This is where I post updates about work I’ve recently finished and new pieces of work I have in progress. As a printmaker, I hand-print multiple pieces of a work and create a limited edition (each piece is individually numbered and signed). These pieces can be reserved by purchasers as I work on them (as my editions often sell out as soon as they are completed). Reserving a piece does not mean you are obliged to buy it, simply that I will set one aside for you to decide on, before I make it publicly available for sale.
If you’d like to reserve or inquire about a piece you can contact me. If you’d like to be updated about new work you can email me with the subject line “Keep Me Updated” and I’ll let you know about new work (and also any upcoming workshops or exhibitions).
AUGUST LINOCUT: A multi-block linocut of the Maritime Pines, Pinus pinaster, found in Hagley Park along Harper Ave. I had often admired the way the tall trunks stretch into the sky and catch the light at different times of day
JULY DRYPOINT: A collection of 20 mini-prints, this work was created in response to a call for artists to create alternative views of the Selwyn district. It explores the curios found “Under the Shelterbelts” and their strange mix of death, life, beauty, repugnance, old and new.
JUNE LINOCUT: A ten layer reduction linocut of Kotukutuku, NZ tree Fuchsia. This flower seems to hold a special place in many people’s affections, so I wanted to portray it accurately and find a balance between showing how it’s flowers gleam, but are more muted than exotic fuchsia
MAY LINOCUT: This 13 layer linocut is based on a community notice I read that requested “Ladies a plate, gents a gold coin donation at the door”. I thought this encapsulated how casually women’s time is sometimes disregarded. I wanted to depict how much effort and how many ingredients go into a “plate”.
APRIL LINOCUT: For this linocut of Kaka Beak, Kowhai Ngutu-Kaka, I wanted to eliminate all background and foliage, and focus just on the twisting sculptural forms of the petals. This piece was created by building up ten layers of ink, printed by hand with a glass baren from a single piece of lino which was progressively carved away between each colour layer.
I also used a stencil to print the sepals, and wiped some of the ink away from the plate by hand to create a mixture of soft and hard edges.
MARCH LINOCUT: A linocut titled “Last Man Standing”. It is based on an old-man pine tree on Coaltrack Road that looks like it was once at the end of a stand of trees.
To me this picture seems to be a poem. Like any poem, it will make people think of different things. It makes me think of the passing of time, of loneliness, of the Canterbury landscape. It might make you think of generations past who planted these trees, of the men who felled them, of old age, of the sadness of trees gone, of resilience or of making space for new things.
FEBRUARY LINOCUT: Linocut of Nasturtiums and Parsley. This was my first time doing a proper jigsaw print (where pieces of lino are inked then intersected together) and as I also used the reduction method in parallel (where the lino is progressively carved away as layers of ink are added), this was quite ambitious to say the least. However, I wanted to use this method to keep the colours bright, the glass vase translucent, and the edges crisp. And it worked. I’m particularly pleased with the effect of the glass.
SKETCHBOOK: a few recent excerpts from my sketchbooks and printing experiments.
DECEMBER LINOCUT: “After the Storm” I loved watching this piece progress from a rough sketch on paper, through 7 layers of carving and printing, through challenges and breakthroughs, to the finished piece. It looks just as I’d hoped, capturing a moment when the late afternoon sun lit up the Canterbury landscape after a summer storm.
Soon-Lee Spicer - Artist 