P is for ... PCANZ Collaborative Bestiary Book

 

"P is for Pupurangi", linocut by Toni Hartill

P is for...

Pupurangi!

"P is for Pupurangi", linocut by Toni Hartill

These are New Zealand's endangered northern giant land snails, 

the New Zealand kauri snail,

also known by it's scientific name 

Paryphanta spp.

of which there are two species:

Paryphanta Busbyi 

up to 79 mm shell diameter

&

Paryphanta watti

up to 62 cm shell diameter

To learn more about these beautiful critters visit the DOC website HERE.

(...and also known by friends as 

SNAILY!)

"P is for Pupurangi"

Edition of 30

Hand pulled linocut prints.

This edition of prints was created for the 

PCANZ collaborative bestiary book project.

Participating members across Aotearoa New Zealand were organised into 4 groups, including an international group who collaborated with printmakers in Wales.

I'm in the Auckland group, which also includes a couple of people 
from further afield to make up numbers.

The Rules

Everyone was assigned their letter randomly and we were invited to create a design of a real or imaginary creature or animal relating to our letter.

The letter had to be part of the design.

Printing could be edge to edge or with a border.

Perhaps not surprisingly I was pretty keen on including SNAILY in some form so I was searching which letters could also include him eg. Escargot, Gastrapod, Mollusc... There were a few options!

(If you've followed my work for a while, you'll know of my affinity to snails.)

Everyone has now completed their edition of 30 prints and they have been collated into complete alphabet sets, ready to be returned to participants while master copies have been returned to the organisers to be bound into books for the PCANZ archive and future exhibitions.

An Auckland workshop is planned shortly to share ways of either binding the prints into a book or creating a box to hold the prints.

At present I'm experimenting and researching possibilities and will report back on progress on the next stage of this collaborative project and to share ALL of the pages from the book.

Researching binding techniques

In the meantime, scroll down to view...

The Making of "P is for Pupurangi"

Thanks for visiting!

Stay tuned to see how we might bind the books 

PLUS 

to view ALL of the prints in the collection.

Find out about 

PCANZ

Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand

"Where the Seabirds Go" opens at last!

Toni Hartill

I have a couple of small works in this exhibition, featuring the Buller's Albatross. Made quite some time ago, way back in May in fact, they are now hanging in the exhibition and able to be viewed along with all of the other wonderful works by local artists.

SCROLL DOWN to see the Making-of pics 
and the Completed Images..

"Where the Seabirds Go"

Estuary Arts Centre,

Orewa

14 Dec - 9 January

.

Opening event

18 Dec, 3-5pm

Bookings essential as numbers are limited:

 Email: Kim Boyd at manager@estuaryarts.org

Note: Under the new Covid-19 protection Framework 

Estuary Arts Centre can hold an event up to 100 people.

A Vaccination Pass is necessary.

Facemasks are encouraged.

"New Zealand is often called the "seabird capital of the world", 

yet since the 1950's seabirds numbers around our shores have 

declined by over 70%. This year over 30 artists 

are attempting to find out why."

This exhibition has been organised, tenaciously and expertly, by Val Cuthbert, rescheduling a number of times through our latest lengthy lockdown and now finally it is open to view!

Well worth a trip to the Hibiscus Coast to view works by over 30 local NZ artists.  

Milford Sound, NZ

Buller's Albatross

After MUCH dithering I chose to focus my research for this project on the plight of the Buller's Albatross (or Mollymawk). It wasn't an easy choice, however having had the opportunity to watch these stunning birds fly all around our boat as we motored a short way out of the entrance to Milford Sound earlier this year, it seemed like a sign! Pick me! So I did. My camera battery had long since died, due to excessive clicking by the time we got outside of the sound, so I have to make do with the images etched in my memory. And they are! So beautiful!

The Making Of

As is often the case, I had loose ideas of where I might be heading with with my image but I particularly wanted to focus on the threat that is posed to these, and many seabirds, by the fishing industry on their long migrations.

I began with the idea of probably using multiple blocks to create the image and a background. 

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Trialling the use of a circular 2nd block

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

After MANY experiments  using different media I finally decided on how to create a soft background with the addition of  migrating birds using stencils and hand drawn flight paths using speedy and direct drawing on top of the prints. This took a fair bit of practice and a lot of "just go for it!" attitude to draw the lines smoothly and confidently. 

I attempted to channel the Karate Kid to get in the zone to not botch up the prints! As I wanted the edition of 10 prints to be consistent I had to practice the "moves" and be able to repeat it 10 times without error. There are slight variations, of course, in the drawing of the lines - I'm not a machine after all.

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Of course, in the process of creating this image, the old grey matter got ticking about other ideas for backgrounds. Fossicking amongst my printed textures and sketchbooks I again experimented with possibilities.

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

In the process of experimenting with possible colours I began cutting out multiple birds and...

Toni Hartill

before I knew it, I had quite an audience...

Toni Hartill

which needed a way to help them stand up so they could offer their assistance - no small distraction. 

Toni Hartill

Back on task:

My speedy circle cutter - patent pending!

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

The final task with any project is ALWAYS to write up my notes 

so  that I know how I made these works for future reference.

No, I will never just remember.

Yes, my future self thanks me.

And yes, you should do  it too!

Toni Hartill

Stop Motion: cutting the lino block

Completed Images

Both these images are framed and exhibited at Estuary Arts Centre.

I am also including an unframed print of "Flight Interrupted" which will be available to purchase and take away during the exhibition.

(I've also included a couple of prints of of my recent linocut "A Cautious Reopening" - the continuing saga of my snails being released from lockdown, which are also available to take away, cash and carry.)

Toni Hartill

"Flight Interrupted"

Linocut, stencil, coloured pencil

Limited Edition of 10, variable.

Toni Hartill

"The Price of Fish"

Linocut, cut and layered

Statement:

Buller’s Mollymawks are one of  the smallest of the albatrosses and endemic to New Zealand.

The southern subspecies breeds on islands off the southern coasts of NZ such as Snares Island, Solander Islands and Chatham Islands. They are unusual in that they breed in dense woody vegetation which often requires a walk of up to 100m inland.  As annual breeders they usually return to the same nest site year after year with the same partner. After breeding the colonies are deserted and the birds migrate across the Pacific to seas off Chile and Peru.

Buller’s Mollymawks are commonly seen killed as a result of scavenging behind fishing boats, with demersal long-liners and trawling operations responsible for the majority of mortalities.

I hope, if you are able, you can get along to see the exhibition.

Reminder: you need to book your place to attend 

the opening on Saturday 18th, 3-5pm.

Email: Kim Boyd at manager@estuaryarts.org

Masks are encouraged.

Vax passes are required.

Thanks for stopping by!

"A Cautious Reopening" - The Sequel

 

"A Cautious Reopening" Limited Edition linocut by Toni Hartill

Inspired by the experience of being in an extended lockdown from August til December 2021, in Auckland, New Zealand / Aotearoa, during the Covid-19 pandemic, this linocut was created to express my (and others') cautiousness towards the stepped reopening of our bubbles. 

In the second year of the pandemic, I think no-one was surprised when the Delta variant finally arrived in Auckland via the Aussie travel bubble and NZ went into a Level 4 lockdown on August 18th. The rest of the country moved down (and up and down) the levels while Auckland moved to Level 3 after 5 weeks, and then only gradually eased some restrictions while still in level 3 for another looong10 weeks when we are all due to move into a new "framework" as vaccination rates reach 90%. 

Coincidentally, yesterday, as I wrote this, it was announced that all of the country will move to the new framework next Thursday, 2nd Dec. Scroll to the end for a final comment.

As many can relate this lockdown has not been an easy experience for so many reasons. 

Any ability to be creative completely deserted me for weeks due to the general malaise of "Lockdownitis", the uncertainty caused by having my solo exhibition due to open but not knowing when or if, plus some intense family health dramas. It has only been very recently that I have been inspired and able to begin some new work and to look forwards to new goals.

Scroll down to read about the work 

and to see the making of the print.

"A Cautious Reopening" by Toni Hartill

"A Cautious Reopening"

Paper size: A4 / 210mm x 297mm
Media: Linocut
Paper: Hahnemuhle Stella Matte, 230 gsm
Limited Edition of 30

Prints are available to purchase in my online shop

tonihartill.felt.co.nz

or click the SHOP link in the toolbar above.

FREE Standard shipping in NZ.

SALE: 

To celebrate Auckland's reopening 

10% off all shop sales until midnight Dec 14th.

Use VOUCHER CODE: REOPENING-AK21

"Stick to your Bubble" by Toni Hartill (SOLD OUT)

A sequel

This new linocut is a sequel to my "Stick to your Bubble" linocut, created during the first lockdown in March 2020, when the entire world began locking down due to the pandemic. Click here to see and read about this earlier work which was created for a print exchange, "Distant Conversations", to mark this unusual period in our lives.

"At a time when we were confined to our homes and our lives had to slow right down, snails seemed to be a particularly apt totem. The snail's habit of withdrawing into its shell when a threat is perceived, and its ability to seal itself away for long periods, being completely self-reliant seemed especially relevant." 

Toni Hartill

Yes!! More SNAILS!

As you can see, NZ Kauri snails again have the starring role. I've previously written about my attachment to snails as a personal totem and have included them in a few earlier artworks including "Pūpūrangi/ Kauri Snail, Kauri" and "Home as a Sanctuary". 

This time the snails are seen venturing out of their jar (bubble). 

The lid is off and they are emerging, albeit cautiously.

As in earlier work I have researched the symbolic meaning of some of our native plants with the intention of adding layers of meaning that is relevant to this particular period of transition in our lives.

Toni Hartill

NZ Kauri leaves

The kauri is a symbol of courage, encouraging us to move forward with our plans for the future with renewed creative energy and motivation as new opportunities for growth open up to us.

Toni Hartill

Fern leaves 

Ferns are a symbol of new life and new beginnings. 

Toni Hartill

Pohutukawa leaf

The Pohutukawa is celebrated as "the NZ Christmas tree" with it's vibrant red, fluffy blooms appearing in early December. With Christmas and the summer holidays rapidly approaching it is certainly a driver behind the speed at which restrictions are being eased and, in particular, Auckland's closed borders are being allowed to open.

Toni Hartill

Kowhai seedling

The kowhai,  NZ's unofficial national tree, is said to symbolise personal growth and helps people move on from the past with a renewed sense of adventure. Flowering in spring it is a sign of new life and a new start. In the image the seedling sprouts forth out of the confines of the jar.

Making of

Click on an image: it will enlarge on your screen and
you can then scroll through all of the images.

Or just continue scrolling here.

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Proofing

Once the lino has been carved and all the woolly bits cleaned up, the process of proofing (for me) involves multiple prints as I test, evaluate, tweak and revaluate my carving until I am happy that it "reads" as I intend. It usually involves tentatively seeking feedback from members of the family to check how others might view the work. 

(Please don't crush me with your harsh critiques but give me honest, constructive comments!)

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Editioning

Once I'm happy with all tweaking and I've mixed the ink to the desired colour, in this case a warm black by mixing yellow ochre and black, I set up the press with a guide for registration and put runners in place ready to start printing. The paper, is cut to size and ready to go. Then it's time to  dial up some cruisy music to get me in the zone and the editioning begins!

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Toni Hartill

Today's Announcement

Today it was announced that Auckland, and the whole of NZ, will move to the new "traffic light system" next Thursday, 2 December. For Aucklanders, after 15 weeks in lockdown, this will mean more "freedoms" such as being able to access hospitality venues and events using our new Vaccination Passes. On December 15th all double vaccinated or tested people will be able to exit Auckland for the summer.

Many Aucklanders are chomping at the bit to get the "hell outa dodge", understandably. 

Some of us are a bit more tentative about what the border opening and eased restrictions will mean for the coming months. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely PINING to get up north with my family and to get away to sea for the summer BUT I'm also wary of the rising case numbers, the spreading virus, the vulnerable members of our communities and the squeezed health system. 

So, like my snail buddies, I'm all for a cautious reopening.

 

Stay well, stay safe, 

wherever you are.

Toni Hartill

Many thanks 

for visiting my blog!