John Hinds workshop on the 24 and 25 January on Techniques with Linocut was well attended and received. John is a master linocutter who has many years of experience and it shows around our workshop here at Firestation.

Dena Kahan took two groups on the 18 and 19th January respectively for a day of drawing and one of basic watercolour techniques. Everyone was pleased with what they learned from Dena. Here is the watercolour group learning about colours.....

Bronwyn Rees and her amazing technique for drypoint on acetate had a very successful workshop on the 14 & 15th January 2017. Eight talented printmakers came together and created a synergy of ideas that resulted in some wonderful works. Bronwyn was absolutely delighted with the group!

This year our postcard exhibition was with Hawkes Bay Printmakers from NZ, as well as with out constant partners PressNorth Printmakers from Townsville. Once again the works are diverse, using many different printmaking methods and expressing many different points of view.

Firestation Print Studio postcards

Hawkes Bay Printmakers (and venue for their exhibition opening)

PressNorth Printmakers

We again had Guy Begbie here at Firestation Print Studio teaching three different classes of book making. The first was really interesting... Dos a Dos which ended up being Dos a Dos a Dos as there were three "book" bound into one. The next day a few diehards did Perfect Single Sheet Binding which was more technical, but we all produced good results. Lastly, we had a huge class for Draw on your iPad like David Hockney which was really fun and people made very different but wonderful books at the end.

Firestation Print Studio and Atlanta Printmakers are NFP printmaking studios. We decided to do an exchange exhibition and this is the result. Pretty impressive!!!! So pleased. Congratulations to all the artists.

Sue Poggioli, one of our favourite remote members, worked hard to produce a heap of works for this show. I was overseas, so have had to rely on pictures from others.... but they look good!

Member Margaret Meadows and her two friends Susan Harris and Fay Valcanis combined to produce a wonderful pop up show of their differing methods all themed about Urchins (the sea variety). There was a lot of hilarity and champers involved and Fay wrote on FB: Exhibited my first work as part of Urchins Three, in collaboration with Margaret Meadows and Susan Harris. Thanks for the opportunity. We love helping people have their first exhibition!

Open Day this year was on the 20th August and we had a fun crowd. Allan Dabscheck and Wendy Leason were demonstrating the letterpress, we had printmakers on the big presses in the studio and upstairs, the Artist's studios were open as well. The gallery had the Remote Members show in it.

A very exciting exhibition by our remote members, some of whom I have never met. It is always exciting to open a package containing artworks, but to open a package from an artist whose work you've never seen is VERY exciting indeed. So we have had a ball!  I've had the very good fortune to be assisted by Rebecca, a young intern from the Catholic University.
Heres some pics and a video of the exhibition that Rebecca made (in two parts). Thanks Rebecca!
The exhibition was from 10th August to 3rd September.