I went for a walk and what did I see....

I recently took advantage of some late summer sun and took a stroll along the beach at Piha on Auckland's wild west coast, although it wasn't so much "wild and woolly" on this day, more like the 60's definition of wild as in freakazoidally gorgeous! One whiff of the sea air, wherever I am, and my mind clears, I breathe deeper and slower and my eyes are on stalks looking, looking, looking everywhere - so much beauty, so much colour... patterns, shapes, reflections....  

and I got to thinking...  

my family gave up walking with me as I wouldn't, couldn't keep up, keep in pace, keep engaged with the conversation - so much to see, so many bright shiny things to distract me, to make me dart off, duck low to catch the light, back track to see... what WAS that thingy I just saw, ooooh look at that pattern in the sand, oh wow! bubbles going in circles! oh my! look at the colour of the sea, AGAIN! 

So, yes I got to thinking...    

there's often criticism that people should stop seeing the world through their devices and look at what's actually in front of them in the real world, in the here and now. And yes, I totally agree especially when I see people constantly stopping to take selfies in front of this, in front of that. And I was feeling self-conscious about repeatedly stopping to take photos. Then, the more I looked, for the right angle to capture a particular reflection, a glint of light, a pattern, a detail, the more I looked for more to see. I realized that in looking for things to catch my eye, I looked harder and closer and perhaps I saw more. I know I saw more than if I had just simply walked down the beach discussing the news of the day! 

Here's a mere snippet of the smorgasbord of "yum!" I saw on my walk:

 

Ye Olde Mangle revisited:construction of the bed

I regularly get inquiries about how my mangle was converted to a printing press.

The short answer is, I asked hubby if he was up for a challenge, he said, "you bet!" and next thing (sort of) I had a converted mangle ready to go!

To read the longer version of the conversion with accompanying photos 

go to my earlier blog posts here.

Further to previous info however, I am frequently asked how certain aspects of the mangle were dealt with, in particular how the bed was attached to the mangle. There were no "plans" to speak of, it was just a case of "make it up as you go along" and trial and error.

So, here goes an attempt at an explanation:

This first pic was taken before the wooden runners were added. It shows how L-shaped metal sections were added to support wooden runners which the bed will slide along.

There is one shorter length which runs through under the mangle and is bolted to the frame of the mangle on both sides and beneath the rollers as seen in this next photo. (This section has the right-angle facing downwards and towards the rollers. )

Two shorter sections are then bolted, one on either side of the rollers, to the lengths of metal beneath it, this time the right-angle facing upwards and again towards the rollers. 

Rimu runners are bolted to these L-shaped metal supports, stopping just short of the bottom roller. The top of the wooden runner is flush with the top of the bottom roller. 

The bed (in my case laminated hardboard continues to work just fine) glides along these runners.

Four threaded rods are used to hold everything square from one side of the frame to the other, two in the base of the mangle, one at each outer end of the metal bed runners.

There has been some on-going tweaking happening in regards to the tension of the springs.

 The best tip I learned however that has helped me the most in setting up the mangle to print successfully in a number of print mediums is the use of runners of different thicknesses to hold the rollers apart to the desired amount. Unlike a printing press where the rollers are raised and lowered to set the pressure and/or clearance for different thicknesses of plates, the mangle is sprung so even if you release the pressure the rollers are still sitting firmly on the bed. This is where runners come in! I have a selection of runners of different thicknesses that I insert under the top roller meaning I can go from printing monotype surfaces, drypoint and etching to linocut or woodcut with a quick change.

Hope this info is helpful for those lucky enough to find an old mangle to give new life too.

Here's a wee pic from a visitor to my blog, 

of a converted Ewbank mangle, a lot like mine, 

apparently rescued from being sent to the dump! 

Whew! 

Cool idea for a different way to make the bed - could allow for extra storage too.

I'd love to see/ hear from you 

with any images of your mangles 

before, during and after their make-overs!

Vie du Pacifique - Pacific Perimeter Print Exchange

This exhibition of prints opened recently at Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa, 

coordinated and curated by Celia Walker.

The project is an international exchange between print studios from around the Pacific perimeter and coordinated by  Jennifer Sanzaro-Nishimura and Jennifer Stuerzl in Australia. A group of five printmakers from Studio Printmakers were invited to take part and the inaugural exhibition of the exchange took place at Impress Studio and Gallery in Brisbane in November 2016.

The exhibition at Estuary Arts Centre includes the works of the printmakers from Studio Printmakers who took part plus a selection of prints from the previous exchange project including prints from Chile, Philippines, Vanuatu, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. 

Artists were invited to "explore their relationship with the Pacific Ocean culturally, as a source of life and beauty, a source of food, an element of nature and as a place of travel and recreation. They could also take into consideration the dumping ground for human and industrial discardments it has become, and other environmental or political concerns."

The full set of prints from the recent 2016 exchange will be exhibited at 

Whangarei Art Museum from 28th August to 26th September, 2017. 

The full collection of prints will then go into the art gallery's collection.

Participating Studio Printmakers members include 

Celia Walker, Kheang Ov, Nicola Ov, 

Ina Arraoui and Toni Hartill.

"Lifeblood" by Toni Hartill
Caustic etch lino, monotype, blind emboss.

My statement for my work:

 "Growing up in NZ meant I was never far from the sea whether we were in it, on it or under it. The sea is my anchor. It's where I feel grounded and where I return when in need of solace. It’s in my lifeblood through generations of seafaring folk. It’s integral to my identity as a New Zealander growing up with Maori mythology entwining our relationship to this land, Aotearoa and to the sea, te moana. To be at sea under an infinite sky allows me to put the woes of a modern world into perspective and to simply be in the moment."

I hoped to convey a sense of  my relationship with the ocean via an almost meditative quality through the use of printed and embossed patterning.  

A selection of prints for the previous print exchange 

are on display with the five recent works 

until 2nd April, 2017.

Thanks to Celia Walker for all her work in making this project 

happen in New Zealand for the 2016 project.

Its always great working with you!

William Barnhart Workshop

Recently I was lucky enough to participate in one of a series of two-day workshops tutored by Arizona artist William Barnhart. The workshops were held at Studio Printmakers' studio where I am a member. This is a collective printmaking group based in Auckland, NZ. Visit their website to find out more here.

Bill is a painter, sculptor and printmaker. I first became aware of his printmaking when his work was selected as one of the winning artists for the 2015 Mini Print International of Cadaques. In this workshop he shared his techniques for drypoint, monoprint wiping and chine colle as used for his Mini Print works.

The morning of the first day was spent doing drawing exercises to free up our drawing lines. This began simply enough with drawing circles and ovals and moved on to continuous line drawings - a great way to draw. 

The session ended with us all drawing with lengths of dowel taped to our wrong/other arm with a pencil taped to the end of the dowel. Definitely frees you up! And great fun too!

Next we moved on to watching Bill demo the process from whoa to go. 

William Barnhart demonstrates his drypoint technique.

William Barnhart demonstrates his wiping techniques.

William Barnhart's completed exemplar
using drypoint and chine colle.

Then we got stuck in to create our own works.

William Barnhart workshop in progress at Studio Printmakers.

The drying rack soon filled up with our works.

Another exemplar by William Barnhart.

I was pleasantly surprised with what I produced. I had gone along with some images based around themes I am currently working with and an open mind as to how I might use them.

Bill's process gelled with me and I found that I was able to translate his instructions into my own way of working. I had no idea what I would create in this workshop so it was exciting to see what I came up with - very different from anything else I have done, yet still "me."

Drypoint, chine colle prints by Toni Hartill.

There was a huge variety of works produced in this workshop and in the following one the next weekend. Great to see everyone shining through in their own unique ways.

Wiliam Barnhart drypoint, chine colle workshop
at Studio Printmakers.

Since the workshop I had a couple of days in my studio playing with the process further to see if it was all a fluke. 

First I printed a variation on one of my plates created in the workshop.

Drypoint, chine colle print by Toni Hartill.

 I then created a series of mini prints from a new plate playing with colour, composition and wiping. I was also interested to see how well the plate would print multiple times. 

So far it was holding up just fine.

Mini drypoints by Toni Hartill.

Mini drypoint by Toni Hartill.

I really quite like the "comic book" quality of these prints. 

Something more for me to explore further.

A BIG thanks to Bill for his fun and inspirational teaching!