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| "Archey's Stand" by Toni Hartill |
I'd like to introduce you to my latest linocut
ARCHEY'S STAND.
On Saturday 16th August Archey will be installed in the first of two exhibitions
"Towards Predator Free NZ 2050
and not just for the birds"
I'm delighted to have been invited to participate in this exhibition
to promote and celebrate the immense achievements of
It didn't take me long to decide that I wanted to raise awareness
of these incredible, unique and almost invisible
frogs and the challenges they face, NOW more than EVER!
SCROLL on for
- my ARTIST STATEMENT
- the PRESS RELEASE for the coming exhibitions
- to view the THE MAKING OF this print edition + my TIPS
- details about how to PURCHASE
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| "Archey's Stand" by Toni Hartill |
ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
Archey’s Stand
Limited edition linocut
What is a lino cut?
Scroll down to view my process.
When a certain
government minister uttered the flippant comment “if there is a mining
opportunity and it’s impeded by a blind frog, goodbye, Freddy”
he raised the hackles of many.
Archey’s
frog, the world’s “most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered
amphibian species” is
only found in two locations in the north island and they are notably in the way
of fast-track plans to expand Oceanagold mining operations in the Coromandel.
An ancient
species, endemic to Aotearoa, and the smallest of our 3 remaining frogs at less
than 4cm long, they can’t croak, have no ear drums and hatch as tailed
froglets. Their markings are so unique and distinctive that they can be used to
identify individual frogs.
Brushing
aside a threatened species, as an impediment to economic progress, disregards
the importance of any such species as an important element in our ecosystem, no
matter how tiny or inconspicuous.
By shining
a spotlight on “Archey” I hope to raise awareness of their plight as they
battle against predators, disease, environmental challenges and economic
imperatives.
I hope you can visit the exhibition
at either venue:
"Towards Predator Free NZ 2050
and not just for the birds"
Auckland Botanic Gardens
Manurewa
17 August - 13 September, 2025
Estuary Arts Centre
Orewa
23 September - 25 October, 2025
OPENING EVENT: Sat 27th Sept, 3 - 5pm
Thank you to Valerie Cuthbert for all her hard work
planning, organizing and curating this project
and for the opportunity to participate.
Thanks to Creative NZ for funding.
PRESS RELEASE:
Art Meets Conservation:
“Towards Predator Free 2050” Exhibition Series.
Aotearoa's remarkable biodiversity and the
people who work to protect it will take centre stage in a major multi-venue art
event later in 2025. A programme of exhibitions, talks, walks and
workshops will bring predator control
into the creative spotlight.
Under the theme “Towards Predator Free
2050” this initiative aims to celebrate, inform and inspire, acknowledging the
immense efforts of thousands of New Zealanders – many of them volunteers –
dedicated to saving our native species from extinction.
The event will be hosted at both the
Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa, and the Estuary Arts Centre in Orewa,
offering accessible and engaging experiences for people of all ages. Visitors
can attend free workshops, guided walks and artist-led talks that delve into
ecological themes combining creativity and knowledge.
Partnering in the event is Forest &
Bird, one of New Zealand's longest- standing conservation organisations, whose
involvement highlights the scientific and community–driven efforts behind predator
control.
The exhibition brings together an
impressive collective of 6 specialist tutors and 40 artists. Each has committed
to producing work that reflects the central theme: the ecological damage caused
by invasive introduced species – those on 4 legs like stoats, weasles, rats,
possums, feral cats and increasingly unregulated domestic cats, winged species
like wasps, as well as plant species like Caulerpa and Myrtle rust – and the
work being done to help ameliorate it. The works will explore the fragility of
native species such as birds, frogs, geckos, skinks, weta, bats and even native
snails, and interpret the deep cultural, environmental and emotional
connections we have with them.
Through sculpture, painting, printmaking,
photography, ceramics, jewellery and glasswork, the works will examine not only
the loss and destruction but also the hope and ingenuity driving predator Free
2050 – a national goal to eradicate introduced predators and diseases by
mid-century.
Join us in celebrating the passion and
perseverance behind the movement for predator- free Aotearoa. Through
creativity and community we can help ensure that future generations will hear
the dawn chorus of native birds and walk in forests alive with the creatures
unique to these islands.
For more information, interviews or images please contact the curator:
Valerie
Cuthbert 0210567362, valeriecuthbert@xtra.co.nz
@valerie.cuthbert
@exhibition2025.
AND NOW
please enjoy a tour of the making of
"ARCHEY'S STAND"
Designing the Image
Archey's frogs are tiny at less than 4 cm long so "my Archey" needed to be hugely scaled up in size to be the centrepiece of this image.
I therefore needed to scale up his surroundings too and I spent quite some time studying various mosses and other tiny plants up close so I could enlarge these in scale with Archey.
I became fascinated with the huge variety of mosses and their many different patterns and leaf structures. I really wanted to create a feeling of a lush mossy mound.
A stunning walk in the local Waitakere Ranges to the Fairy Falls provided me with ample inspiration and reference photographs to assist with this project and many more besides.
My Carving Set-up
To enable lengthy sessions of carving lino I built a sloped desk so I can work standing up and have all my tools within easy reach. I repurposed my children's wooden art easel by chopping off the legs, flipping it on it's back and I added a tool rack, and a lip at the bottom edge to stop everything sliding off.
It's really worth taking the time to ensure you have a comfortable set up for working to avoid straining your body. Once I begin carving I become quite obsessed - excited to see the progress yet on tenterhooks, hoping I won't mess up!
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| My carving set up |
My Favourite Tools
My preferred carving tools are Flexcut micro tools
and a selection of very fine Pfiel tools.
I never sharpen my tools but keep them constantly honed
using leather strops and the handy Flexcut Slip Strop tool.
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| My favoured carving tools |
For more organic textures I love using a Dremel-type rotary
tool with a very fine burr.
I used my dremel tool to create Archey's textures.
Burrs can be purchased very cheaply from jewellery suppliers
and, if looked after, can last "forever."
There are several different brands of rotary tools available. I'm currently
using a cheaper brand tool and it performs very well for my needs.
I use a Flex Shaft Attachment which is much more comfortable
to hold for fine work than holding the rotary tool itself.
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| My rotary tool with shaft attachment and fine burr |
Preparing the Lino
I use battle-ship grey, hessian backed lino
purchased from an art supplies store.
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| Preparing my lino |
I prepare my lino by sanding it with fine wet-and-dry sandpaper,
WITH water, to remove the plasticky surface and any hint
of a machined texture. This gives a much nicer matte surface to work on
and it holds the ink better, giving a more even print.
There are brands of lino which already have a lovely
matte surface so possibly no sanding is required.
I then stain the lino with a coat of thinned Indian ink
to make it easier to see my pencil drawing
and to see clearly what I'm carving.
I don't pre-plan all of my detail and markings, I work this out as I carve.
I always have some scraps of lino to the side
that I can warm up on or practice making marks on.
This is possibly the stage I LOVE the most.
And then I carve!
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| The completed carved lino |
Stop-motion of my lino carving process
I love creating a stop-motion animation of my carving process
so I can watch the image magically appear out of the black background.
It's also reassuring to see how I'm progressing over time especially
when I feel like it's taking me forever to make progress.
Besides, I just love stop-motion.
Editioning
Limited edition of 15
Before I could edition the image I needed to decide on the colour and the type of paper.
After much experimenting I chose to mix a dark earthy brown and print onto Tiepolo printmaking paper which is ever so slightly creamy in colour.
The paper is torn slightly smaller than the lino block and the image is printed right to the edge.
The prints are numbered in pencil in the front left-hand corner and signed in the right-hand corner.
Previously I've printed an image of this size onto larger paper leaving a white border however, while testing a number of variations for this image I really liked the effect of it being printing to the very edge of the torn paper with the intention that it would be float mounted in a frame.
Before I committed to this decision I took 3 different coloured prints to the framers and experimented with available framing options to choose which option I most preferred for the effect I was aiming for.
Taking the time to do this resolved any doubts I was feeling about my decision which meant I felt confident to go ahead and print the edition.
This was an excellent lesson for next time!
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| A visit to the framer to end any indecision |
Inking Up...
And Printing!
A Second Variation in Green
Limited edition of 6
I enjoyed printing this image so much and so wanted to experiment with different colours and different papers. I happened to have some beautiful yellow mulberry paper so I mixed a mossy green colour and printed onto some carefully torn sheets.
I've never printed an edition on this fine, delicate paper before but I was entranced with how beautifully it prints. The natural textures and fibres adds to it's special qualities and the colour gives such a rich luscious effect.
It's definitely worth having a rummage in your drawers
to see what papers may be lurking there!
"Hope", created for a previous Predator Free NZ 2050 exhibition,
expresses new found hope for the endangered North Island kōkako
as a record number of breeding pairs were counted
in the Hunua Ranges in 2022.
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| "Archey's Stand" & "Hope" by Toni Hartill |
I do hope you can make it along to either
or BOTH of the exhibitions.
I hope to share a post of each of the exhibitions
once they are underway so
stay tuned for updates.
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click the FOLLOW button in the top right-hand column.
Or FOLLOW along on social media for more regular updates.
@tonihartillart
Thanks so much for
visiting my blog!
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