Two-day exhibition of print-making

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

When people see references to printmaking, they often mistakenly assume it refers to commercial processes. The Gisborne Printmakers are prompt to dispel this misconception.

The Gisborne Printmakers will hold a two-day exhibition at Lysnar House this weekend, where there will be a showcase of some of their finished works, as well as live demonstrations of the printmaking process.

Printmaking from a variety of plates that are hand-made, is a craft going back to ancient cultures of Asia. It burst into popularity in Europe during the 1400’s with the invention of the printing press.

Artists such as the famed Albrecht Durer of Germany and many others thereafter from Rembrandt to Picasso, have been able to produce original art in multiples, making purchase of these affordable because for each plate there would be a limited edition.

Each print would be numbered and signed by the artist and no two works can ever be identical because of variations in everything from ink application to the paper used.

When the Gisborne Printmakers’ group began in 1976, zinc plate etching was the standard medium. Since then, collagraph, solar plate and dry-point print-making have been developed although zinc plates are still very popular.

Founding artist, Penny Ormerod from Wellington, never realised that the group would still be thriving 42 years later.

Local printmakers learned from the Print Council of New Zealand that the Gisborne Printmakers is the longest established group in the country.

Now the group is looking forward to the exhibition, which is on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm at the studio in Lysnar House behind Tairawhiti Museum.

The group is also preparing for a three-day workshop in February by acclaimed Dunedin print-maker, Lynn Taylor.

She has visited Gisborne previously and is an enthusiastic supporter of local print-makers.