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Expose Yourself

johnbotton_camera-aotearoa-artistBy John Botton

I’m not sure about you but I always feel a bit self-conscious when exposing myself to other people, especially in public. What I have found over many years though, is that it pays to ensure you are presenting yourself in the best possible light. OK, so maybe you think I’m a bit of a pervert... but what I’m actually talking about is showing my fine art photography (so who has the dirty mind now ;-). 

After labouring long and hard over your masterpiece it’s worth making the effort to present it with the same care and attention you took over its creation. After all, it’s often the packaging that intimates at the value of the artwork; much like a Michelin star chef who presents his fine cuisine, not as yummy food but as a work of culinary art. 

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Why Print?

John_Botton_aotearoa-artistWHY PRINT?

By John Botton

You push your chair back from your workstation and admire your handiwork. “Another masterpiece and in record time” you declare loudly to Phatt the ginger cat who’s perched on the sunny windowsill, barely taking any notice of your apparent excitement. The gazillion dots that make up the intricate pointillist pixilation stare back at you. Just then the phone rings, it’s Marge from the gallery. “Darling, can you get another five of the red ones, three greens and a blue to me by Friday, sales are going through the roof.” “No problem”, is your reply. Your artwork is really selling well, but you don’t seem to be making any money.

You start counting on your fingers and before you even get to your toes you’ve worked out that after gallery commissions deducted you’re making $22 an hour for your efforts and that’s not counting the cost of your materials. There must be an easier way to make money as an artist.

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Te Kowhai Print Trust

te-kowhai-print-trust-lithography-press-1-aotearoa-artistTE KOWHAI PRINT TRUST

Over the last three decades Te Kowhai Print Trust has built up a significant and unique lithography facility with two presses and over twenty of the oldest etching stones in New Zealand.

Based at the Quarry Arts centre in Whangarei, the Kowhai Print Trust is a charitable organisation which works to teach, advance and preserve the practice of fine art printmaking.

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Hamish Oakley-Browne

HAMISH OAKLEY-BROWNE

Hamish Oakley-Browne is a passionate artist with printmaking as his chosen medium. Having just completed a degree in fine arts at NorthTec in Whangarei, he is currently doing a six-month residency programme at Te Kowhai Print Trust situated at The Quarry Arts Centre.

Hamish says printmaking reflects a “hands-on tactile backlash to the digital world in which people have lost themselves, their intrinsic senses and richness in their lives.

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Faith McManus

FAITH McMANUS

“There is a revival of printmaking taking place in New Zealand with printmakers being increasingly recognised by the wider art community and the medium is poised to start interacting with other mediums.” These are the thoughts of Faith McManus, locally and internationally recognised as one of New Zealand’s foremost printmakers with exhibitions at dealer and public galleries in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

Faith, an art tutor at Northtech in Whangarei, says printmaking in New Zealand does not always enjoy the recognition and appreciation it deserves. “There are not many print galleries in New Zealand and there are probably more people collecting New Zealand prints in Australia than they do here.”

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PrintArt

John-Botton-aotearoa-artistBEYOND THE COLOUR BAR

By John Botton

After agonising over your laden pallet for hours and carefully crafting the exact colours you envisioned, you’ve finally put the finishing touches to your next masterpiece. Then, remembering that Aunt Agatha had requested a copy of the piece, you whip out your iPhone and snap a few shots. But when you pick up the prints from your local ‘Mega Store’, there’s a dull lifeless image staring back at you. The colours are nothing like what they should be. Sound familiar?

When it comes to reproducing artwork, whether it’s for record keeping purposes or print reproduction and sale, there’s a lot more to managing the colour workflow than you might think.

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Paper for print

SELECTING PRINT PAPER

By Randal Scott, the proprietor of Fine Art Papers, importers and suppliers of fine art and conservation papers throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific.

The day I learned how important the specific characteristics of papers are to the creative process, I made it my business to find out why a smooth hard paper is needed for lithography; why heavily sized paper is preferable for drawing; why soft, supple papers are best for intaglio printing; and why a heavy, textured paper works best for pastel. I knew I had to pay more attention to the way a particular paper influenced the final appearance of drawings, prints, and paintings.

Printmaking papers are not just for print-making. Some printmaking papers have become favourites for drawing or mixed media techniques. The distinguishing feature of a good printmaking paper is its ability to take a soaking, to absorb a lot of ink, often with multiple runs through a press, without disintegrating or deforming.

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Giclée Printing

GOING GICLÉE

Giclée (pronounced zeeclay) art prints produced by artists in New Zealand are becoming increasingly popular and more widely available. Coupled to this, the printing of fine art prints in this country has changed dramatically over the last decade with digital print companies gearing up to meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated market and the call for higher quality prints.

Giclée art prints are produced by sophisticated digital printers that deliver a fine stream of long-life ink onto archival paper such as 100% cotton rag paper or high quality canvas. The resulting print has extremely fine colour fidelity and exceptional detail that is suitable for museum and gallery display.

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