It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact we are now well into the seventh month of the year – but here we are, and here is my first blog since launching my new website. Welcome!

City Gallery Wellington: Stella Brennan’s photographic installation *‘Thread Between Darkness and Light’*

This blog piece was originally started a few weeks ago while wrapped in a blanket on the sofa nursing a cold. It had been a busy month. It started with a call for Jury service and the surprise of having a print entry selected for the prestigious NZPPA award show, and ended with two trips to Hamilton, trips backwards and forwards to the courthouse (even on my birthday) for jury ballots where I luckily escaped being selected, a last-minute family trip to Auckland and the amazing Printopia Festival to accept a prize for my exhibition entry (very exciting), my new website being launched, attending six Friday night exhibition openings in a row and my significant other turning 60. And that was just May!

Sometimes life snowballs. I know it’s the same for everyone, but this winter – as we recover from the covid years and a devastating cyclone that battered the region I call home, it has made me evaluate what’s important. Don’t worry, I’m not going all sentimental on you. I’ve just become acutely aware of how art can have a significant impact on community wellbeing and, sometimes, from the artist’s perspective - how good it feels to get involved in giving back. By this I don’t mean working for free which is so often expected of artists (unlike any other profession). I mean contributing to a community project or two where your reward comes from the act of making connections, from creating, from being a cog in the wheel for making change or raising money for a worthwhile cause.

Mid-2022 I was invited to take part in a community project facilitated by the National Aquarium of New Zealand, which lucky for us is right here in my hometown of Napier, called ‘The Ocean and I’. I had an idea for creating a wall hanging for the front foyer using recycled packaging, highlighting my concern for the plight of marine life who share their natural habitat with billions of tonnes of plastic and rubbish created by humans. It took me a couple of months to make, and at 3.5 metres high it took some ingenuity to construct it in my single garage sized studio! I’d never made anything so large before and it was a valuable learning experience.

*The reverse side of the piece, joined with cloth tape*

At the end of the festival, the art that filled the aquarium was taken down, but mine stayed up. They said they liked it, and could they enjoy it a little longer. I said, of course and to cut a long story short, in May this year I decided to donate the artwork to the aquarium. They moved it to a more permanent position in the café and retail area, on a wall that fits the proportions of the work perfectly.

All this felt very natural to me, that it was the right thing to do. So, when my son (14) said that he had chosen to write about me for his assignment I wondered what he could possibly write about. He nominated me as a ‘good sort’ (whaaaat??) and wrote a beautiful piece about my contribution to the community which I am so grateful for. After this, I made it my mission to try and take part in one community project per year. Thank you Benji for showing me the importance, the value and positive impact of giving back.

‘Gone Sour’ in it’s permanent home at the National Aquarium of NZ
Prints and plates made from Tetra Pak milk substitute cartons

To kick off this idea I recently took part in ‘Art Feeds’ which is a new annual fundraiser organised by Vinci’s Pizza and the Boyd Dunlop Gallery, involving a multitude of local talented artists creating artworks from pizza boxes. The boxes caused quite a stir and are currently displayed at the Boyd Dunlop Gallery in Napier, alongside a silent auction with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the excellent ‘Nourished for Nil’ organisation. You can find out all about it on Instagram; @vincispizza and @boyddunlopgallery

My piece was called ‘Hungry’ and involved a great deal of cutting out! No print involved this time, just some good old spray paint and a set of $6 seed lights. It looks amazing at night.

*‘Hungry’ 2023, pizza box, spray paint & seed lights*

So, what happened in June?

A one-day trip to Wellington to visit several exhibitions with the MTG curatorial team was a highlight. I tagged along for the ride and I’m so glad I did.

When you make prints, sometimes it helps to look at other art that is not printmaking. Printmaking is a large, ever-expanding world but constantly researching the work of other printmakers can be restricting. Painters and sculptors, installation artists and performance, even fashion design and architecture can provide inspiration. Many artists cross genres as part of a multidisciplinary practice. I particularly enjoy painting; meaning to look at it, appreciate the process, understand the motivations, immerse myself in the work.

My favourite was the Stella Brennan’s breathtaking photographic installation ‘Thread Between Darkness and Light’ at City Gallery Wellington - totally my thing - more info here

Here are my other picks if you’re in the Wellington area:

· Dowse Art Museum: Unhinged exhibition

· The National Portrait Gallery: FacingTime: Portraits of Geoff by Euan Macleod exhibition (pictured)

· Solander Gallery: Must-see print gallery newly reopened after 18 months - exhibition

Thanks for reading this far, if you’ve got here! I’ll be sending out my blog to the universe periodically when I have something to say. Look out for the edition after my trip to the UK in September – this one will be full of juicy printmaking inspiration I am sure!

Remember to check out my upcoming Ink Moth printmaking classes here

Always inky,

Lisa x

Taking inspiration

Printmaking as important as painting