Printmaking Process - Screenprinting with NZ artist Tony Ogle

In this very short video you can watch the successive colours being added to a new screenprint by NZ printmaker Tony Ogle.   We put together a slide show of photographs taken in his studio over the past month. Each colour is hand-mixed then added layer by layer.  The print he is working on is his latest limited edition screenprint "Harotaonga" released in September 2015.

Tony Ogle talks about his new print "Matapouri Window"

Tony Ogle

Tony Ogle doesn't produce a lot of prints.  Sure, viewed as a single collection created over several decades he has amassed an impressive body of artwork but it has actually been a six month wait for a new print since his last edition (Time Out Tongaporutu) arrived in stock right at the end of 2011. In Tony's latest print "Matapouri Window" shown here the artist returns to his geographical roots. Many years ago Ogle, together with fellow printmaker Tom Burnett, established a screenprinting workshop at Matapouri Bay, a charming sandy beach 40 minutes from Whangarei and 5 minutes from the fishing mecca of Tutukaka.

Compositionally the print uses the device of a window to create a view within a view. Tony says it's an idea with a venerable tradition in art history, "It works well to create depth and gives the impression of a picture within a picture. (a frame within a frame)" and he says "people love 'views'". Matapouri Window is a deliciously colourful print, an exhuberant celebration of screenprinting technique that lines up multiple colours perfectly. There are actually a total of 17 separate solid colours and 2 grey glazes used to make this print. It transports the viewer to Northland, to a time of year and day and to a state of mind. As we say in our catalogue listing, it is "the quintessential Tony Ogle print".

"Matapouri Window" new 19 colour handmade print by Tony Ogle

Tony Ogle has been working as a printmaker for a long time but when we asked him how long it took to print with the complexity of "Matapouri Window" he told us that he spent "6 days working on separations off the original. 1 day preparing the screens, 2 and a half days mixing colours. I averaged 3 colours printed on the 200 sheets so approx. 7 days of printing." As a comparison Dame Robin White when she was asked about her early printmaking experiences in our May interview, she said "I started in the beginning of March and worked on [the print] full-time and finished it about the first week of April, so it took me well over a month - working every day, eight hours a day or sometimes more". Printmaking by hand is definitely hard work being technically demanding and time-consuming.

"What about the complexity of the image?" NZ Art Print News asked Tony "Did you have a higher number of A/Ps (Artist Proofs) than normal to get the registration right on all those stripes?". Ogle told us he had "Only 3 complete rejects plus a small number that can be successfully hand retouched. Successful registration relies on a number of factors - accurate separations firstly, lining up registration marks on screens and care placing paper into registration tabs on the table."

And lastly we asked Tony about overglaze that he has used for the first time to accent the shadows and add further depth to the print. He told us that "Glaze consists mainly of clear acrylic solution - so it is very watery compared to creamy paint. A small amount of black was mixed in to give the shadow effect whilst allowing the colours to still show through." We had heard that the glaze had been a bit tricky to apply. Tony said ruefully that "Any hair or chip of paint lying on the surface of the print will be highlighted  by a glaze not overprinted like other colours so keeping things clean is important. Also you need to give the prints time to dry properly otherwise the glaze will stick to the paper when stacked up."

This new print is already selling steadily despite being listed for sale for just a few days so far. If you collect the work of Tony Ogle "Matapouri Window" is highly recommended as it is large, technically complex and extremely attractive - you can buy this print online here or call NZ Fine Prints on 0800 800 278.

List of sold out Tony Ogle editions since 2000

With an output of only 3-5 handmade editions annually Tony has not been very prolific despite a career spanning 30 years so far. We get lots of enquiries about whether particular Tony Ogle prints that no longer appear in Tony's collection at Prints.co.nz are still available.  Usually these are the result of people ogling (hee hee) a print they have seen that they would like to buy for themselves.  Unfortunately the answer is always no, because once an edition has sold out Tony never does another edition of the same print. Below is a summary for collectors by year of Tony's sold out editions from the last decade - it is safe to assume all prints dated before 2000 are sold out. 

2008
Fisherman's Cove

2007
Crimson Ridge
Matapouri Bach

2006
Tawharanui
Back Beach Bach
Days End

2005
Cathedral Cove Reserve

2004
Whale Bay Raglan
Red Couch' - Whangapoua Beach

2003
First Sight - Pohutukawa Point
Hahei Hideaway
Days End Te Henga
Kauwahaia Island & Erangi Pt O'Neills

2002
Rawhiti Coastline
Cabbage Trees - Waewaetoria Island
Hahei Pa & Islands

2001
Heaphy Track Nikau
Surf Check - Hot Water Beach
Ihumoana Island - Te Henga
Back to the Bach

2000
Great Barrier Summer
Century Agave
Piha Sunset

"Okiwi Crossing" Printmaker: Tony Ogle 600 x 360mm

All prints currently available from this talented NZ printmaker (including his latest releases in 2011) are listed in the Tony Ogle collection at NZ's specialist art print store.  The next edition to sell out will almost definitely be "Okiwi Crossing" (shown here), we have only two A/Ps (the rare artist proofs) left in stock today.

Two New Editions from Tony Ogle

Tony Ogle Print Hammock and Bach

NZ Printmaker Tony Ogle

Reputedly "Cathy's place at Bethell's [Beach]" "Hammock and Bach" was Tony Ogle's last print of 2010.  As with all of Ogle's fine art prints "Hammock and Bach" began as a detailed painting on board from which each individual colour is then hand separated. These separations became the stencils on the screens through which each colour is printed (some Ogle prints have up to 25 individually printed colours). The printing process involves a careful alignment and registration and constant checking for quality problems. The colours of all Tony's prints are hand-mixed and give the image a very real handmade feel and quality.  Hammock and Bach is an edition of 200. (NB for readers outside of NZ "bach" is the coloquial New Zealand expression for a holiday home).

Caravan Window, Tony's first print in 2011

Tony's first print of 2011 is "Caravan Window".  Here the kiwiana style beachside scene is cleverly framed by an oval window that echoes the shape of the caravan windows in the foreground.  A tyre rope swing hangs from the branches of the pohutukawa tree.  Edition of 180, image dimensions 450 x 180mm.   Tony subscribes to single edition productions only, he says "a true Limited Edition Fine Art Print [should be] limited to one edition, each being numbered and signed individually by the Artist. Once the Edition has sold out it should not be repeated otherwise the value of the works is compromised."   In the long term this is what gives the artworks value over time.

Latest Tony Ogle Prints

Tony Ogle has released a new print, a large work of art called "Indicators - Raglan".  This is one of Ogle's surfing series of prints - the surf break at Raglan is world famous and is the first point of three, hence for surfers down the line looking up at the first point they can see the 'Indication" of larger waves coming which gave this print its name - 'Indicators". 

We asked Tony if his latest print (pictured above) was a conscious departure from his previous art.  He told us that "yes it is somewhat of a departure in style although I have been painting in a similar way using a very textured surface (hessian/jute) and painting highlights out of a black background to complete the work. So this print borrows from that technique - the subject was worked up larger in white on black painted jute to emphasize the texture and gritty feel which pertains to the wild beauty of the West Coast."  We then asked Ogle about the brooding, darker style of "Indicators - Raglan" and how he acheived this effect. Tony told us "When the black on white image was completed I had filmwork done and then proceeded to underlay the colour resulting in the finished print work. I have consciously  tried to capture the moody brooding aspect of the West Coast."

As an aside - Tony has also reviewed the prices for buyers of his prints back in early October.  Because of this we are going to be updating all the prices for Tony Ogle's prints, at the moment all of Tony's artworks are still for sale at the old price.

New Tony Ogle Print - Breakaway Bay

It's always exciting to unwrap a new print from the art studio of leading NZ printmaker Tony Ogle.  The smell of fresh ink is still strong when we take the new prints out of the carefully packed layers of tissue and this sensory treat is followed by the immediate visceral emotional response to Tony's incredibly evocative pictures of NZ coastal scenes that brings on a strangely nostalgic yearning to be out of our inner city gallery to be at one with nature at the beach.  Tony's prints could be a secret weapon to reverse the exodus of kiwis moving overseas - they should be given as gifts to lure home expatriates by the NZ government because they create such a sense of longing for Aotearoa!

Prominent New Zealand writer Graeme Lay encapsulates well the allure of the artwork of the person who is his favourite NZ artist when he writes "Tony Ogle is one of New Zealand's most talented and original landscape artists. His prints, in particular his coastal scenes, are notable for their vibrancy and captivating composition. No other New Zealand artist captures the unique allure and beauty of this country's coastal scenes so distinctively."

Tony says his new print, called simply "Breakaway Bay",  (and pictured here at right) had a very long gestation "this one started off as a pencil sketch some 10 years ago" he says, "[it's] great to get it completed".  Bearing in mind that Ogle has released this new print in New Zealand's mid-winter the artist is quick to add that this is a "vision of the coast in 6 months' time, roll on summer…"  Breakaway Bay is printed by hand, signed and then numbered the artist - this handmade edition is limited to just 200 prints.

NB: On the same day we have listed this new Tony Ogle print we are a wee bit sad to have co-incidentally found a buyer for the last print in the edition of "Crimson Ridge - Te Henga" this morning.  This was a beautiful example of print-making that really captured the essence of Auckland's West Coast which was one of our favourites.

Artist Tony Ogle returns to Matapouri Bay with new print

Tony Ogle (1959- ) is almost certainly New Zealand's favourite contemporary printmaker.  This morning I am delighted to announce the release of Tony's latest print - a superb edition that is in my view quite simply the quintessential Tony Ogle print.  It's an original handmade screenprint titled "Midday Matapouri" - a sun drenched image of a bach and caravan overlooking this beautiful sandy Northland beach.  In this print Tony is returning to the roots of his artistic practice - just after completing his Graphic Design Diploma at Auckland Institute of Technology Ogle and fellow print-maker Tom Burnett established one of New Zealand's earliest fine art screenprinting workshops in Matapouri Bay.

With well over two decades of printmaking experience Tony Ogle's prints are extremely confident and fluid in their depiction of what Tony sees as the very essence of the New Zealand landscape. There's a great quote from Tony on his page in our catalogue "Screen-printing allows me to express my love of the New Zealand landscape and ocean environment with strong colours in a direct and graphic manner".

Technical Information: Matapouri Bay is a handmade original screenprint. Edition of 180 printed, signed and numbered by Tony Ogle. Image size 400 x 260 millimetres.

Artist Tony Ogle sells out one print, two more about to go

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!

New Prints in Stock Today

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.

Summary of new prints added today.

• Keith Haring pop art prints from a leading French publisher
• Print of the famous Charles Ebbets New York depression era photograph of Lunch atop a Skyscraper 1932
• A couple of great posters by Klimt - also available framed
• 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
• Dick Frizzell - several new original prints including Overnight Success (the print of Frizzell's mum's pavlova recipe) and Leger Demain III
  
• A large good quality poster of a painting by master American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock for just $20
  

What is an original print?

I have been having an interesting discussion with Tony Ogle and Brad Novak about how we can best explain the differences between original prints like screenprints and reproduction prints. They have come up with some suggested additions to our FAQ.

What is an original print?
Original prints encompass different media such as screen prints, lithographs, etchings, woodcuts, linocuts and monoprints. Within an edition, each print is individually pulled from a screen, plate, or block. Generally created as limited editions of archival quality, and because of the skill and effort required to produce them, original prints potentially have a high investment value.

What is the difference between a giclee print and an original print?
Giclee prints are created using the Giclee printing process which uses a very sophisticated digital printer to deliver a fine stream of ink onto archival paper. Original prints differ, encompassing several media such as screen prints, lithographs and etchings (amongst others). Each print is individually pulled from a screen, plate, or block to create limited editions of archival quality.

How is an original print produced?
Original prints are produced in many different ways, generally as limited editions. The main techniques include screen printing and lithography. Each print is individually pulled from a screen, plate, or block. Their creation involves the mastery of a printing press with the artist often solely or heavily involved in the process.