Exhibition Preview

On 12 November 2013 the graduating students’ exhibition for the Diploma of Visual Arts at Southbank Institute of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland will open and will run for five days.

As depicted in this image, my work for this exhibition is based on multi-plate etchings incorporating zinc plate and drypoint with chine colle using fibrous Japanese paper. I have then hand coloured with watercolour and added some graphite pencil drawing. The works are landscapes inspired by the rockpools found at the ocean’s edge. The superimposition of images in a layered approach gives the idea of a sketchbook and to an extent references the approach of John Wolseley to some of his landscape works.

The exhibition will show varied works by students who are completing the two year Diploma including installations and works on paper and canvas involving painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and printmaking. More information about the artists can be found at http://zenith150.wordpress.com/.

Printmaking Inspiration

Most people have a constellation of artists who provide inspiration. For me, one such artist is Jorg Schmeisser, the German-born printmaker and naturalist who settled in Australia in 1976. I was introduced to his work watching a video that demonstrated multi-plate etching using hard and soft grounds. His subject matter is often drawn from the environment and in particular the sea. I am struck by the delicacy of his line work, the softness created by his layering, and the richness his colour palette, often contrasting rich sepia and ochre and inky blues. The mood of his works is extremely peaceful…contemplative. They transport me to those places.

Mangrove and notes 2010; Printers Jorg Schmeisser and Basil Hall

Mango Tree 2010 Printers Jorg Schmeisser and Basil Hall

Some of his work was shown at the Djalkiri Exhibition at the University of Queensland earlier this year alongside works by John Wolseley, Fiona Hall and Judy Watson in collaboration with Basil Hall. This was a stunning exhibition of landscape etchings that has motivated me to pursue environmental content and incorporate more textural backgrounds including marbling and aquatint as well as to use more layering in my work. Here are a few shots of the progression of work in creating ‘Shell reflection’, which was to an extent inspired by Jorg Schmeisser’s Blue Mud Bay crab 2010.

plate prior to textured backgrounds being added

zinc plate etched over hard ground

artist proof – blue black ink

artist proof – blue-black overlaid with cadmium red thinned with light plate oil; aquatint and glue used in the background

Blue Mud Bay crab 2010; Printers Jorg Schmeisser and Basil Hall