Hawke's Bay is home to a host of talented artists. In this series, Summer Artscape, Linda Hall asks some questions about their work, lifestyle and plans for the future. Today we talk to Kathy Boyle.
First tell us a little about yourself
I grew up in Wellington, trained asa teacher and about 30 years ago moved to Napier. As long as I can remember I have always created art, tried pottery, painting, sculpture the lot, although drawing has always been a constant.
What is your main medium?
About 15 years ago I attended a printmaking night class and I was sold and I have made prints ever since. Printmaking workshops were not readily available in Hawke's Bay then so I spent a lot of time travelling backwards and forwards between Napier and Whanganui, learning as much I could about print. I am a founding member of the Print Council of New Zealand and I am their current chairperson. I attended EIT and graduated with a Bvad in 2010.
I enjoy experimenting, exploring and problem solving and printmaking offers me these endless creative possibilities. I use both traditional and non-traditional materials and techniques and am currently using print as the basis for creating 3D works.
What has been your most touching or amazing moment you've experienced as an artist?
A recent highlight was an invitation to present a masterclass on plaster printmaking at the Australian Inaugural Print Triennial in Mildura in October 2015, this led to several invitations to take workshops and a residency in Australia in 2016.
How do you budget your time (in the studio and out)?
I try to spend time in my studio every day. I work best under pressure and if I have an exhibition commitment then you will find me in the studio full time.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Both my immediate and the greater environment provide a source of inspiration for my work, my recent series of works "Cry me a river" were created to raise awareness of the plight of our rivers and more particularly the Ruataniwha dam project.
What are your plans for the future? My future plans are to just keep working as hard as I can, more immediately I have been invited to teach a workshop in Aberystwyth Wales in 2017, so UK here I come.
