WAYMARKERS - Q+A

Letters created for the WAYMARKERS banner

Prior to installing my WAYMARKERS solo exhibition at 
From Out of the Blue Studio Gallery in Opunake, 
I was interviewed by gallery owner Viv Davy to provide a bit of an insight 
into my development as an artist and my working process.

I am now nearing the end of the residency, with just a few days to go. It has been an amazing and enriching experience to have this opportunity of having a dedicated space and the time to focus on my work. I will, in time blog about my time here but in the meantime I thought I would share this interview as bit of background to my practice.

Viv and I also feature on the Sugar Loaf Arts Cast Podcast, hosted by Mikaela Nyman of Access Radio Taranaki. I was recorded during my talk at my opening event and Viv talks about the kaupapa of the gallery and residencies held here on her property.

You can listen to this episode HERE via the Access Radio website or wherever you get your podcasts.

and now, back to...

My Interview with Viv Davy

"Thought Keeper" by Toni Hartill

What initially attracted you to paper as a medium?

Firstly, I love that paper is so accessible and there’s so much variety to choose from, whether it’s scrap paper, old books, ephemera or specialist papers. Secondly, I love how versatile it is, its tactile qualities, and how it can be used to mimic other materials such as leather or fabric. When selecting paper to use I’m inspired by its weight, how it feels, how it tears, what it sounds like, whether it’s self-supporting, malleable, can be wetted, painted or printed on. I’m attracted to the textures and patterns of found papers, whether they show a previous life through wear and tear, are they translucent, can they be layered, glued, stitched, folded, scrunched…?

Considering the “end of life” of my artworks is also really important for me. I love that I can upcycle found papers, giving unwanted items a new purpose. I can also make good use of old or reject work. Being made mostly of paper, most of my work can pack down and be stored flat so it doesn’t require a lot of space like my large canvases did. I also like that, when no longer wanted, most of my artworks can be dismantled and recycled with very little waste going to landfill, unlike my large acrylic (plastic) coated canvases on heavy wooden stretchers. I really like the concept of my work leaving as light a footprint as possible and often being ephemeral, able to disappear with ease, leaving little or no trace.

"Migration" - maxi & mini by Toni Hartill

How was your imagination captured?

As a child I loved to play with paper dolls and to create miniature dioramas that would feed my imagination. I remember building a mini theatre out of an ice-cream cone box. It was so easy to transform everyday detritus into magical realms. Of course, I never considered this might be part of a “grown-up’s” art practice. When I discovered that artist’s books were a “thing”, this was as if I learned that I had permission to “play”, to build my imaginary worlds, and to explore ways of incorporating narrative and imagination into my art work.

"Manawa Journal" by Toni Hartill

What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?

My mum was always very creative and both parents are very practical so anything felt possible to try. Although I was also good at maths and sciences, they always encouraged me to follow my creative spirit and were actually the ones who talked me into filling a gap in my school timetable with art. I was the one who didn’t consider art as a realistic pathway.

I was aware from a young age that I had a relative who was an accomplished printmaker and some of her works hung on our walls. When I inherited some of her materials and tools, this sparked a real curiosity about what it might be like to be an artist and especially to want to experiment with printmaking. It seemed like such a holy grail to “be an artist” - I never really considered that I could be a “real” artist. I remember also being inspired by illustrations in books, especially ones that were made using printmaking techniques. I was drawn to the mark making even then and I aspired to one day try to create these effects.

A lot of time growing up was spent in, on or near the sea and going tramping through the NZ bush. My parents were keen gardeners and were working on writing a gardening book so we would also often visit plant nurseries or botanical gardens while traveling around the country. I guess I took for granted, our adventures in the great outdoors, and it wasn’t until being housebound with my own young children that I realised how much I was inspired and nourished by the natural environment and how important it was to my wellbeing. I’ve come to realise that I feel a strong, visceral sense of connection with the landscapes of Aotearoa, both through nostalgic remembrances and an interest for researching family connections to specific places over the course of 6 generations since my ancestors landed here.

"Where Shall We Go Today?" by Toni Hartill

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I think I was always an artist, I just didn’t realise it for most of my life. I was always creating throughout my childhood. I had an amazing art teacher at high school and she supported and encouraged me to apply for art school. I majored in Design because it allowed me to work in a wide variety of mediums and processes from graphic design through to furniture design.

On leaving art school I worked as a designer of interior and exterior environments and one-off and bespoke furniture. I also worked extensively in colour consultation and as a decorative artist creating paint finishes for all manner of surfaces and applications, interior and exterior.

Once I started a family and I was finally able to begin to develop my own arts practice, I focused on my painting. The skills and passion I had developed working with colour, informed, in many ways, the way I worked, and still does.

My practice began taking a new direction when I taught art in secondary schools and I was required to teach printmaking. Although printmaking had always held a magical allure for me I hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue it since a short spell in my first year at art school. Creating exemplars and teaching students was ample motivation to delve further into the world of printmaking.

Through attending workshops, connecting with like-minded people, exhibiting in group exhibitions and working consistently at my arts practice, I have been able to continue to develop my own artist’s voice. I find that, as my skills and confidence grows, I am more able to work across disciplines and in a variety of media, always hungry to learn more and to try new things. I am less concerned with what I think I “should” create and feel freer to just create as the inspiration hits me.

"Guiding Light / I Whisper to my Past" by Toni Hartill

Tell us about your process from conception to creation

I tend to start with an idea of what and/or why, and then allow the choice of media and processes to follow to best express my intentions. I might start with a concept I wish to explore and so I consider what structure or format might best convey this idea.

Alternatively, I might have a found treasure, just sitting quietly on my windowsill, waiting for the “right” inspiration to strike. I try not to force an idea but instead to let the idea come to me in an organic way.

I easily get bored doing the same thing so I’m always seeking new ways of working or new materials to work with. I find that one idea feeds many others and so it’s not unusual for me to have several pieces on the go at once. It can be quite exhausting but I hate for my ideas to simply disappear. I work with whatever media and format the current ideas inspire and this can constantly morph as my work progresses.

"Sensing Belonging Workbook" by Toni Hartill

Tell us a bit about your chosen techniques and how you use them.

Although I work with many media, printmaking holds the greatest allure for me because it allows me to be spontaneous, experimental and playful in my work, and to let go of my “perfectionist” tendencies. It is also a great starting point to use to spring off into using other media and processes as the inspiration and imagination demands.

I consider that I am an artist who uses printmaking techniques as just one of many tools I use to create my work. Although I have a particular love for carving lino to create my very detailed narrative images, I also use printmaking techniques as a means to create an endless variety of effects and marks that can be layered and used to transform surfaces to then construct or develop into artist’s books, dioramas or other 3 dimensional structures.

Apart from my linocut images, I rarely use printmaking in isolation and often can’t resist the urge to incorporate other materials or processes. I like to create “artefacts” or objects that imitate another reality and yet, being made of paper and found objects, they are in fact, purely “pretend”.

Printmaking techniques I commonly use are monoprint, collagraph, drypoint and linocut. Other techniques I often incorporate into my work include drawing, painting, stitching, collage, assemblage, paper folding and cutting, and paper making.

"Chorographia II" detail, by Toni Hartill

What currently inspires you?

Working towards my “Waymarkers” exhibition I have been inspired to consider ways that the landscapes of Aotearoa have left their mark on me in a visceral sense. What could it be about a “sense of this place” that has such strong ties for me? It also has had me wondering how others might feel connected to places and ways that they might mark this connection in their lives or their arts practice. I look forward to further exploring this concept while I am in residence.

"Salt Spray II" by Toni Hartill

Tell us about a piece of your work that holds particularly fond memories and why?

My tin-can dioramas “Salt Air” and “Sea Spray” probably capture fond memories the best for me. They are inspired by trips to sea with my brother on his boat. We grew up going away for summer holidays on my grandfather’s launch. Having the opportunity to go to sea with my brother keeps those memories alive and it’s where I feel I can truly breathe and just be. There is nothing better!

"Mark Making, Making Way, Way Marking" by Toni Hartill

How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?

When I first started creating art for myself, not for any coursework or brief, I painted. I worked quite large, on canvas, and would use photographs as a source for my compositions. I would grid up my canvases, then create a full-colour pastel drawing to check my composition, colour choices, etc. Then I would recreate the image in paint, much larger, on canvas. I cannot imagine anything more boring than to recreate an image I’ve already created and to know, before I start, what it is going to look like when completed! I’m not that person any more. I don’t even know who that person was!

I had the opportunity to begin to learn printmaking techniques while I was teaching at secondary school. The main thing that I was really drawn to with printmaking are the particular marks that are created through the many processes. I revelled in the unpredictability of the processes and the many opportunities to make the most of the unexpected and the happy accidents. As an incurable perfectionist, I especially love that printmaking knocks the edges off my finicky tendencies and encourages me to play, to veer off the intended path and to embrace imperfection and those wabi-sabi qualities that are just waiting to be celebrated.

Through belonging to the PCANZ (Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand) I was introduced to the concept of artist’s books at a summer school in 2016. There were also opportunities to exhibit 3-dimensional works, taking printmaking out of the conventional frame. Artist’s books were a fairly unknown genre in New Zealand, not something that was widely exhibited or often viewed, perhaps not unless you were in a bookmakers’ or bookbinders’ community. Gradually I have become more confident to expand my ideas of what is not only possible but also what was enjoyed by a viewing audience. It enabled me to do more of what I love which is to work with many media and in all dimensions.

Since my first solo exhibition, last year, when I exhibited my artist’s books created over the past 5 years, I was astonished by the enthusiastic response. Many pieces sold and many opportunities opened up to me as a result of that body of work. The experience was hugely reassuring and encouraged me to continue developing my work in this vein.

This opportunity to exhibit at “from out of the blue studio gallery” has allowed me to continue to explore ideas and experiment with different ways of working. Creating a larger body of work has provided me with the time and purpose to think more deeply about concepts and to follow ideas in different and often unexpected directions. At this stage (writing this 2 months prior to opening) I don’t yet know how the whole exhibition will actually all come together as I’ve never done this before but this is all part of my journey of learning and relishing the unknown. There are many aspects that have had me feeling completely out of my comfort zone but I have recognized this as an incredible opportunity and so I have tried to trust that I will work it out as I go and believe that I can do this!

I’m so looking forward to my time in residence, while my exhibition is on, as being an extended opportunity to interact with visitors to the gallery, to seek out other artists in the region and to create as inspiration strikes. I already feel as if my practice is on the cusp of stepping off into new directions. Having this time in residence, away from the usual distractions and familiar surroundings, I am eager to discover what inspires me. I’m eager to focus on developing my mark making vocabulary and skills, experimenting with different ways of working with fibres and papers, and further exploring ways to really capture a true sense of a place. I don’t know how my work might evolve as a result of this experience or what might come next but I am very excited by the not knowing.

"Hiraeth Scrolling" by Toni Hartill

What advice would you give an aspiring artist?

Take time in your practice to play. 

Be experimental and allow happy accidents to happen. 

Don’t be afraid to mess up. There are no rules you have to follow. 

Or, if there are, break them and see what happens. 

Be reflective. 

KEEP A STUDIO JOURNAL 

(I tell anyone and everyone to do this!) to record your processes, 

what went well and more importantly, what didn’t. 

Don’t throw away your mistakes. Keep them, learn from them. 

Then look back on them to see how far you’ve come. 

When something new and unexpected emerges, don’t stick rigidly to your plans. 

Allow yourself to go off the beaten path. 

You never know where this will end up. 

Magic happens when you least expect it.

"False Hopes" by Toni Hartill

Thanks for visiting!