop of confused reading is created”. Part of this idea is that viewer needs to move their body around the work to engage with it in a manner that parallels the circularity of the story itself. Issues of coherency/incoherency are addressed through physical processes of printing, blotting, erasing, sanding and layering. The surface created frustrates its own reading by its changes in orientation and disrupted imagery. This is a book that struggles to hang on to its own integrity.