Toni Hartill Art: Guest Artist

Showing posts with label Guest Artist. Show all posts

Monday, 21 August 2023

WAYMARKERS - Solo Exhibition and Residency, 9 Nov - 17 Dec, from out of the blue studio gallery, Opunake

Early in February 2022, as I was preparing for my first-ever solo exhibition,

Viv Davy contacted me via my blog and extended an invitation

to have a solo exhibition and to do a residency at her gallery

from out of the blue studio gallery.

Photo credit: from out of the blue studio gallery

from out of the blue studio gallery

18 Halse Place,

Opunake

Instagram

@threadthinker

Facebook

from out of the blue studio gallery

Website

fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com

Artist's Profile and exhibition intro:

https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/toni-hartill/

ALSO EXPLORE:

all of the other artist's connected with the gallery

https://fromoutofthebluestudiogallery.com/category/artists/

Keep an eye out for our ART NEWS NZ Ad!

After my initial suspicions were dispelled (that this invitation must surely be a scam) I was beyond delighted, and excited, at the prospect and immediately set about percolating ideas for a completely new body of work focusing attention on my artist's books and mixed media structures.

Waymarkers, Work in Progress, Toni Hartill

Diorama detail, Toni Hartill

Viv also invited me to exhibit a collection of pieces

in The Beach group exhibition at the gallery last summer.

This was a wonderful chance to participate with

this creative community and I’m so grateful

to have been invited to contribute alongside such talent.

Artist's books by Toni Hartill, "The Beach" group exhibition

View earlier blog posts about The Beach HERE,

including detailed images of my works.

The extreme weather events of Jan/Feb 2023

hindered my plans to visit the gallery at the time

however I did have the chance to pop down

to Opunake in July.

Road trip to Opunake, Taranaki, July 2023

Read my earlier blog post HERE about my visit to Opunake.

"Taradise" artist's residence and holiday accommodation, Opunake.

Meeting Viv, seeing the gallery and staying in the residency gave us ample opportunity to discuss everything from installation nitty gritty to possible workshops and residency plans. My time with Viv quelled my fears and sent my excitement levels through the roof!

Now, in Aug 2023, I am at the pointy end of preparations.

Waymarkers, Work in Progress, Toni Hartill

I think I have completed all new work, more or less...

and I’m now embarking on the many admin tasks

required to prepare so many pieces, of such diverse

size, shape and form, for the exhibition.

Waymarkers, Work in Progress, Toni Hartill

Residency Goals

I’m also beginning to plan my goals and intentions for the residency.

Having this very special time and space to work on my art, away from the distractions of my everyday life, is beyond thrilling.

Unlike some residencies, where you might be expected to produce a body of work to present at the end of the residency, I have no such commitment. I look forward to creating as inspiration strikes, with time to focus on experimentation and play!

Now, which sketchbooks should I take?

My particular interest is to experiment with mark making inspired by the landscape using all manner of media, with a goal of increasing my mark making "vocab" and continuing to grow my arts practice in new and unexpected ways.

I also hope to make the most of any opportunity to learn new skills

and to develop ideas for different ways of working.

See you there!

I am also so looking forward to sharing my work with a new audience and am especially excited to meet some of the many creative people who have a special connection with Viv and her gallery.

Stay tuned!

Nearer the time, we will announce details for planned

talks,

demos,

workshops

gatherings.

And you're invited!

"The Raine it Raineth Every Day" Toni Hartill

Wednesday, 4 January 2023

The Beach - A closer look at my collection of works

Collection by Toni Hartill

Welcome to a closer look at my collection of pieces included in the group exhibition

The Beach

Paper, Books & Baskets

22 Dec 2022 - 30 Jan 2023

From Out of the Blue Studio Gallery

Opunake

View my earlier post which includes gallery information

and exhibition background HERE.

My Collection of Works

All pieces are for sale.

To purchase during the exhibition, or for enquiries,

please contact the gallery direct.

From Out of the Blue Studio Gallery

For behind-the-scenes making-of posts about each of these works

view past posts on my Instagram and/or Facebook profiles.

Driftwood Pieces

Each of these little books began with the inspiration of a piece of found driftwood. The first piece was found many years ago and was patiently awaiting its new purpose. The others followed while the muse was still present.

Books I & II evolved from an urge to reveal the imagined locations of these pieces of driftwood, taking me to far-flung places in my memories.

Discovering the worm holes inside the driftwood of Book III, when cutting it open, inspired me to focus only on the soft and gentle nature of the piece of wood itself.

The titles are lines borrowed from the song Coastline by Hollow Coves, which, for me, perfectly evoke the sense of nostalgia and reimagining of other places and times.

Book I: There’s a place I’ve dreamed of…

“There’s a place I’ve dreamed of…” by Toni Hartill

Book II: Where I can lose my mind…

“Where I can lose my mind…” by Toni Hartill

Book III: I lose all sense of time…

“I lose all sense of time…” by Toni Hartill

"Treasured"

Inspired by the subtle colours and patterns of the sea and coastal environs, the little concertina book evolved almost by accident while experimenting with mark-making and colour. The little book then sang out for a tiny box to house it, and the recently collected shells were perfect companions.

Reminiscent of a chocolate box of very special treats, this tiny piece speaks of the simple pleasure of collecting treasures and memories from the special places we visit, that forever settle in our hearts.

"Treasured" by Toni Hartill

"Weather Worn"

Created from sheets of upcycled brown packaging paper, chosen for its worn and tactile qualities, then printed with multiple textures, and layered, patched, collaged and embellished with frayed edges and stitching.

This cascade book aims to capture the essence of an old blanket,

comforter or quilt as might be used for family picnics

or camping holidays – chosen because it’s not precious, although,

in becoming a well-worn holiday companion, it gathers memories

and new meaning, and becomes ever more “precious”

with each patch and year of wear and tear.

"Weather Worn" cascade book by Toni Hartill

"Weather Worn" cascade book by Toni Hartill

"Sea Air" & "Salt Spray"

Inspired by a real-life love of escaping to sea for solace

and refreshment, these tiny worlds are created

to engage a childlike imagination of escaping from the world

to other favourite places.

"Sea Air" tin-can diorama by Toni Hartill

"Salt Spray" tin-can diorama by Toni Hartill SOLD

"A Pocket Full of Sunshine"

This little pocket-sized book is created from a series of

repurposed and upcycled monoprints

which aimed to capture the sense of

sunlight through water, and the free-flowing

form of seaweed and kelp.

"A Pocket Full of Sunshine" by Toni Hartill

"Road Trip Impressions"

"Wet Weather Driving"

These watercolour sketchbooks are part of a series inspired by views from the passenger seat during a road trip to Rotorua, in-between Auckland’s many lockdowns in 2021. Even in the rain, the landscapes of Aotearoa are uplifting and inspiring.

"Road Trip Impressions" by Toni Hartill

"Wet Weather Driving" by Toni Hartill

"Summer Essentials"

Folding, make-believe toolkits for traveling artists.

From a perpetual fascination for, and the challenge of, recreating everyday objects to imitate the real thing, these little make-believe toolkits are an imaginary artist’s must-pack essential for any summer holiday.

Created with a love for the sense of play, nostalgia and escapism that comes from engaging the imagination and the wonder of make-believe, much like paper dolls and folded paper toys.

Blue Toolkit by Toni Hartill

Green Toolkit by Toni Hartill

"Lost & Found" by Toni Hartill, Collaborative concertina book project

The Collaborative Book Project

A unifying aspect of this exhibition is a collaborative book project.

Each artist was randomly sent a concertina book, individually made by artist Wendy Watson.

We were then invited to add to, or subtract from, our assigned book in whatever way we wished, through any media and processes we desired.

My book: BEFORE

My book: DURING

Having never worked on a project such as this, I was excited for the challenge!

I wanted Wendy's marks to continue to be present amongst my added embellishments so it took time to consider and contemplate what to cover or cut away and what to enhance.

My first line of attack was to layer up blocks of colour and texture using existing lino and wood blocks. The length of the concertina was challenging as it seemed to have a mind of it's own and it kept leaping loose from the press!

I then set to printing and chopping up patterns to embellish pages.

I also relished cutting holes through pages to create windows and surprises.

Many, many discarded and reject prints were given a new lease of life as they found a new purpose embellishing the pages of the steadily fattening book.

Finally a new cover was created repurposing some beautifully

textured paper from an old, unsold artwork, of exactly the "right" colour.

I felt a bit guilty tearing off Wendy's recycled cardboard cover, as it had a lovely quality to it but I decided, after much contemplation, that I wanted a bolder, more solid cover.