Whanganui/Palmerston North REport June - August 2025
Julia Ellery and Rachel Stockley
March was our first regional meeting for the year. We shared our holiday challenge of making a print incorporating a recycled material element. It was interesting to see the different materials used to make the prints and the results were fantastic and generated plenty of talk and sharing of ideas. The printing surfaces and plates used were: tea-bags, drink bladders, tetra pak, floristry wrap, tin cans, cardboard, paper bags.
Rachel also gave a demo showing different ways to use stencils in print through a variety of materials and techniques. For our April meet we travelled to Pātea to visit Michaela Stoneman’s print studio. Michaela gave us a wonderful insight into her working practices. Her new studio space had us all drooling with envy. She talked us through letterpress, making artists’ books, and the processes she has been using in her latest monoprint works. The larger print scale she has been working in was not only impressive but very inspiring. She also talked about making charcoal and ink pigments. This really underlined the value of these types of visits.
A group of us also travelled to the Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford later in the month to visit the INKED exhibition that the Taranaki Print Group had put together. Alongside this were works from the WITT art and design students showcasing reductive relief print, screenprint and acid etching. A wonderful range of work from all those involved.
May is proving to be another busy print month. IMPRINT 2025: Contemporary NZ Printmakers Showcase is being held in our region at the Square Edge in Palmerston North thanks to the efforts of Jen Wiggle & Hamish Macaulay and all the participating print artists.
This contemporary print exhibition, along with a variety of print demos, has given great exposure to print in the region. The opening night saw a good turnout and the contributing artists talked about their inspiration and the processes behind their work.
Our May regional meet will see us sharing prints with poetry and Haiku as a theme. Vivienne Aitken, who was the recipient of the Gary Tricker summer school scholarship, will be bringing the work she made and sharing her experiences with us.
Looking ahead - A Retrospective of Julia Ellery’s work is planned for September. This will be held in Whanganui. Kathy Boyle and Heather Partel are working with Julia on this. Thank you to both for your valuable input. More details closer to the time, but keep it in mind for your calendars!