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| Etched aluminium plates. Toni Hartill |
"The Small Print" exhibition is an unselected, traveling exhibition of A4 size prints by members of PCANZ (Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand.) This year's initial exhibition was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown of the country but now, as we are slowly opening up again, the exhibition has been rescheduled and will now open on
June 8, 2020
at Square Edge Community Arts Centre,
Palmerston North.
All prints are for sale for $100 each.
To see future venues and dates please visit the PCANZ website.
Members were invited to send in up to 4 prints to exhibit.
Below are the prints I submitted for the exhibition.
All are inspired by seedlings of the New Zealand kauri tree, agathis australis,
and are explorations into etching aluminium with copper sulphate.
These prints are made from plates shaped to reference protective glass domes as might be used by collectors or archivists to protect their treasures. I first used this concept last year for my print "Specimen: Manawa" and I made a conscious decision to continue to explore ideas that spring from this concept. (In light of the current pandemic, it seems a strangely apt concept for other reasons - who would have thought?!)
For these initial images of kauri seedlings I was thinking about the many threats the kauri tree faces particularly from Kauri Dieback Disease for which there is no known cure. It is a very scary prospect that we could lose more, or ALL, of our native taonga, this time to disease. Through education and awareness we can all do small things to help make a difference.
Pleases visit the Kauri Dieback website for information and resources
and visit their social media pages for updates.
To visit an earlier post about the making of these prints click here.
Members were invited to send in up to 4 prints to exhibit.
Below are the prints I submitted for the exhibition.
All are inspired by seedlings of the New Zealand kauri tree, agathis australis,
and are explorations into etching aluminium with copper sulphate.
These prints are made from plates shaped to reference protective glass domes as might be used by collectors or archivists to protect their treasures. I first used this concept last year for my print "Specimen: Manawa" and I made a conscious decision to continue to explore ideas that spring from this concept. (In light of the current pandemic, it seems a strangely apt concept for other reasons - who would have thought?!)
For these initial images of kauri seedlings I was thinking about the many threats the kauri tree faces particularly from Kauri Dieback Disease for which there is no known cure. It is a very scary prospect that we could lose more, or ALL, of our native taonga, this time to disease. Through education and awareness we can all do small things to help make a difference.
Pleases visit the Kauri Dieback website for information and resources
and visit their social media pages for updates.
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| Copper sulphate etching. Toni Hartill |
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| Etched aluminium plates. Toni Hartill |
To visit an earlier post about the making of these prints click here.
"Agathis Australis"
(2 prints submitted)
The celestial background of this print, created using multiple applications of spattered acrylic resist, evokes the night sky and therefore it seemed apt to link the title to the Latin name of the kauri tree, agathis australis; australis meaning south or southern and commonly used to name star clusters. The addition of 4 tiny gold leaf stars, to represent the Southern Cross, was the finishing touch. The ink is a deep, dark blue-black.
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| "Agathis Australis" by Toni Hartill Aluminium etching, gold leaf Edition of 5, 297mm x 210mm, Hahnemuhle 230gsm |
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| "Agathis Australis" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
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| "Agathis Australis" by Toni Hartill |
"Protector of Forests"
The Kauri tree is known to Maori as Te Whakaruruhau - the great protector of the forest - referring to the many species of flora and fauna that shelter beneath the canopy and could not survive without its protection. In this print the title refers both to the mighty kauri as "The Protector" and to the protective dome used to shield the seedling so that it can grow to become a forest giant. "Guilding" the leaves seemed an appropriate mark of respect. This time black ink was used.
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| "Protector of Forests" by Toni Hartill Aluminium etching, metallic paint, Edition of 4, 297mm x 210mm, Hahnemuhle 230gsm |
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| "Protector of Forests" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
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| "Protector of Forests" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
"Specimen I"
This was the first image of the series created using the kauri seedling as a protected specimen. Black ink was used and warmth was added to the soil with the application of a little watercolour. |
| "Specimen I" by Toni Hartill Aluminium etching, handcolouring. Edition of 2, 297mm x 210mm, Hahnemuhle 230gsm |
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| "Specimen I" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
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| "Specimen I" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
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| "Specimen I" (detail) by Toni Hartill |
If you are in the area I hope you can pop in to view the exhibition
or do visit the PCANZ website to see if it will be coming to a gallery near you.
Alternatively, you can contact me direct if you are interested in either of my prints.
I have a limited number of extra prints available of each.
Thanks for visiting!
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