If an interior designer gave us the brief to decorate an entire building to showcase the best of what we stock BUT we were only allowed to use the prints of a single NZ artist - right now we'd recommend the superb range of prints by NZ painter, printmaker and composer Michael Smither.
Michael Smither with print
Printmaking is central to his artistic practice, we are sure that it is in his blood because we have been told that Smither's father was also able to screenprint!
Stones in Blue Bottle | Screenprint | Ed. 71
Shown here are a couple of our favourite Michael Smither prints. In particular we love the "Stones in a Blue Bottle" print because it brings the iconic Smither rockpool study indoors, a “still life with rock pools” and the "Coral Head with Fish" print because the depth of the image is astonishing and this print looks truly amazing with the right kind of lighting at night. These are the kinds of prints that stop people in their tracks to check them out even if they have no idea who the printmaker is because they are just magnificent in both ideas and execution.
Coral Head with Fish | Limited Edition Screenprint
We have just about completed the task of cataloguing all the prints that are currently still available from editions created by Smither from an entire lifetime of printmaking. Alongside Dick Frizzell this is one of the most significant and large bodies of work currently available to collectors of NZ prints and yes - in answer to another common question - it's Michael Smither prints that we have on the walls at home, he's definitely very well represented in our own personal collections.
On July 26th there was a panel discussion in Auckland at the Gus Fisher Gallery timed to co-incide with the opening of “Printmaking: Beyond the Frame”. Billed as “The Future of Printmaking in NZ” the discussion was led by the former Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland (and practising printmaker since 1975) Dr Carole Shepheard and Steve Lovett of the Manakau Institute of Technology Diploma of Visual Arts programme.
I was intrigued to read the useful summary of the discussion by Delwyn Archer, I was unable to hear the discussion first hand so I am grateful for her comprehensive notes.
What caught my attention was what seemed to be missing from the discussion - one obvious way to continue to strengthen printmaking in NZ is simply to grow the number of collectors.
Professional development and support are important issues, collaboration and comparison spur progress, but these are internally focussed within the printmaking community. I could only find one reference that wasn’t inwardly focused, when Dr Shepheard says printmakers should be making “amazing work that cannot be ignored”.
I think the printmaking community in NZ should have a much greater focus on the print collector and propose the modest goal of increasing the number of serious print buyers in NZ by 100 each year - a relatively small number which is surely achievable. After a decade that is an extra 1000 people purchasing say 10 prints a year, at $200 per print that's an extra $2m going to support printmakers.
The place to start on the path to achieving this goal is working through the media to educate the NZ public about the delights of collecting original prints.
NZ Fine Prints would be happy to financially support a campaign for greater awareness of original printmaking as a collectable artform to help achieve this goal of 100 new serious collectors in NZ each year. In return we need original printmakers to support our goal to offer a wider range of original prints to our customers (the first step is get in touch with me, I manage our catalogue of prints).
Encouraging more collectors of original prints will be a key factor in the future of printmaking in NZ looking back from 2024 and we are here to help.
NZ Fine Prints have a proven sales channel in place to support artists financially so they can get on with their practice. The internet has changed the way art is sold and NZ Fine Prints uniquely has nearly 50 years of print selling expertise in addition to 15 years experience of online selling. We are not shy about the commercial opportunities we can see for prints and printmaking and think it is ok to mention the financial benefits of print collecting - and we are print collectors ourselves.
In this article we’ll discuss where the real value long term actually lies in buying new prints that are sold as “limited edition”.
It's exciting that the monetary value of vintage posters, antique prints and editions by twentieth century NZ printmakers is being increasingly recognised by the wider art market. When rare NZ prints are being sold for tens of thousands of dollars those of us who bristle at hearing the phrase “it’s just a print” allow ourselves a tingle of satisfaction at collecting an artistic medium that had managed to remain wonderfully under-rated (ie cheap) for so long…
Essentially the fact a print is advertised as being a "limited edition" is not necessarily an indication of its long term value because limited edition prints come in two sorts.
1. The first kind of limited edition print is a reproduction of another artwork.
2. The second kind of limited edition print is a multiple original where the print is the end result of an artistic process, there is no other “original” artwork.
Limited edition reproduction of a painting by Brian Dahlberg
A limited edition reproduction can be a copy of an antique print (for instance the series of early prints of NZ published by Avon Fine Prints in the 1960s and 1970s) or a copy of a painting (for example this image from a collection of prints by contemporary Auckland painter Brian Dahlberg). A reproduction print can be printed offset (photolithography) or digitally (inkjet or giclee) but all are copies of another artwork.
Reproduction prints can be of astonishingly fine quality today, often printed on canvas and even in three dimensions including the frame - see the video demonstrating Canon's version of this latest technology that has not yet arrived in New Zealand...
The price a print buyer pays is often higher for a digital print which unless outrageously excessive can usually be justified by the higher costs involved compared to printing offset and the fact the buyer is receiving a superior quality print in return. Although the capital costs of owning digital printers have fallen dramatically especially given the recent strength of the NZ dollar there will never be the same economies of scale that you had with photolithography when you are printing in very short runs.
However in our view the high prices that were asked for reproduction prints printed using digital technology when the giclee revolution arrived in NZ a decade ago has led to confusion about the value of giclee reproduction prints today.
This period saw giclee reproduction prints of scenic NZ oil paintings being marketed at over a thousand dollars each, this pushed them up to the same pricepoint as editions from printmakers but in most cases without making the artists a lot of money because the cost structure to get them to market was so high. But critically this higher cost structure created an lingering expectation that because a higher price was paid for the print it would have to have some kind of long term value, an expectation that a print buyer must be purchasing something with a value that would endure beyond the decorative appeal of the print.
This initial high pricing was the result of the following combination of factors. The small size of the NZ market, the high cost of materials (inks and substrates), the fact there is no reduction in unit cost for multiple prints being printed at once (not economies of scale unlike photolithography), small numbers of prints being printed at once meant artists were effectively paying retail prices for their printing requirements and the fact that giclee prints were marked up galleries and other retailers by the same amount as offset reproduction prints rather than the smaller margin on what had been the previously more expensive prints, the original editions.
However the price you pay for a print is not always a good indication of its long term value.
We think that a limited edition reproduction print offers extra value for the print buyer if it is signed and numbered by the artist because there is value in knowing that your new artwork is not going to be seen everywhere (scarcity as well as decorative value). There is also a value in the actual signature of the artist - after all people buy autographs by themselves. The most valuable reproduction print in New Zealand are the signed versions of the 1920s era print of C.F. Goldie's "A Good Joke", valuing his signature at around $1000. For a contemporary NZ artist like Dick Frizzell his signature being added to an artwork is probably worth around $100, for example on the exhibition poster for the Blockbusters show we have for sale at the moment.
However for serious collectors a reproduction of another artwork is not going to hold its value as well as an original work of art - or in the case of prints, a multiple original.
"Scarcity and decorative value are weak factors in the secondary market when compared to an artwork with intrinsic skill and creativity that also has that magical resonance with art buyers that endures across more than one generation."
We try and make sure that in our marketing of a reproduction print that we stress the value to the buyer in the amazing quality, colour fidelity, large size and longevity of the inks offered in a modern print rather than a mysterious "collectable value". Print buyers of previous decades would have happily paid more for a print that won't fade for decades and looks just like the original painting, but even at a higher price these are still reproduction prints, not original editions, even if both categories of prints can truthfully be called "limited editions".
Two decades after they were published prints of paintings by Bolivian born artist Graciela Rodo Boulanger are topping the sales charts again in - of all places - New Zealand. The curious story of how a Latin American artist who worked mainly in France has recently become one of the top selling artists at NZ's specialist art print retailer, New Zealand Fine Prints.
About the artist
Born in 1935 in La Paz, the cultural capital of Bolivia in South America Graciela Rodo Boulanger's parents were a concert pianist and an art collector. A talented musician Rodo Boulanger studied in Vienna in 1952 and moved to Buenos Aires at the age of 22 to further her musical career. It was in Argentina that she embraced an artistic career path instead of continuing as a professional pianist. Rodo Boulanger has always considered printmaking a key part of her practice, she was working in a French engraver's studio in the early 1960s when she met and married French diplomat Claude Boulanger and by 1968 Boulanger had her own etching studio in Paris.
For most people their first exposure to the work of Graciela Rodo Boulanger was through a series of prints of her paintings such as "Holiday on Wheels" published by "Touchstone Publishers" starting in the mid 1970s.
Boulanger prints stored for over twenty years in New Zealand
Boulanger's Print "Girl with Cello"
A large number of these prints were imported into New Zealand from the publisher in the US. Prior to 1984 NZ had import licensing which meant distributors were incentivised to purchase ludicrously large amounts of prints at one time to use up their entire precious allocation of overseas funds once they had been granted a license. Back in those days NZ Fine Prints used to have a license to import prints for "educational purposes", at one point we had about twenty years supply of famous prints by artists like Van Gogh and Monet in stock for our market of just over 4 million people!
For twenty years the Boulanger prints sat in a warehouse in NZ, carefully stored in their orginal packaging until the advent of online shopping brought them to light again. Almost as soon as we listed the prints for sale online we began shipping Boulanger prints all over the world. We deliver for just $NZ15 (approximately $US10-12 depending on the exchange rate on the day) by Airmail and prints are wrapped in acid free tissue and packed in super solid cardboard mailing tubes so they will get to buyers in perfect condition. With worldwide demand both from new collectors of her work combined with people looking to buy pristine replacements of a favourite print that has faded or been damaged prints by Graciela Rodo Boulanger are outselling prints by NZ's most popular artists and printmakers in their own land!
Print supply running out due to buying online from around the world
However with a rapidly dwindling supply of prints, some titles (especially from her bicycle and musical themed series such as the girl with cello print that we have used to illustrate this article) are getting very low on stock. We have sold out of several prints over recent weeks and today have less than ten on hand of several titles listed for sale in the Graciela Rodo Boulanger collection at our gallery.
When the artist began publishing reproductions of her work nearly 40 years ago she would never have imagined that they would lie unsold for decades in a small country in the middle of the South Pacific only to re-appear in the top selling charts (albeit briefly) thanks to the magic of being able to search online for exactly the print you need from anywhere in the world.
Behind the Canvas: An insider's guide to the New Zealand art market by Warwick Henderson
Review of Behind the Canvas: An insider's guide to the New Zealand art market. By Warwick Henderson with a foreword by Hamish Keith. Published by New Holland Publishers. In bookstores now or purchase directly from Warwick Henderson Gallery here.
Our verdict:Indispensable.
Format
"Behind the Canvas" is structured in 10 chapters, starting with "A Brief History of the Art Market", taking you through "Building a New Zealand Art Collection" to "Selling Artwork" with diversions into the illuminating "Information and Advice for Artists" and "Fakes, Forgeries and Flops" along the way. A helpful "Recommended Reading and References" section rounds off the main part of the book. This is followed by in depth endnotes, exhaustive picture credits and a useful and thorough index (the book is well edited and nicely designed by Kate Stone and Kate Barraclough at New Holland).
Engaging & Informative
The soul of this publication is Henderson's ability to convey his enthusiasm for the the NZ art market in a delightful breezy style whilst filling the reader with knowledge. Readable, often funny and comprehensively informative Henderson de-mystifies collecting art in the affable manner of a kiwi Bill Bryson taking a complex topic and making it highly digestible.
There is an entertaining openness and disarming honesty about "Behind the Canvas", Henderson's mistakes are wryly dissected and not every purchase ends in triumph although lessons may be learned. The intersection between art and business is the central theme of the book, the role of the dealer balancing the needs of each side of the transaction is clearly explained. The interests and requirements of both collectors and artists are taken into consideration across the chapters, and aspiring (and perhaps competitive) dealers will learn a lot too!
A key influence on Henderson's approach to art dealing seems to have been one of the author's "first forays into a Wellington dealer gallery" where the dealer was "extremely personable and friendly - a typical Kiwi bloke and not the stereotypical snobby dealer". This book is in the tradition of making art accessible without dumbing it down that outlets like Peter McLeavey's gallery epitomised to the first generation of buyers of contemporary NZ art.
Prints
This writer expected the usual dismissive treatment of artists' prints but was pleasantly surprised when original prints were covered respectfully and some were even illustrated in the book. Early NZ prints were even mentioned as a possible starting point for a collection.
Online Sales
Likewise when the heading "E-Commerce Sites and Other Art Junk" leapt off the page to this reviewer (disclosure: I am the marketing manager at one of NZ's busiest art selling websites) what follows is a carefully nuanced review of the pitfalls of online sales of art from the vantage point of over 30 years in the industry that does not throw the ecommerce baby out with the bathwater. What was particularly interesting was the even handedness of the critique, Henderson is equally concerned about the sellers of artwork on sites like TradeMe being hoodwinked by savvy buyers as he is by buyers unwittingly buying mass produced paintings being passed off as original artworks.
Conclusion
The only disappointment is that with such a comprehensive book - Henderson wryly notes the "scope of the book grew much wider than I (or the publishers) had originally envisaged" - there may not be enough material for another book by this writer on this topic in the near future.
Creative New Zealand's visual arts budget would buy 100,000 copies of this book. This writer couldn't think of single better way of supporting the continued long term growth of the NZ art market than delivering this engaging, inspiring and practical book into 100,000 households tomorrow.
For many years New Zealand Fine Prints along with many other galleries and picture framers stocked prints of pencil sketches by NZ artist Peter Arnold. Arnold's drawings of popular places and buildings around NZ were originally published as prints in the 1980s. The different titles have gradually sold out over the past few years and are now completely out of print (sold out).
"One Tree Hill, Auckland" Print of a sketch by NZ artist Peter Arnold
However as a consequence of advertising Peter Arnold prints for sale at prints.co.nz until we sold out of the very last one just a few weeks ago we received a fairly steady stream of enquiries about whether a sketch by Peter Arnold was an original artwork or not - and also enquiries as to the value of what looks at first glance like an original pencil sketch by this artist. So if you are looking for information about this artist's work - perhaps having inherited a framed print/sketch - the perhaps unwelcome news is that you are almost certainly the owner of a reproduction print rather than an original artwork.
Confusingly these prints were sold both as black and white images and hand coloured (by the publisher, not the artist). Either coloured or uncoloured they are reproduction prints, not original (i.e. handmade - for example an etching) prints or sketches. Their value is decorative rather than investment, nicely framed they are worth around $NZ50 each.
An example of the artists' style is the print of Auckland's One Tree Hill illustrated here - there were at least a couple of dozen scenes published in this technique and of similar appearance.
If you are still convinced that you may have an original sketch rather than a reproduction we'd recommend getting an expert in paintings and drawings to take a look at the artwork in real life, try contacting an auctioneer of fine art near you or your local city council run art gallery.
Today Robyn Kahukiwa is continuing her sought after series of large scale prints in small editions with the latest release, Kahukura. Robyn says about this new print (shown here below, right) that "this 10 colour screenprint printed on Fabriano Artistico [watercolour paper that is double-sized 100% cotton and acid-free ] is part of a Native NZ series I have been painting for the last few years. Kahukura is the Maori name of the red admiral butterfly, and the Maori woman is shown with a kauwae or facial tattoo". There are only 30 prints in this edition which is being released today.
Kahukiwa is a contemporary Maori artist of Ngati Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngati Hau, Ngati Konohi and Whanau-a-Ruataupare descent. The background notes for a recent exhibtion at Dunedin's Hocken Library describe her beginning painting in 1967 as a young housebound mother in Greymouth. Kahukiwa's early influences included Paul Gauguin, Colin McCahon, and later, Frida Kahlo, but her individual style developed entirely without formal training. Much of her artwork is familiar to most New Zealanders from posters and books as well as her paintings in major art gallery collections throughout NZ. Kahukiwa wrote and illustrated children's books such as Taniwha (1986), Paikea (1993), The Koroua and the Mauri Stone (1994) and Kehua (1996). In collaboration with writer Patricia Grace, she produced The Kuia and the Spider (1981) Watercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street (1981), and Wahine Toa: Women in Maori Myth (1984). The curator of the Hocken exhibition wrote that "The importance of Maori knowing their whakapapa (ancestral lineage) is a dominant thread in Kahukiwa's work. She seeks to overlay the sense of disenfranchisement and flagging self-esteem felt by many Maori, with messages and symbols of hope, strength, and celebration." Her publisher, Reed Books, says that Robyn Kahukiwa has been painting and exhibiting art that celebrates contemporary socio-cultural issues that are "central to the Maori experience in Aotearoa New Zealand today but equally relevant to all indigenous peoples of the world; ranging over issues such as colonialism and the dispossession of indigenous people, motherhood and bloodties, social custom, mythology and political activism. "
Current head of Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, past Museum of New Zealand's Director of Art and Visual Culture and honoury Kaitiaki Maori (Curator of Maori Art at the Christchurch Art Gallery) Jonathan Mane-Wheoki has written of Robyn Kahukiwa that "No contemporary Maori woman artist is better known than Robyn Kahukiwa. Her images fit simultaneously into four different cultural contexts, those of Maori women's art, contemporary Maori art, contemporary New Zealand art and international indigenous art."
It's not just New Zealand art critics who laud the work of Robyn Kahukiwa. Leading British art critic and prolific writer Edward Lucie-Smith has published more than a hundred books in all, including more than sixty books about art, chiefly but not exclusively about contemporary work. He is generally regarded as the most prolific and the most widely published writer on art with sales for some titles totaling over 250,000 copies. A number of his art books, among them Movements in Art since 1945 , Visual Arts of the 20th Century, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Art Today are used as standard texts throughout the world. He has written extensively about Kahukiwa's work and sees both Gauguin and Deigo Rivera as key figures in the context of Robyn Kahukiwa's work. Like Rivera he sees Kahukiwa walking a tightrope stretched "between the desire to produce something that not only seemed indigenous but actually was so – in other words something true to a fundamental notion of [Maori-ness] – but also something comprehensible within the conventions of post-Renaissance European art." Lucie-Smith writes "when one looks at the evolution of her work one sees not only a restless exploration of new media and new ways of making art, but a determination both to make emphatically public works, which speak not only for herself but for the whole Maori community, as well as others designed primarily for private contemplation, Kahukiwa is one of a small but highly original and influential group of women painters of Maori descent who have greatly extended the range of recent New Zealand art, they have been able to speak to both communities – Maori and Pakeha."
Robyn has already had the honour of two nationwide touring solo exhibitions of her work, Wahine Toa (1983) and Mauri Ora (2002).
We are delighted to stock both Robyn's smaller, more affordable, series of limited edition screenprints on handmade paper and all three of her larger scale prints that are currently available in the Robyn Kahukiwa collection and all of Kahukiwa's prints are featured in our Maori art gallery. Please note however that there is only one print of Tino Rangatiratanga Tiki left in the edition - please order promptly to avoid disappointment.
Auckland auction house Art & Object reported recently that there had been "a string of [auction] results which we feel deserve special mention and which highlight the strength of an area of the market which is frequently overlooked and neglected: prints and multiples."
We had watched with interest the consignment of a superb private collection of 31 original New Zealand prints that included six prints by Robin White. Robin White has painted many of this country's most iconic images such as Sam Hunt at the Portobello Pub (1978), yet White was also a dedicated print maker. The three stand out prints of the auction were White's works Florence and Harbour Cone, Mangaweka and White Oystercatcher at Harbour Cone all of which were editions of 50. These editions reached unprecedented prices of $13 500, $10 406 and $14 906 respectively. According to Art & Object "As with the photography market, it seems at long last that collectors are now willing to pay five figure prices for iconic images irregardless of their multiple nature, if the condition is top notch."
We wonder what the highest price paid for a New Zealand print is? These prices for the Robin White works are a great result but our money would be on Gordon Walters. We'll have a dig through the auction records.
As I catalogue new prints that come in I am continually surprised by how little New Zealand photography is available for sale. Some of our top selling photographic prints and posters were published last century!
To remedy this we are working with some well known photographers like David Kerr to develop (no pun intended) an initial range of good contemporary New Zealand landscape photography. We are starting with a series of limited edition photographic prints of David's favourite photographs from several decades of work - like his famous photograph of the Four Square store on Waiheke Island pictured at right.
I would love to hear readers of New Zealand Art Print News what kind of NZ photography you would like to have available as large format prints. Special places or typical NZ scenes? Famous New Zealand photographers like Marti Friedlander or Peter Peyer? Leave me a comment...
I recently asked Peter to tell us more about his original prints - what is he trying to show and what inspires his most recent series of prints. Have a look at the main listing page for each of the screenprints listed in the Peter Lambert gallery to learn more about what Peter has to say about the new artwork from this popular Taranaki artist.
Tony Ogle is producing the best prints of his career. We are astonished at how fast print collectors are snapping up Ogle's editions in a matter of months. In recent days we have sold out of Sunset Piha (one of my all-time favourite New Zealand prints - it was a real wrench to part with the last one which I had actually put aside for my own collection when a colleague sold it!). Still in Service (the artwork of a tractor parked on a beach) and the classic kiwi bach picture Fisherman's Cove are now down to the last print of the edition. Once these last two prints have sold these editions will be gone forever. As always we put a print in the endangered prints gallery when it is about to sell out. Don't say we didn't warn you!
Steve Hikaiti released a new edition - called "Kia Kaha" - which translates from Maori as "Be Strong" in late 2009. Hikaiti has printed this contemporary tiki print in a very small edition of just 40. Under half of the prints remaining (I am writing this in late January). Steve's first series of prints are also selling well so we are looking forward to his first completely sold out print within the next few weeks.
After our busiest ever Xmas I have finally got some cataloging time to process some of the dozens of new prints that have arrived at our warehouse over the past few weeks. It has been all hands to the deck to get prints shipped around New Zealand and the world in time for Christmas day.
Tony Ogle sold out print called Still in Service - Tony has found an artists' proof when he moved from his long term residence in Bethels Beach to Gisborne
One of our prints - Queen with Moko by Barry Ross Smith has hit the national news via the Manawatu Standard's article that has been picked up Stuff.co.nz - the main news website for Fairfax media. Over 60 comments on the article already - mostly positive so far. We'll see where this goes...
After a much longer than expected journey from Wellington thanks to CourierPost I have finally been able to catalogue this morning a much anticipated print from one of our favourite contemporary artists, Otis Frizzell. This large and colourful print is both an exciting visual treat and an opportunity to raise money for our disaster relief in Samoa following the devastating Tsunami early this year.
In October 2009 Otis Frizzell (pictured left) was commissioned to complete an artwork to capture the generosity and response of donors to the New Zealand Red Cross Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund with the encouragement of New Zealand’s online giving website Givealittle.co.nz
The large mural, entitled "God Bless Samoa", was created by Otis in the foyer of Wellington's Te Papa over four days with members of the public watching the progress unfold. The resulting 8m by 2m artwork will be gifted to the people of Samoa once a suitable home is found. To keep a slice of this unique work in New Zealand a very small run of limited edition prints are now available with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the New Zealand Red Cross Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund. New Zealand Fine Prints are also donating all credit card transaction fees to ensure that the Red Cross Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund gets the full amount from each sale.
A new Dick Frizzell print arrived this morning. It is a collaborative work with Fane Flaws called "Cover Art". It celebrates the fact that well known artist and designer (and good friend of Frizzell) Flaws worked on the design for Dick's new book "Dick Frizzell: The Painter".
We are really looking forward to buying our office copy of "Dick Frizzell: The Painter" as soon as it is released on October 2 2009. From the publisher's blurb it promises to be a great read:
"Dick Frizzell's images populate our world - you find them on t-shirts, on TV ads, in shop windows, on wine bottles, on cushions and t-towels, and in art shows. People appropriate (or borrow) his images in much the same way that he too appropriated many of the images he has painted over the years. He's reached iconic status in NZ - we love him, he's one of our own. As Dick himself says with a surprised chuckle, "I'm just like the Topp Twins now - I can do no wrong, they all love me!"
Dick has a great story: After going to art school he found himself in his 20s married and with a young family to support. He worked in advertising until 1974, when his artistic urges made him leave the ad agency to take up working in the vege markets in the early hours of the day so that he could pursue his art.
His paintings combined the pragmatics of an adman's need for a compelling motif with the visceral pleasures of expressive modernist paintings. His first images of gaudy fish-tin labels and comic strip characters caught everyone's imaginations. Dick's talent, energy and his deadpan humour meant that his art was highly successful.
Dick Frizzell: The Painter contains all of his major paintings, the story of his life in his own thoughtful and highly articulate words, and an essay by Hamish Keith on Dick's work and its place in the New Zealand art world."
We'll post a review as soon as we get our hands on a copy!
Auckland contemporary print-maker Annie Sandano is today under pressure from her high st galleries to stop promoting her original prints through www.prints.co.nz
This is the first time we have heard of conventional gallery owners pressuring artists to stop selling their work through companies like New Zealand Fine Prints that primarily sell New Zealand artworks online. Is this something to do with the recession squeezing conventional galleries paying those high st rentals to be in the right suburbs we wonder?
Many conventional New Zealand galleries have superb online stores, lots of artists now sell direct from their own websites and companies like New Zealand Fine Prints, TradeMe and Artfind have helped artists grow their sales enormously over the last ten years.
Times have changed and of course artists should be reaching the largest possible audience for their work using the internet.
We say lets see who can sell the most prints for our artists and we'll continue to focus on our customers rather than our competitors - as we know that's what generates ongoing sales in the long term!
Auckland painter Steven Sacatos has released a series of prints of contemporary Auckland that are printed onto either fine art paper or directly onto genuine artists' canvas. Sacatos says he has spent the last twenty years "doing the starving artist thing" and returned to Auckland in 2006 after spending many years painting in Crete.
Sacatos' prints bring a fresh eye to some of Auckland's favourite places - pictured are Steven's views of a Sunday morning in Ponsonby and of Mt Eden. We are delighted to add Steven's work to the Auckland Printscollection at New Zealand's specialist art print store - we now have just on 90 different prints of Auckland in stock.
Barry Ross Smith (1964 - ) was born in Northland, New Zealand. Barry's mother was a school teacher and his father worked at Affco Freezing works and they lived in a small cottage on his uncle's farm. Barry trained as a sign writer and also worked as a commercial artist overseas for many years. Ross-Smith has now been painting professionally for nearly a decade and prints of his farming series have been among our most popular prints for the last few years. His art has also been acclaimed by critics including a terrific review that called Ross-Smith's paintings "hymns to rural New Zealand ... tellingly observed and cleverly rendered" [NZ Herald].
We are delighted to now have Barry's new series of giclee prints in stock - these extremely high quality prints continue his farming theme but there are also new beach, open edition and limited edition prints of Ross-Smith's work. Pictured are "Weathered" and an intriguing new print of the Queen with moko.
Arty Wright is the pseudonym for the artist who is probably New Zealand's most experienced printmaker. With over 50 years experience in the art of screenprinting Arty has collaborated with New Zealand's leading artists including Gordon Walters, Pat Hanly, Michael Smither, Dick Frizzell and Stanley Palmer. Here at New Zealand Fine Prints we are really excited that after all these years Arty has finally decided to put his thoughts and vast experience into producing a unique series of screenprints - the Trademark Series.
Wright tells us "the Trademark series brings to the public at large a glimpse of New Zealand nearly forgotten. The images on this series of prints date back to an era when the designs used on our manufactured goods were drawn by artists with pencil, pen, brush and ink. The artists largely remained anonymous, working either as employees of advertising companies or within the manufacturing company itself." In the spirit of the earlier anonymous artists Arty Wright has chosen to keep his identity secret as he salutes their bygone skills by producing this very special series of limited edition screenprints which are released today. Shown here are two of Arty Wright's new art prints, Salesman Tiki and All Backs.
Steve Hikaiti released a new edition - called "Kia Kaha" - which translates from Maori as "Be Strong" in late 2009. Hikaiti has printed this contemporary tiki print in a very small edition of just 40. Under half of the prints remaining (I am writing this in late January). Steve's first series of prints are also selling well so we are looking forward to his first completely sold out print within the next few weeks. 
After a much longer than expected journey from Wellington thanks to CourierPost I have finally been able to catalogue this morning a much anticipated print from one of our favourite contemporary artists, Otis Frizzell. This large and colourful print is both an exciting visual treat and an opportunity to raise money for our disaster relief in Samoa following the devastating Tsunami early this year.
Auckland painter Steven Sacatos has released a series of prints of contemporary Auckland that are printed onto either fine art paper or directly onto genuine artists' canvas. Sacatos says he has spent the last twenty years "doing the starving artist thing" and returned to Auckland in 2006 after spending many years painting in Crete.
collection at New Zealand's specialist art print store - we now have just on 90 different prints of Auckland in stock.
Barry Ross Smith (1964 - ) was born in Northland, New Zealand. Barry's mother was a school teacher and his father worked at Affco Freezing works and they lived in a small cottage on his uncle's farm. Barry trained as a sign writer and also worked as a commercial artist overseas for many years. Ross-Smith has now been painting professionally for nearly a decade and prints of his farming series have been among our most popular prints for the last few years. His art has also been acclaimed by critics including a terrific review that called Ross-Smith's paintings "hymns to rural New Zealand ... tellingly observed and cleverly rendered" [NZ Herald].
