Basil Hall Editions

Judy Watson Heron Island Project

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:07:14 +0930

University of Queensland Art Museum is currently hosting an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and works on paper by Judy Watson. The work was made by Judy during a residency on Heron Island earlier this year. Twenty one etchings form part of this new body of work. Judy has collaborated with Dian Dharmansjar in Cairns to make some of the plates, while Jonathan Tse at Queensland College of Art has made extensive colour proofs (seen at left, above). BHE staff will now be editioning the plates in January and February. Judy conducted a floortalk in mid-November and is seen here in front of a display of her zinc plates.

Basil works with Judy Watson in Brisbane

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:36:00 +0930

Judy is seen here applying a tusche wash to three aquatinted plates Basil brought with him from Darwin in November. In fact, Basil managed to carry 16kgs of zinc plate on Jetstar for his time with Judy, leaving himself 4kgs for his clothing for the week. Thanks for the loan of your T-shirts in Brisbane, Peter.

Prints off the back of a truck, Peppimenarti November

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:31:00 +0930

Here is our printing set up at the Peppimenarti workshop we ran recently for Durrmu Arts. Nena and Basil drove out along the corrugated road past Daly River with the press and other equipment on the back on the dual cab. As you can see, we didn’t bother to remove the press, and ran it over the tailgate, with splendid results. The artists worked on collagraphs and two plate colour etchings this time.

Fiona Hall, Jorg Schmeisser & John Wolseley at work

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0930

This termite mound has been well and truly captured from all angles. It can now be seen in various beautiful etching plates currently being drawn in Darwin at Basil Hall Editions, during a frantic 10 day period in late October. The artists are here courtesy of Nomad Art Productions, who arranged the funding and organised for a group of printmakers, gallery staff and visitors to camp at Baniyala in eastern Arnhem Land and work with Indigenous traditional owners. Nomad will jointly publish the resulting etchings and BHE will edition them in 2010.

John Wolseley starts to sketch at Baniyala

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:49:48 +0930

After two days of talks and exploration, the artists began to draw and work on plates and acetate at the VOQ (visitors centre) and in our campsite. We were joined each day by Djambawa, Marrirra Marawili, Mulkun Wirrpanda, Kathy Marawili and Marrnyula Munungurr. In late October John and Fiona will work with BHE staff in Darwin on their plates. Basil will then travel to Brisbane to continue with Judy on her proofing and to Canberra in November to assist Jorg. The exhibition will be put on by Nomad Art in Darwin during the Darwin Festival in 2010.

Djambawa introduces us to his country

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:41:07 +0930

Seen here are Jorg Schmeisser (back), Fiona Hall (hat), Djambawa Marawili and Howard Morphy during Djambawa’s generous introductory walk and talk through important burial grounds and significant sites along the beach at Baniyala. Official photographer, Peter Eve’s camera can also be spotted (and a bit of Peter).

Campsite at Baniyala October 2009

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:36:41 +0930

A view of the new camp set up at Baniyala by the community led by Djambawa Marawili. Basil’s sleeping platform is on the left. The camp has showers, toilets, a camp kitchen and eating shelter and is only a short walk from the beach and the visitors’ centre, where we held our workshop. A group of painted up dancers welcomed the group of weary travellers on the first night with a bungul in the small bungul ground in the centre of the picture. A buffalo was seen passing through the area one day too!

$2500 worth of etching plate waiting for collection

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:27:04 +0930

Delivery of the etching plates and assorted etching “nasties” for the Darwin Project in east Arnhem Land was a complicated business. Here some of the party are collecting the plates at a remote location on the Baniyala road on our way in to the outstation. A truck had driven past from Katherine and had dropped them off a day or two earlier at the “third culvert from the turnoff”, we had been told, so we were relieved to find them. The Wet still hasn’t started, but it won’t be long!

Jorg Schmeisser arrives for the Darwin Project

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0930

Seen here welcoming Jorg Schmeisser to BHE are Mats, Rue (still here!) and Basil (about to leave). Jorg is in the NT for Nomad Art’s latest expedition and project in east Arnhem Land. He was joined by Judy Watson, Fiona Hall and John Wolseley and, together with Aboriginal art expert Howard Morphy, photographer Peter Eve, ethno-botanist Glenn Wightman, Nomad staff and Basil, the group spent a week in October drawing and making plates at Baniyala, Djambawa Marawili’s homeland outstation, three hours’ drive south of Yirrkala.

National Gallery of Australia Guides visit

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:09:56 +0930

In August a group of 15 volunteer guides from the NGA visited the studio, armed with questions about the work BHE does now in over 20 communities. We hired 15 chairs and moved a press or two so they could be accommodated.

Elcho Island artists visit the studio

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:05:37 +0930

In September we were delighted to show a group of important Elcho Island artists around BHE. Seen with Basil are (l to r) Tommy Minburra, Judy Manany, Richard Gandhuwuy and Gali Gurruwiwi. Three of the artists had recently completed an etching workshop with Basil and Nadia Craig at Galiwin’ku, so it was good to be able to show them our studio set up.

Singapore artist and teacher Rue Abdul residency

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:58:46 +0930

Basil Hall Editions has had the company of Singapore teacher Rue Abdul for nearly three months. Rue has been making collagraphs, assisting in the studio (here she is blocking out a newly editioned etching by Isaac Cherel from WA) and providing Mats and Basil with cakes and Singaporean delicacies.

George Chaloupka visits during Helen Geier residency

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:54:00 +0930

Staff at Basil Hall Editions were happy to receive a visit from renowned rock art expert George Chaloupka in August. Here Mats is showing Helen and George a recently completed work by Old Man (Cherel) from Fitzroy Crossing.

Elcho Island Panel 2009

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:08:00 +0930

The first proof of the Elcho Island panel. Further adjustments have been made to some of the plates making up the image, including the one at the bottom left by Richard Gandawuy, but this is pretty much the way it will be editioned.

Orders can be made by emailing Dion Teasdale, Manager at Elcho Arts, on manager@elchoarts.com

Hmm. A couple of minor adjustments should do it!

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:04:00 +0930

Basil, Nena and Nadia examine the first proof of the Elcho Island Panel. Sixteen small etching plates, each featuring aspects of Elcho life and part of the map of the island have been printed onto a single sheet of Hahnemuhle paper. The small edition of less than 30 will be keenly sought after by island residents and collectors of Elcho Island art.

The first proof of the Elcho Island Panel

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:48:00 +0930

Nena Zanos, Basil Hall, Nadia Maini Craig and Mats Unden recently proofed the new Elcho Island Panel, made by 13 artists at Galiwin’ku in September 2009 during a recent workshop.

Helen Geier discussing a recent image

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:48:00 +0930

Here Helen is discussing the development of a new etching with BHE printer Nena Zanos and author Laura Murray Cree. Laura spent a week viewing the process and interviewing Helen and will write a piece about the new work in a catalogue to accompany the folio of prints.

Helen Geier at BHE for a new project

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:44:00 +0930

NSW artist Helen Geier has recently spent two weeks in Darwin working with Basil on a new folio of exquisite etchings. These have been based on installation photographs of segments of Helen’s exhibition pieces, seen at the Araluen Centre in Alice Springs in 2008. New additions to the images came out of her August 2009 trip to Kakadu and exhaustive proofing, involving most of the team and several innocent bystanders.

Proofing Maringka's new etching in Darwin

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:25:00 +0930

In addition to the folio set of 10 large-scale silkscreens, Tjungu Palya has just launched four new etchings at Nomad Art and Randall Fine Art. Nomad’s exhibition was opened by Basil in the Holiday Inn on Darwin’s Esplanade (during the Telstra Art Awards week) on Friday 14th August at 10.00am. A big crowd of locals and visiting gallery people and collectors was in attendance for the event, which was a combined opening with the Tiwi Art Network.

This fine etching by Maringka Baker is her first and represented a technical challenge for Basil and Mats. It was finally resolved on three plates and editioned to 60.

Wingu Tingima's new silkscreen print

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:20:00 +0930

Here is Wingu’s beautiful silkscreen. She painted the image onto sheets of acetate during a workshop conducted by Basil in Nyapari in March 2009. The work by the Tjungu Palya artists is particularly strong, owing to the involvement of Art Co-ordinator Amanda Dent, whose long-term association with Wingu and others at Nyapari has lead to close working relationships and a profound knowledge of their imagery and colours on her part.