Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator, Katherine Roberts: Susan Baran.

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Susan Baran, Ubud Bali, 2020, photopolymer intaglio, hand coloured, cyanotype, main image 57 x 123cm, series of 'postcards'

Susan Baran, Ubud Bali, 2020, photopolymer intaglio, hand coloured, edition of 6, 57 x 123cm and ‘Snapshots‘.

How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?
At first glance my large triptych Ubud Bali and the smaller series of works Snapshots seem to be about the beauty of a place I love dearly. Bali often referred to as the island of the gods is considered a paradise by many, but beyond the lush tropical landscapes and incredible natural beauty of Bali is a troubling reality. Tourism over the past decades has grown so rapidly that many overwhelming problems prevail.  Pollution chokes the ocean with rubbish and raw sewage washing up on the beaches. Bad traffic jams are an everyday problem where there are simply to many cars on the existing roadways often resulting in gridlock and sometimes fatal accidents. Many of the tourists are oblivious to the island’s rich culture and history and think of Bali purely as a party destination. High rise buildings and urban sprawl dominate areas that were once humble fishing villages stretching the limits of existing infrastructure. As the world struggles with the Covid 19 pandemic and travel is limited tourists have abandoned Bali almost completely leaving the local community without a way to make a living resulting in great hardship experienced by all. Also Indonesia and Bali are suffering some of the highest Covid 19 infections rates worldwide with inadequate hospitals to treat the sick. As beautiful as Bali still is it is definitely a place pushed to the edges. 

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?
The large triptych is done utilising my photographs on  photopolymer plates (solarplates) and inking those plates up meticulously with different colours employing  the  à la poupée  technique. I use small paintbrushes to apply the inks and very carefully wipe back the plates to achieve the required effect. Then I hand colour the prints using watercolour pencils and paints. 
The smaller works are a series of images attempting to tell a story of what Bali means to me. You will see rice paddy fields, palm trees, a temple, daily offerings left out on the street, a Barong statue, a Ganesh the elephant god statue, a Bali dog lying in the sun, a warung, fishing boats, motorbikes and some local children.  I have again used photopolymer plates to create  the prints, but also I started experimenting with cyanotypes which is an alternative photographic process first discovered in the early 1800s. I added a little bit of hand colouring in some of the smaller works, but generally these are less laboured compared to my usual prints. 

Susan hand colouring her print, Ubud Bali with watercolour pencils.

 What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?
It is an incredible feat for Sydney Printmakers to have been active for 60 years. We are a diverse group of artists  constantly busy organising exhibitions with an aim to promote printmaking nationally and internationally. We have achieved a great deal in that time and I hope Sydney Printmakers continues to be strong into the future involving a younger generation to carry on for another 60 years and more.  

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?
Sydney Printmakers formed in 1961 to address the concerns of artists that printmaking at the time was being neglected and overlooked. The group’s aim was to strongly promote printmaking in general as did the Print Council of Australia that was established in Melbourne around the same time. Today printmaking is strong and continues to play a vital role in the art and culture of our age. 

Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator, Katherine Roberts, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Anthea Boesenberg

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How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?
The work is experimental. I had been spending some time with Ruth Burgess, and was impressed and intrigued by her use of colour. I wanted to explore how, by printing just the primaries over one another, I could create a range of secondary and tertiary colours. My process would be revealed at the edges of each of the panels which comprised the work. The decision to print by hand rather than the press literally expresses the theme, since the printer must move the baren right to the edges of the paper to make each print.

Detail: Anthea Boesenberg To the Edges

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?

I decided to avoid imagery as much as possible, so as to concentrate on the most important factors: colour and luminosity. To achieve luminosity within each print, I glued fabric over plywood and chose to print the plates in relief. This meant that the white of the paper showed through the weave of the fabric to enliven the colour on each print. The decision to print the work by hand was made to allow for incidental marks and imperfections to contribute to the work.

It was only part way through the printing process that I discovered that the way the plywood base of the plates was constructed had produced two bands on each print as a variation in the surface. The hand printing was challenging physically and technically since I am a quite recent convert to printing with a baren,but I realised the flaws in the printing gave the work a liveliness that wouldn’t be present had I opted for another process. 

To begin with, I envisioned that the work would have 15 elements, but realised as I progressed through the making of the piece that I could have expanded it much further, although the size of the finished piece would have been even more unwieldy.

I had to confine it within arbitrary parameters, so I created a formula to work to. The constraints I set myself were 

 to use two plates only

 to use yellow red and blue ink only, ie no colour mixing

to use four layers of ink on each print

 to print by hand with a baren

Working at that scale was a challenge. The first time I was able to see the work as a whole was after it was installed on the gallery wall and appropriately lit. It is too large to fit on my studio wall.

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

I expect Sydney Printmakers to continue to attract members dedicated to excellence in the medium of print. ‘To the Edges’ demonstrates that the organisation welcomes experimentation, exploration and creativity within the medium of printmaking, and I think that is its strength.   

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?

Printmakers have always been interested in new technologies, in new ways of responding to the world. I feel that printmaking will always have a place in contemporary art practice because it continues to evolve. Witness some of the prints in ‘To the Edges’ which explore the edges of contemporary practice.

Membership of Sydney Printmakers

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Given that the Sydney lockdown has been extended for another four weeks, we have decided that the cut off date for submitting Membership Applications will also be extended. We will let you know the new deadline in due course.

Under lockdown conditions we are of course unable to view your portfolio, or to meet to discuss your application.

Artists in Conversation with the Curator, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Tina Barahanos

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Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator, Katherine Roberts, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Tina Barahanos

Tina Barahanos. Transfixed, M2 Freeway on the Way Home 2021

Transparency in Lightbox, edition of 2 and 1 x AP, 80 x 60cm

How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?

‘Transfixed, M2 Freeway On The Way Home’ is part of a series of lightbox works that take their reference from the edge of the roadside, a view that is generally observed through peripheral vision. This is where I wanted to focus my attention, find inspiration and distraction from my day. A place where imagination takes over and patterns are created as the roads edge moves along with me. I am entertained by the abstracted creations where the blur of movement fuses the real and phantasmagorical. It became my muse.

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?

This image was taken from my car window, while travelling along the M2. (I was the passenger of course).  Using digital editing I strive to create work that looks for similarities between digital print and etching, between realism and abstraction. The work is then sent to the fabricator where the lightbox is made. 

One of the technical challenges I faced was with the level of lighting. It was originally far too bright and was washing out the image. I incorporated a dimmer for a period of time to help work out what brightness was required. The lightbox was then adjusted to half the light strength. And the final light box manufactured.

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

To continue to inspire and nurture newer generations of printmakers. 

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?

I think printmaking will continue connect and engage through cultural commentary and personal expression.

 

Resist/Relief Exhibition : Anna Russell @ No Vacancy Gallery

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Resist Relief exhibition, open 6-24 July
 @No Vacancy Gallery in Melbourne
34-40 Jane Bell Lane, (off Russell St), Level 3 QV Building

Anna Russell has been selected for this exhibition at No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne.

resist/relief takes the technical language of making, conceptualising this process to create a duality between these two forms.

The resist technique exposes and endures, withstanding corrosive agents to continually occupy space. The artists in this exhibition have responded to this theme through works that reflect acts of resistance; be they highly visible social issues that are crying for action, or smaller acts of everyday resistance that would otherwise go unseen.
Acts of resistance, however, require us to practice self-care. Relief techniques carve out a space that offers clarity and calm. Artists have considered the ways in which we look after ourselves within resistance. This has taken the form of whatever acts of self-care mean or look like to them.

Anna Russell
Plants resist by persisting. They start out soft and flexible, but can become so determined and irresistible that they move mountains. An encouraging exemplar for artists.
The text embedded in the prints offers some relief in the zeitgeist of the climate emergency. It offers hope through resistance to ecological and social injustice – if only we realise the urgency. Is there another exemplar in the print studio? The chemicals we use to resist can be swept aside when they are no longer fit for purpose (hopefully without solvents).
My prints are in relief. The plates used are waferboard, woodblock, photopolymer and etched zinc, a nod to plates usually reserved for intaglio printing.

                                                           
                                 Boundary  Relief print (unique state) 29 x 26cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artists in Conversation with the Curator, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Wendy Stokes

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ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EXHIBITION CURATOR, KATHERINE ROBERTS, MANLY ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM: WENDY STOKES.

Wendy Stokes   Edge of Blue

Multiplate Woodblock and direct transfer relief print, unique state 330 x 112cm each panel.

How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?

The theme for my work is best placed in the context of my practice and the very nature of the landscapes that inform it. For over 5 decades I have inhabited and walked in coastal landscapes; a fluid geography, where edges constantly shift and boundaries blend. Experiences too, both past and present dissolve the edges between time and place.

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way? 

I generally work between the practices of painting, drawing and printmaking but in this work I wanted to experiment and push the scale of my printmaking into that of my painting. It was important though to retain the integrity and structure of relief printmaking particularly that of wood and utilise found wood washed up on the shore. Rather than the more conventional approach of creating a singular image on a block the size of the work, I carved many blocks reflective of notations from my drawing practice executed within the landscape. These were inked and individually placed on an extended table and the paper rolled out over a section then pressure applied with various objects and  barens in a gestural manner. The process was repeated for the various colours and for each panel. The challenge lay in the size and length of the ricepaper, requiring it to be rolled and unrolled in sections as it progressed the length of the work and being unable to see the actual result until it was rerolled and turned over and unrolled again. The process needed to be repeated on all 3 panels. The work was preplanned technically, yet needed to be open to adaptation while the image evolved as one would be creating a painting.

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

To continue to work collegially in the pursuit of excellence, allowing each member to express their individuality while expanding the boundaries of the printmaking medium. Collectively this can make a valuable contribution.

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice? 

I have tended to believe that one’s concepts and aesthetics drive your practice rather than being tied to a singular medium. Printmaking itself offers up many opportunities for exploration within the medium and the work needs to be able to hold its own regardless of the technologies explored, traditional or the most up to date digital or 3d explorations.

Artists in Conversation with the Curator, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Angela Hayson

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ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EXHIBITION CURATOR, KATHERINE ROBERTS, MANLY ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM: ANGELA HAYSON.


Angela Hayson The Shelter of Ourselves

Relief, Monoprint, drawing, carborundum on Japanese paper

How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?

Conceptually I was thinking about how individuals preserve their core identity and at the same time make subtle shifts in how they present when in a group. How far to the edges of our authentic self are we willing to be seen and be known?  The work is about dual identities, accepting our idiosyncrasies in order to remain authentic to self, and also constructing a public persona according to social norms and expectations when connecting and relating to others.  The multiple identities are implied by the inversion and juxtaposition of figurative forms within the image.

On a physical level, multiple sheets of Japanese kozo paper are layered with mixed media and printed elements, with the image intentionally extending to the outer edges of the paper.  The work has been developed from matrixes of wood, cardboard and rigid plastic sheet combining relief, drawing, monoprint and carborundum.

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?

The Shelter of Ourselves is a multiple panel work developed from the 3-D forms of two small bronze figurative sculptures I had recently made. I was interested in the push and pull of the negative and positive shapes within the forms, which became key elements in the printed image. 

Having the opportunity to work large, I sketched up a composition at small scale to reflect what might convey the subject of shifting identities and then gridded up to the intended full-size dimensions. The vast up-scaling required numerous stages of drawing and redrawing with continual modifications and additions to the image, working out the relationship of shapes and spaces, along with the aligning of the image at the edges of the matrix as it transitioned from one panel to the next.

Preparing eight large cardboard panels to receive the carborundum for the final printed element in the work required the transfer of the drawing to the boards. Gel medium was applied to the drawing and carborundum was dropped into the medium.  Several coats of shellac were applied to protect areas not to be printed, allowing discretionary wiping back of the ink.  

The non-uniform backgrounds encompassed relief printing from woodblocks, drawing with wax pencils and graphite, scrunching up the sheets of paper into balls and re-stretching out to flatten again, and then monoprinting again on top from rigid plastic sheet in readiness to take the carborundum print element.  I used a printing press to release each of the inked layers onto the paper.

The backgrounds were experimental and enjoyable.  The greatest technical challenge, which I had not anticipated, was the inking and wiping back of the large carborundum imagery.  It was slow, arduous and physically exhausting due to the many narrow and inaccessible areas requiring wiping out. I consider the project a success in that it has been a departure from my previous work and capable of having a strong and sustaining influence on future work. 

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

Having built up an impressive reputation for high quality artistic output and professionalism over six decades, the group is well positioned to further evolve with a focus on striving for increased recognition of print media in relation to other art forms. I believe this is an exciting time for the group to encourage new printmaking enthusiasts into the membership, encourage experimentation to extend the possibilities of print media and foster a culture of excellence.  

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?

Many printmakers, along with artists of other disciplines, make work that is a reflection of their own world, as well as the changing world including environmental, social, political and cultural issues of the time.  The diversity of methods and techniques available within print media provides extensive opportunities for raising awareness of contemporary issues, presented in unique and distinct ways. 

 

Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator: Gary Shinfield

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ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EXHIBITION CURATOR, KATHERINE ROBERTS, MANLY ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM: GARY SHINFIELD

Gary Shinfield: Dam 3 A Surface of Water.

How does your work address the theme ‘to the edges’?

Dam 3: a surface of water is a mixed media work on multiple sheets of paper using painting, staining and print processes – it encompasses other media not usually associated with printmaking. 

   It was made on the edge of a dam, where water meets ground, and responds directly to the surrounding environment. It was also partially made from natural materials on hand.

   Every stage of its making breaks with traditional printmaking approaches, with inking, rolling, printing and registration. Sheets of paper show creases and were shaped by working on the ground. The making of this work allows environmental elements to contribute.

   Natural pigments were used – waratah sap and charcoal stains, and a slurry made from sandstone clay and water.

   It is ephemeral and will change over time. 

   It was made through intuitive experimentation with process, responding to aspects of site – searching for an essence of the Australian bush in summer.

 

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?

This work was made as a response to a site, a place in the Blue Mountains. I found a place to work intuitively beside a dam, a body of water. I worked on the ground by its edge. Water was available to mix with clay. A number of sheets of Korean paper were stained and painted with a solution of clay and water.

The second stage was to cut and carve into large sheets of lino and overlay these by hand printing with a baren. Working this way, I played with changes in pressure and by making rhythmic patterns with the baren.

Water based media and rubber based inks were both used to build a layered surface.

One night, a full moon came up over the dam and we watched tiny insects disturb its reflection on a surface of water. The reflected moon shimmered and dispersed like fireworks on a blue black surface. The two blue panels in the work evoke these           sensations. The middle two panels suggest drought and bleached light. The first two panels contain blackened, burnt shapes, and the memory of fire. 

   One of the greatest challenges was to work in the environment itself with heat, insects, paper blowing away and creasing, and constantly changing natural phenomena teasing the eye with possibility. 

   

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

To continue on as it has been doing. The current exhibition shows great diversity and a high level of excellence within the field of printmaking and I hope this continues.

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?

I see it as another medium with its own intrinsic qualities and graphic potential . It is also a visual language with historical roots and contemporary applications. The current show demonstrates engagement with contemporary issues – the environment, global warming, the pandemic, social and indigenous issues, immigration, and technological change. Printmaking is a relevant and stimulating medium for revealing and drawing attention to these and other subjects.

Sydney Printmakers Members success in Print Prizes

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          Seong Cho, Unaccompanied Trail VI

 

Sydney Printmakers members have been selected as finalists in several Prizes recently.

Seong Cho has been selected for the Waverley Art Prize with Unaccompanied Trail VI (above).

Janet Parker Smith and Ben Rak have been selected for the Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards 2021.

Anthea Boesenberg and Danielle Creenaune have been selected for the Firestation Print Studio Australian Monoprint Prize 2021.

Congratulations to all.