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

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Continuing with our series of interviews with artists exhibiting in Sydney Printmakers ‘To the Edges’ at Manly Art Gallery and Museum, we now talk to Rafael Butron.

Rafael Butron, Phases of Isolation, copper plate engraving and woodcut, unique state, 54 x 147cm

How does your work address the theme ‘To the Edges’?

Recent unparalleled events Have caused many to live on the edge. The pandemic virus, caused by transmission from one person to another forced many of us into isolation quite rapidly, and for most people came fear and loneliness. Humans caused these events to unfold. The world’s temperature rises and our environment has been thrown. ‘Phases of Isolation‘ is a self portrait that explores three stages of separation, frustration, anxiety and depression. As we value our lives so should we also value the world we live in, by having compassion for one another and a duty of care for our world.

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

I usually engrave from a drawing on the plate itself using copperplate with a marker pen, then slowly engrave using an engraving tool called a Burin. The technical challenge is to remove all your training, which tends to make the print perfectly executed and use the innate artistic energy to achieve an image, much like action painting. My intention is to incorporate traditional printmaking techniques to create a unique work that has its own spirit.

Using the burin to engrave the copper plate.

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

Sydney Printmakers have and always will push printmaking to its limits and with every new member there is an opportunity to develop new engaging works that add to the diversity of the group and ensure its longevity for years to come.

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

Printmaking has a role to play in contemporary art making as every printmaker has a unique approach to the creation of an image and the variety of mediums allows for an individual interpretation of the subject.

Print Council of Australia: Bookish

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An exhibition of contemporary Artists’ Books by Print Council of Australia Members.

Our members Helen Mueller, Helen Best, Barbara Davidson, Susan Baran, and Nathalie Hartog-Gautier have books in this show. You can see the show online here.

Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator, Katherine Roberts, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Roslyn Kean.

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Roslyn Kean, Defining the Edge, 2021, wrapped multi block woodcuts, diptych, U/S, 58 x 163cm (framed)

How does your work address the theme “To the Edges“?

2020-21 has been a time full of challenges and during periods of isolation there is time to reflect and consider what is of importance. The varying dynamics of dealing with a new “ Covid 19 “ society has inspired this image. Shifting values, tough decisions and being on edge of so many changes. To be so mindful of what was once just everyday living.

Which way to turn, when to touch, not being allowed to touch & show affection all create a vision of shifting planes and turning points.

Aristotle created a triangle of rhetoric, a way to discuss Ethos – ethical issues, Pathos – compassion and emotion, and Logos, the value of logic. My work “Defining the Edge” also reflects on the dynamics of Aristotle’s triangle. 

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

My work is a diptych multi block woodblock print created using the traditional techniques of ancient Japanese printing traditions. Registration is of prime importance as there are over 30 blocks carved to create the illusion of transparent overlaps. There are no overlaps in this work as colours are mixed to create the illusion of transparency.

Working an image across 2 individual prints always creates challenges in paper stretch from so much baren work. All the blocks are hand carved in Russian Birch and hand printed on quality Japanese Kozo.

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

I would hope Sydney Printmakers remains a committed group of artists celebrating the dynamics of both traditional print media and new technologies who create a platform for sharing their individual creative talents and also to be challenged as a group to remain effective in the coming years.

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

I have no doubt that printmaking will continue to be the medium of choice for many contemporary artists. With the success of many international conferences focused on printmaking it is no doubt a popular medium universally.

The greater challenge is to preserve the teaching of traditional practise in our art institutions and for those with the knowledge to be willing to share. We collectively have to continue to preserve what we now have for future generations in our shared knowledge of the print medium.

Join the Print Council of Australia

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Established in 1966, for over 50 years the Print Council of Australia has promoted and supported contemporary artists working in print media, and advocated for the appreciation of printmaking as a vital and vibrant field of creative endeavour in the Australian context. This advocacy extends to related practices such as artist books and zines, and the broader field of works on paper.

The Print Council of Australia (PCA) is a national not-for-profit member organisation. They publish Imprint, the quarterly art magazine dedicated to contemporary printmaking in Australia and beyond.

It has members from throughout Australia and overseas, including artists, students, arts institutions, galleries, universities, schools and collectors.

The PCA receives NO funding and absolutely relies on membership to raise the funds to pay their hard working staff, pay overheads and produce IMPRINT magazine. Without members the PCA cannot exist. 

As a national, not-for-profit organisation, the PCA has Committee Representatives in each state and territory, activating the Australian print community at a grass roots level. The Print Council of Australia has an open membership policy with no restrictions on joining.

From $77.00 a year (including GST), this is what you get from membership of PCA:

  • Subscription to IMPRINT, the quarterly art magazine dedicated to printmaking, artist books, zines and works on paper. (Four issues per year)
  • Free promotion for your exhibitions ‘Australia in Print’ in IMPRINT, in the
  • monthly e-newsletters and social media platforms. Visit the Member Exhibition Submission page for more info.
  • Opportunities for artists including the annual PCA Print Commission and the biennial PCA Print Exchange project.
  • Stay connected to what is happening in the world of print through information about awards and opportunities.
  • Opportunities to purchase prints at member rates in the annual PCA Print Commission program.
  • Exclusive discounts at various art suppliers, framers and workshops.
  • Exclusive events such as curator talks and collection tours.
  • Voting rights: the PCA is a membership organisation, as a member you have the right to vote at our Annual General Meeting as well as nominating for and electing national Committee Representatives.

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION

From: $77.00 inc GST / year

Renew your membership of the Print Council or join up here.

For membership enquiries or other information, contact the PCA office on 03 9416 0150 or

 generalmanager@printcouncil.org.au.

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. 

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: 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. 

 

Swan Hill 2020 Print and Drawing Award

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Print and Drawing Acquisitive Awards

Celebrating printmaking and drawing, this long running prize will see some of the finest contemporary works entered from across Australia.

The mission of the Swan Hill Print and Drawing Awards is to promote excellence in Australian prints and drawings, present an exhibition of contemporary works and continue to build a high-quality collection for Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery.

How to enter

During the application process you will need to:

  • Upload a high resolution image of your artwork (file types accepted jpg, tiff. Max upload 5 MB)
  • Supply as statement about your artwork (max 50 words)
  • Pay a $45 non-refundable handling fee

Enter now!

Important dates

6 January 2020 Entry forms open online
Midnight 21 June 2020 Entries close
17 July 2020 Announcement of finalists
4 September 2020 Date of launch
4 September 2020 Announcement of winners

For more information contact the gallery on (03) 5036 2430.

Review of Borderless by Sasha Grishin in the Canberra Times

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Printmaking is probably the most collaborative of all of the major art mediums. Shared facilities and shared expertise have characterised printmaking since its earliest days and many printmakers see themselves as part of an extended network of professional artists.

Roslyn Kean, Weaving Ancestral Voices II in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

Roslyn Kean, Weaving Ancestral Voices II in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

In the almost 60 years of its existence, Sydney Printmakers has included most of the major printmakers of the time and the situation has not changed.

Today, there are about 60 members in Sydney Printmakers, 33 of whom are included in this exhibition. It is an exceptionally rich and diverse show with some brilliant work.

As a sweeping generalisation, Sydney printmaking, as epitomised here, is becoming far less new-media driven and more artists focus on analogue techniques. Woodcuts, linocuts, etchings plus the occasional screenprint hold sway, while digital and inkjet prints are the exception. It may be foolhardy to leap to conclusions on the basis of this exhibition, but it appears that digital technologies are being increasingly absorbed into the toolbox of Australian printmakers rather than being seen as an end product. Many may employ computers to formulate an image but employ traditional technologies to realise the final print.

The exhibition is dominated by some brilliant and ambitious woodcuts worked on a large scale by established masters, including Roslyn Kean, Susan Rushforth, Anthea Bosenberg, Angela Hayson and Helen Mueller. Rew Hanks is represented by one of his unbelievably detailed narrative linocuts, Josephine’s Ark (2019), while Graham Marchant’s linocut, The Cranford Rose Garden (2015-18), has an intriguing complexity produced through a deceptive simplicity of means.

Seraphina Martin, Finding solace in the land, 2019 in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

Seraphina Martin, Finding solace in the land, 2019 in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

It is exciting how some of the “elders” of the printmaking tribe are branching out in new directions. Seraphina Martin’s Finding solace in the land (2019) is a light and highly evocative etching with watercolour, while Susan Baran’s huge tour de force Allure (2019) is a complex piece where she has collaged etchings and relief prints into a rippling, intricate composition.

One beauty of printmaking is its sense of intimacy through which it can convey an artist’s personality. Examples include the refined lyrical sensibility of Tanya Crothers’ collagraph Black Springs re-visited (2019), Wendy Stokes’ delicate Blended geographies (2019) combining relief, monoprint and stencil, Salvatore Gerardi’s striking Pervading memories: shadow lines (2019) or Andrew Totman’s spatially ambiguous floating monoprint, Touch (2018).

There are also some of the classics of Sydney printmaking, such as Barbara Davidson’s etching collagraph Voters and parliamentarians (2019) with its humour and brilliance of observation, and Bernhardine Mueller’s All the rivers run? (2018) with its dry humour and a created personal narrative.

Nina Juniper, Self supporting #1, 2019, in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

Nina Juniper, Self supporting #1, 2019, in Sydney Printmakers at Megalo. Picture: Supplied

There is a strong, punchy inkjet print by Marta Romer, Borderless (2019) and a bold, inventive screenprint by Nina Juniper, Self supporting #1 (2019), that depicts a crumbling industrial site she has screenprinted on a block of concrete. Her print conveys a range of possible readings with effective humour.

This is an exciting, adventurous exhibition that demonstrates that printmaking in Sydney is in ascendancy.

Lichtenstein to Warhol at the NGA

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Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection

PREVIEW

3 September 2019

Often perceived as a modest artform compared to, say, the grandiosity of painting, printmaking has been a site of experimentation, a fact highlighted in Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection at the National Gallery of Australia.

Kenneth Tyler was an innovative printmaker who collaborated with key 20th-century artists. Acquired in 1973, the collection of over 7400 works occupies a significant place in the NGA’s holdings. The exhibition covers post-war American artists across the key art movements, including abstraction, minimalism, neo-Dada and later, pop art.

“When Kenneth Tyler started as a printmaker, lithography was associated with commercial reproduction; and it was almost an unknown alchemical process, and he began to make sense of it in a scientific way,” says David Greenhalgh, assistant curator of the exhibition. “The tradition of lithography had rules; 30 x 40 inches was the size most lithographers worked to, for example. Tyler comes along and says ‘let’s not put these rules on our artists’– instead the artist is key in this scenario. We are going to say, ‘what do you want to make?’ And if we come across technical problems we won’t shut them down, we will say, ‘Ken Tyler will find a solution to your printmaking problems’”.

This led to works such as Robert Rauschenberg’s Booster, 1967, comprised of an X-ray of himself printed roughly life-size. Also on display are sculptures such as Roy Lichtenstein’s 3D multiples. “It was very innovative for the time to be producing editions of sculptural work,” says Greenhalgh. Certain works revive old techniques, such as the ‘rainbow roll’ used to make Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s lithographs in the 19th century, which Tyler adapted for Jasper Johns. Greenhalgh says, “It’s a fun sort of vision of it being an innovative workshop, but also as this lineage of lithography throughout time.”

Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection
National Gallery of Australia
7 September—9 March 2020