So excited that my collagraph print “Two Magpies” was selected as a finalist in this year’s Art@TheRowers Aquisitive Exhibition at the Mosman Rowers Club. With over 160 entries and 53 finalists selected, the exhibition will judged by renowned Australian artist Tim Storrier. The exhibition is on from 3rd April till 19th April at the Mosman Rowers Club, 3 Centenary Drive, Mosman Bay.
ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2023 - Warringah Printmakers Studio
This year, I had two of my prints featured in the Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition. My “Walk this Way” magpie linocut and “Sulphur Cockatoo” drypoint were exhibited. Held at the Creative Space in Curl Curl 15th till 26th November, the exhibition showcases the work of members, students and tutors of the studio. This exhibition is an exhibition that showcases the broad variety of traditional printmaking techniques, such as linocut, woodcut and metal etching that the studio offers using safer printmaking techniques.
Hornsby Art Prize 2023 - Finalist
I am so honoured to be a finalist in this year’s Hornsby Art Prize with my Linocut print ‘The Magpie King’. There were a record 600 entries received from all around Australia, and 85 finalists selected. You can see my print and the other amazing artworks at the finalist exhibition from 20th October until 5th November at the Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, Hornsby.
Earth Greetings - 2024 Artist Diary and Calendar
It’s that time of year again! Yes, when we have a little freak out and realise that time is passing us way too fast and you never quite adjusted to 1989 and all of a sudden it’s about to be 2024. I mean, where are the hover-boards and flying cars??
Each year Earth Greetings release a collaborative artist calendar and diary that features the work of Australian artists. I’m delighted to be featured again, with two of my works, “Aussie Squawkers” and “ Willy Wagtails” included. I’m also loving the gold foil feature on the cover of the planner based on one of my red waratah illustrations. Head over to the Earth Greetings website to order your calendar and diary before they sell out.
CREATIVE OPEN 2023 - "Printmaking in Action"
Warringah Printmakers Studio participated in the Northern Beaches Creative Open this year. Held over four days (27-30 July), Creative Open is a winter arts festival on the Northern Beaches. Featuring exhibitions, open studios, walks and talks, performances and events, the festival is a great way for the public to go behind the scenes and meet local creators, writers and performers. The studio held an open studio over the four days, where we had an exhibition of works on paper with the theme “Printmaking in Action” and printmaking demonstrations. The purpose of the theme was to showcase the various printmaking techniques with clear definitions, grouping prints into categories so visitors could understand the process better. I exhibited two artworks in the exhibition, “The Magpie King”, a linocut with hand-colouring, and “On the Fence”, a drypoint with hand-colouring. I was pleased that “On the Fence” was sold during the exhibition, it’s always lovely seeing red dots :-)
My “The Magpie King” Linocut amongst the other prints showcasing the Linocut technique.
The Warringah Printmakers Studio was turned into an exhibition space for the weekend with printmaking demonstrations throughout the day.
ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2022 - Warringah Printmakers Studio
I had two works selected for Warringah Printmakers Studio Annual Exhibition. Held at the Creative Space in Curl Curl 16th till 26th June 2022, the exhibition showcases the work of members, students and tutors of the studio. Not only did it showcase the amazing talent of the exhibiting artists, it also is a exhibition that showcases the broad variety of traditional printmaking techniques, such as linocut, woodcut and metal etching. Often visitors who know little about printmaking techniques leave with a much greater appreciation of the medium.
Q&A with Earth Greetings Artist Negin Maddock: How her passion for art led to a complete career change.
I did a Q&A with the lovely Heide Hackworth, founder of Earth Greetings, over at their blog. Here it is below if you wanted to know a little more about my story:
Negin Maddock is an artist with a very scientific eye on the world. Her background as a mechanical engineer informs her beautifully detailed botanical designs, which she infuses with a touch of Australiana whimsy.
I spoke to Negin about how with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, and a decade long acedemic career under her arm, her passion for drawing and printmaking was activated by the birth of her second daughter - and a complete polar turnaround took place.
Tell me about your art, and how you create it.
I am an illustrator and printmaker and the main genre I explore is Australian native flora and fauna. I work mainly with watercolour and ink. I study my subject in as much detail as I can before starting on the final artwork. I start by sketching my subject and then add definition with ink, followed by adding colour with watercolour. I use watercolour in a very controlled manner, to add depth and dimensionality to my illustrations. My illustrations are generally bold in colour and have a playful feel. I illustrate each element separately and then use photoshop to complete the composition, layering flora and fauna in a jungle-like feel.
For my printmaking work, my favourite techniques are intaglio methods such as drypoint and metal plate etching. I am a member of the Warringah Printmakers Studio in Sydney and spend Tuesdays exploring these techniques with other printmakers. We have access to three large scale printing presses at the studio, so it's exciting to work on large scale pieces. I do a lot of linocut at my home studio as it's a flexible technique that doesn't require a printing press.
Can you tell me about your background, and what led you to becoming a full time artist?
I literally made a complete and polar opposite career change in my mid-30's! I studied Mechanical Engineering at university, and worked as a mechanical engineer for a year after graduation before deciding to go back to uni and complete a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. My PhD investigated the effect of pharmacological treatments on the mechanical properties of bone after a fracture. I worked for over a decade in academia here and overseas, publishing my research in journals and books. In my last position I was researching novel biomaterials for applications in implantable medical devices. What led me to become an artist? It's so much more than what I can fit in the answer of a blog, but to simplify it, I found myself at a junction after having my second daughter. I chose to explore the idea of turning my passion for drawing and printmaking into a career path. I'm still on that path and whether I hit another junction in the future is anyone's guess!
What are your biggest inspirations?
All the usual things, nature, bird watching, people watching, social media. Interestingly, my biggest inspirations have come from flicking through old magazines in waiting rooms and at the hairdresser!
Describe your typical day.
I start every morning with some form of cardio exercise, except Sundays. Then it's breakfast with the family. When it's not lock-down, it'd then be rounding up my 7 and 9 year old girls and getting them to school. Once I've got rid of the kids I can relax! After drop off, I get my morning coffee from one of the many great cafes in Bronte. I always get my coffee take-away and go for a stroll around the neighbourhood. I do this coffee-walk everyday and it is an absolute must for me, unless there's a cyclone or snow-storm or aliens invading earth. Then I head home and write out my to-do list for the day and get cracking at ticking each item off. The to-do list includes everything from work to-do's (work on a commission, package orders etc.) to household to-do's (hang the washing, change the sheets, eat chocolate, feed the kids). In my mind, if a task is not on the list, then it doesn't exist. I am in complete awe of people who don't need to write everything down!
How do you find the right balance between being both a creative and business person, and also a mother?
I certainly haven't found any balance yet! I think it's an impossible task to find the right balance (at least for a perfectionist). I write my daily to-do lists, and just focus on getting done what needs to be done on that day, and if I don't tick off all the to-do's, those to-do's just roll over to the next day or get scrapped; depending on how important they are.
What do you do when you are taking a break from making art?
I'm writing this during our strictest Sydney lockdown, so taking a break at the moment involves falling down the Instagram rabbit hole, till I'm watching cat videos, and then realise I've wasted hours of my life. In the "before times" my favourite type of break is a really long walk, not the exercise kind of power walk, but the walk-the-neighbourhood-streets kind of walk. I love looking at people's houses and gardens, and really love it when people take pride in their garden and tend to it themselves. I love watching daily life from afar. I find people and how they interact with each other fascinating. I think if I were a bird, I'd definitely be a human-watcher.
Printmaking - What is it?
So what is printmaking, and what is a printmaker? The answer is in the word - a printmaker is someone who, well, makes prints. Ahh the conundrum! This doesn’t help anyone who has never been exposed to the medium. Most people have heard of an “etching”, but they wouldn’t really know how that etching was created. And herein lays the problem with the term printmaking. Those naive to the medium do not fully understand, and therefore don’t appreciate, the time consuming and physical effort involved in creating art on a piece of paper. That piece of paper carries a hidden story, which is literally a journey. The journey starts with the idea and ends with a piece of paper, it’s what happens in between that is truly magical.
In simple terms, printmaking is the reproduction of multiple identical images from a single substrate. This substrate is commonly a metal plate or a piece of lino, and printmakers will refer to the substrate simply as “plates”. Printmaking is all about inking the substrate with ink, and then transferring the ink to paper using pressure to get the resulting image. How the plate is inked, and how the pressure is applied depends on the plate material and which technique you use.
There are two printmaking techniques which you should commit to memory: Intaglio (pronounced in-tah-lio, silent “g”) and Relief.
INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING
Intaglio processes require a printing press (just think rolling pin, but with enough pressure to break and flatten bones - don’t quote me on that). Intaglio methods are where scratches/grooves/etchings are made in the plate. The plate is covered in ink in such a way to make sure the ink is pushed into the grooves. But you only want to print where the grooves are, so you need to clean off the ink on the flat surfaces. This is where the whole wiping process takes place and can be pretty labour intensive. A flat palm of the hand and a thin smooth piece of paper is used to wipe the ink off in such a way that it doesn’t disturb the ink in the grooves, usually circular motions are used and in a way that reminds me of trying to polish a surface. At the end of the wiping process, the surface of the plate should be clean with ink left only in the grooves. The image is transferred to the paper using high pressure that essentially pushes the paper into the grooves which pick up the ink. A printing press is used to achieve this pressure. The plate is placed face up on the on the press bed, paper is placed on top of this plate, and then felt blankets are placed on top of the paper. Then this “felt-paper-plate” sandwich is rolled between two pins which squishes the paper into all the tiny minuscule depressions in the plate where the ink is. When it comes out the other side of the rolling pins, you very carefully pull away the felt blanket and then the paper, and voila: you have your print!
The intaglio method requires the paper to be damp to enable the movement of fibres into the microscopic grooves, and requires specialty printmaking paper that has long fibres that enables it to be dampened without dissintegrating and has directional stability, so it stretches and shrinks uniformly in all directions in response to being wet.
RELIEF PRINTMAKING
This method is the opposite to intaglio, where you ink the surfaces that are left to make the image (there’s no removal of ink in this process). Linocuts and woodcuts are a relief printmaking method. You carve away areas that you don’t want to print, and the surface areas left are inked up and transferred to paper. Relief methods don’t require the need for a printing press as you can transfer the image by placing a thin piece of printmaking paper on the blocks and rub/burnish the back of the paper with what’s called a barren to transfer the ink. For thicker papers you’d need more pressure and that’s where a press is useful.
Historically printmaking was not an art form, it was a trade that provided people with their books and newspapers. The modern day equivalent is our humble toner/inkjet printers. Anyone who prepares a simple word document on a computer and prints it out has essentially created a print. They can print this word document 50 times, each being identical, edition it, destroy the original word document, and voila! You have created a limited edition print!
Art-rageous! Winsor & Newton
I’m pretty excited that my art is featured as part of this year’s Winsor & Newton Christmas campaign, it’s pretty “artrageous” - I love a good play on words!
I really enjoyed working on this, I created two new Aussie characters for the campaign, the festive emu and wombat. I mean, who doesn’t love a snow emu and a gift bearing wombat?!
Go check out the Winsor & Newton catalogue, you’ll also find a picture of me on page 3! I’ve spotted them at Eckersley’s, but you’ll be able to find them at most art stores that stock Winsor & Newton products.
Some of My Favourite Things: Watercolours
Sap Green, Olive Green, Payne’s Gray, Alizarin Crimson. I don't think I could sleep at night without these four colour shades in my life. These are my must have colours in my palette. The majority of my watercolours are Winsor & Newton brand, I personally love the rich and high quality colour pigments they offer, but there are other great brands out there too. It’s a matter of experimenting and finding the ones that best suit your art practice.
I use the professional watercolour range in tubes, and use a folding plastic palette to hold my colours - due to its portability. It has 19 slanted wells that I squeeze a blob of colour in. I make sure to put the blob at the top of the “hill” so I can easily pull down small amounts of pigment into the well when needed. I also label the wells on the side of the palette with the colour that’s in it - just makes life a little easier, especially when you are first learning the different colour pigments. The flat areas of the palette are convenient for quick colour mixes, but I do most of my colour mixing on separate porcelain palettes. If you can, choose porcelain surfaces over plastic for mixing watercolours.
I have a lot more colours than the 19 wells allow, what colours you mostly use will dictate which ones get their own dedicated well. There are some colours that I don’t use as often anymore and they will most likely be replaced with another colour at some point. It takes a lot of experimenting and playing around with the pigments to really get to know the colours and how they interact with each other. So have some fun and get messy!
Love,
Negin x
Earth Greetings - 2021 Artist Diary
I’m excited for next year, who doesn’t want to get 2020 over and done with?! I’m even more excited now that the 2021 Earth Greetings Artist Diary will feature my art exclusively 😊 The 2021 planner is more than just something to keep track of dates and appointments, it is a tool that invites more inspiration, mindfulness and kindness into your life.
Some of the features include: week to a view, A5 size, hard cover, yearly calendar, dotted and lined pages for notes, Australian designed and made, 100% recycled paper.
Available from Earth Greetings and their stockists, this will make a lovely Christmas gift for that someone who loves being organised 😉
Love,
Negin x
Bushfire Memorial Service - February 2020
The summer of 2019-2020 for people in NSW was one of thick smoke blanketing Greater Sydney and bushfires raging throughout the state. It was a sombre summer for us, and one that has forever affected so many Australians. It was a summer where we collectively prayed for rain, and every night we went to bed in the hope for a better morning. The summer passed, the rains eventually came and the fires burned out, but at a cost. Lives were lost, homes destroyed and our native flora and fauna were major environmental casualties.
On Sunday 23rd February a State Memorial service was held to honour the 25 victims from the NSW fires. Words cannot describe how humbled I was to have my Flowering Gum artwork chosen as the cover art for the order of service.
We will not forget. We must take care of each other and our environment, and take every possible precaution to avoid this catastrophe from happening again.
Love,
Negin x
Overwintering Project - Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
I am honoured to have my artwork “In Transit” featured on the cover of the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery 6-monthly program brochure. “In Transit” is my submission to The Overwintering Project which will be showing at the gallery 6 December - 1 February 2020. “In Transit” is an edition of 5 prints depicting a Curlew Sandpiper in flight, using linocut, stamping and monoprint techniques.
Love,
Negin x
Finders Keepers
Barangaroo, Sydney 30 Nov - 2 Dec 2018
It was a truly amazing experience to be part of the Finders Keepers markets this summer as a debut stall holder. Held at The Cutaway at Barangaroo over three days. I met so many lovely people, and the constant stream of people kept me on my toes. If you haven’t had a chance to get to a Finders Keepers market before, you need to mark the next one in your diary, an amazing range of artisan products ranging from art, clothes, food, jewelry and so much more.
BEFORE
AFTER
Natural Collection Exhibition
I am so excited to have one of my pieces as part of the Natural Collection exhibition at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum.
My Barking Owl print titled “That was I, you heard last night” is on display with 28 other printmakers from Warringah Printmakers Studio. The prints in the exhibition each show the artist’s view of the endangered and vulnerable wildlife and habitats of the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, NSW.
Exhibiting from 19th October 2018 till 17 March 2019. Click here for exhibition details.
Species Statement:
Common Name: Barking Owl
Latin Name: Ninox Connivens
The Barking Owl is named after its distinctive call which sounds like the bark of a dog; a “woop-woop” call sounding more like a “woof-woof”. Growing to an average length of 40 cm and weighing 300-500 grams, the Barking Owl is referred to as a “Hawk-Owl” due to its facial features resembling that of a hawk rather than the distinctive heart-shaped face of the more commonly recognised “tyto-owls”, such as the barn-owl. This owl is also capable of making a much louder wailing sound, which was described by early settlers as the shrill screams of a woman being murdered; hence its other nick-name “Screaming Woman Bird”. It is native to Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea, choosing to occupy areas by lakes and rivers which provide the ideal breeding habitat such as large trees with hollows for nesting. The Barking Owl’s conservation status in NSW is “vulnerable”. Its population is distributed sparsely over NSW and its main threat in the Northern Beaches, as with other areas, are loss of habitat through clearing, fragmentation and degradation. Simply put; the species’ main threat is the presence of humans.
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns
Makers Mess Printmaking Workshop - Byron Bay
Oh wow! This was the most idyllic location for a workshop. It was so nice to leave Sydney for a couple of days and enjoy what Byron has to offer: pure serenity!
I had such a lovely time teaching here and meeting some amazing budding printmakers ;-)
Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea were so absolutely scrumptious, care of Taste Byron Bay.
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns
How to: Flatten Buckled Watercolour Paper
If you're anything like me, then you sometimes like to spontaneously paint on loose watercolour paper using a lot of water. The downside of painting on loose paper is the warping and buckling of it as it dries (the thinner the paper, the worse the warp). Buckled paper is a pain to work with. Especially if you're intending on scanning your work or want to take a photograph of it.
Here's a little trick I use for flattening paper after you have finished your masterpiece and let it dry.
What you need:
- Two pieces of cardboard the same size or larger than your paper (I like to use thick box board).
- Water sprayer bottle with the nozzle set to spray at a very fine mist.
- A flat surface you won't need to use for at least a day.
- Some super heavy books about the same size or larger than your paper.
What you do:
- Place your first piece of cardboard on your flat surface.
- Place your paper with the artwork FACE DOWN on top of the cardboard.
- Get your water sprayer bottle and spritz over the paper from a height of about 20cm. Cover the back of the paper with a light mist of water, the idea is you want to dampen the paper, NOT saturate it. Alternatively, do the spritzing on a CLEAN white towel to avoid dampening the cardboard. Remember, wet the BACK of your artwork.
- Place the second piece of cardboard on top of your lightly dampened paper. Place all the super heavy books you have on top and leave it for at least 24 hours.
- Since there is not much room for evaporation of the water from the paper while covered and under weight, sometimes (depending on the weather) after you lift all the books off, the paper will be flat but not 100% dry so may slightly warp again if left to air dry. If this is the case, let the paper air dry for an hour or so, and place it under the weight again for at least 24hrs again.
Tip: Get into the habit of storing all your paper under some sort of weight to ensure they stay flat and to keep them away from the light.
Voila! Now you have a relatively simple way to flatten your warped paper.
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns
Printmaking Demo at the Creative Space
I really enjoyed giving a printmaking demo yesterday at the Creative Space (Curl Curl) during our annual Warringah Printmakers Studio exhibition.
A great turn out and thank you to those who came along.
Everyone had a chance to see the various relief printmaking techniques and also have a go at carving into different substrates, inking up and printing an image.
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns
Artist Book: Natural Selection
Title: That was I, you heard last night.
Media/Technique: Direct-to-Plate Photopolymer Etching, hand coloured with water colour. Magnani Incisioni 220gsm paper.
Image Dimensions: 30 cm by 28 cm (H by W)
I am so honoured to be a part of this project. Showing at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum until 3rd September 2017.
29 artists from the Warringah Printmakers Studio were involved in this project. Each artist was assigned an endangered or vulnerable species of the Northern Beaches area. My assigned species was the Barking Owl (Ninox Connivens).
The Barking Owl is named after its distinctive call which sounds like the bark of a dog; a “woop-woop” call sounding more like a “woof-woof”. Growing to an average length of 40 cm and weighing 300-500 grams, the Barking Owl is referred to as a “Hawk-Owl” due to its facial features resembling that of a hawk rather than the distinctive heart-shaped face of the more commonly recognised “tyto-owls”, such as the barn-owl. This owl is also capable of making a much louder wailing sound, which was described by early settlers as the shrill screams of a woman being murdered; hence its other nick-name “Screaming Woman Bird”. It is native to Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea, choosing to occupy areas by lakes and rivers which provide the ideal breeding habitat such as large trees with hollows for nesting. The Barking Owl’s conservation status in NSW is “vulnerable”. Its population is distributed sparsely over NSW and its main threat in the Northern Beaches, as with other areas, are loss of habitat through clearing, fragmentation and degradation. Simply put; the species’ main threat is the presence of humans.
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns
ISCD Surface Designer of the Year Award 2017
So excited to have been the recipient of the 2017 Surface Designer of the Year award at the International School of Colour and Design last night.
As part of the award I will be collaborating with Emily Ziz Design Studio to release a collection of textiles and wallpapers in 2017.
I was also honoured to receive two industry awards: Highly Commended from Sheridan for my children's bed linen design and from Porter's Paints, the Award of Excellence, for my wallpaper design.
A big thank you to ISCD, Sheridan, Porter's Paints and Emily Ziz!
Love,
Negin Maddock
@negindesigns