Basil Hall Editions

Nena's birthday and Beth's farewell

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:04:00 +0930

Mats, Basil, Nena and visiting Melbourne printmaker Beth Conway celebrating Nena’s birthday in early February. Nena has almost been with us for four years and spent the whole day contending with streamers and balloons in her inking area today! We are sorry to lose Beth, who has spent a month here as a printer (on loan from Melbourne Etching Supplies). Beth has been assisting on Judy Watson’s Heron Island Suite and has survived the humidity and excitement of the Wet.

Don't just look at our blog!

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:39:00 +0930

Basil Hall Editions’ printers work on over 100 editions of prints a year. However, only a small fraction of these beautiful editions appear on our website, as we don’t offer all of them for sale ourselves.

Art Centres based in aboriginal communities, Galleries (such as Nomad Art in Darwin) and other Print Publishers (such as Grahame Galleries in Brisbane) usually commission us to collaborate with the artists to make the plates or blocks and then to hand print the work.

You will find many of these prints on their websites, so check out what we have in our own online shop AND have a look at a small sample at:

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www.nomadart.com.au (work we’ve done with many Top End & Central Australian communities, now in stock at Nomad, Darwin)

www.yirrkala.com (ongoing collaborations between Basil and Buku over 15 years)

www.durrmu.com.au (watch out for new etchings in 2010 too)

www.djilpinarts.org.au (four workshops’ worth of etchings and silkscreen prints!)

www.warlu.com (etchings and silkscreens since Basil’s first trip to Yuendumu in ‘97)

www.warmunart.com (not many left in stock from three trips; new ones in 2010!)

www.elchoarts.com (woodblock prints, the Elcho Panel and new etchings in 2010)

www.grahamegalleries.com (artist’s books and editions for Judy Watson)

John Wolseley returns to BHE in January 2010

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:30:00 +0930

John Wolseley has just been back at BHE in mid-January to complete some plate work and “edition” a series of frottaged monoprints he has done for the Nomad Art Project. John spent a week resolving one image, printing the “frottages” with Mats and commencing a new piece with Basil.

View of Skopelos town from above the Harbour

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0930

OK, we can’t help it, but here’s another shot of this gorgeous spot! If the Basil Hall Editions June printmaking workshop at Skopelos Foundation is a success, we’ll certainly think about doing another one. There are a number of artists whom we had really hoped to entice this year, but who were unable to make it this time, so we will get the invitations out earlier in 2011!

One more on the subject of Greece

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:35:51 +0930

Basil and Mats have volunteered their assistance in the printmaking studios at the Skopelos Foundation for the two week workshop with ten artists (mentioned below). When we are not all sitting here (a typical beach-side taverna) with our families, girlfriends or companions, we plan to be collaborating on some interesting prints which BHE may co-publish with the artists at a later date. At this stage in the planning, there are over 30 people in our party, so it won’t all be about ART!

Room with "What a view!"

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:27:34 +0930

Ten artists from around the world will share in a unique collaborative experience on Skopelos (seen here from our rented house above the harbour in June 2009) at the BHE Printmaking Workshops in June 2010. They are (Australian unless otherwise mentioned): Garry Shead, Mikael Kihlman (Sweden), Adam Rish, Radha Chandrashekaran (India), Judy Watson, Gary Shinfield, Belinda Fox, Christopher Croft (UK based), Peter Sharp and Akky van Ogtrop.

Happy New Year from all at BHE!

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:21:08 +0930

Basil and Mats are running an International Printmaking Workshop on Skopelos in Greece in June 2010! Here is a view of the Skopelos Foundation, where ten artists from Australia and around the world will meet up for two or three weeks of drawing, swimming, eating and, um, printmaking. The Foundation is the pair of white buildings about a quarter of the way across the picture above the boat’s superstructure. It comprises a full painting studio, printmaking workshop (etching, silkscreen and lithography), library, computer room and plenty more!

Darwin artist Meng Hoeschle works with Mats

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:13:06 +0930

Meng worked with Mats and Basil briefly before her Nomad art exhibition to produce a multi-plate colour etching based on the glass pieces in her Parap show. One plate was made by exposing a piece of old wire onto a photoplate; the second using softground. Here, the proud printer and artist stand happily by their proofs.

Pamela See visits from Brisbane

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:42:30 +0930

Acclaimed paper-cut artist, Pamela See has made her second visit to BHE to apply her skills to printmaking. Pamela has begun experimenting with woodcut and etching techniques in the last two years. Here she has exposed a small sample of cut paper onto an etching plate and is touching up in readiness for etching.

It's a bit damp in Darwin today

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:13:47 +0930

Angus Cameron shot this bustling street in downtown Parap on December 12. Traders were attempting to have their annual Christmas Market (just to the left of this scene) and Nomad Art would have hoped for a few passers by. Not a great day for Christmas shopping.

Another shot of Basil working with Judy Watson

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:09:55 +0930

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Inking up one of Judy’s new plates for Nomad Art’s exciting project for 2010. Thank you to Russell Craig and Jonathan Tse for allowing us once again to use QCA’s wonderful facility. (Photo courtesy of Alan Owen from QCA)

UK-based artist Christopher Croft at BHE December 09

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:53:59 +0930

Australian artist Christopher Croft, currently based in London, has spent a few days in Wet Season Darwin making the first in a proposed series of photo plate etchings from drawings on True Grain film. Here Chris and Basil study the first Bon a Tirer proof.

Tom Lewis and Djilpin mob here December 09

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:05:09 +0930

Tom E. Lewis, Leon George, Scott Hall, Frankie Lane and Roy Ashley are all here this week making new work for Djilpin’s Melbourne exhibition early next year. Here Tom and Mats enjoy posing around Tom’s early proof. The boys are enjoying a few days in the big city and have Mats running flat out to keep up with the plate work.

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!