birds

A collection of lino-cut prints of tarāpuka, the black-billed gull. Printed on different colored papers and assembled like an Andy Warhol inspired poster, the work has a handmade driftwood frame to give the birds a home amongst the river debris.

*Have you seen this bird, original lino printing block*

The tarāpuka (black-billed gull) that featured in the photograph, Have you seen this bird? is repeated here in linocut prints. A reflected silhouette of the photograph was transferred to an offcut of lino and then carved. The resulting linocut was then printed with blue and white inks on a range of colored papers. Finally the resulting images were pasted to a board as if they had been put up on a billboard on the street to advertise an upcoming event. The handmade driftwood frame completes the work and gives the birds a home.

Lino cut for Have You Seen These Birds? and Have You Seen This Bird Too?

This work is being exhibited in the Ashburton Society of Arts 60th Annual Exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 1-26 July 2024.

During the 2023-24 summer, the Ashburton River, near the Ashburton Bridge was the home to a colony of endangered black-billed gulls (tarāpuka).

On Christmas Day 2023, I captured several photographs of these birds. It was a challenge to get a good shot. The nesting area was fenced off to protect the birds and they were very energetic.

Have you seen this bird?, photograph mounted on reclaimed wooden post, approx 150 x 150 x 400 mm.

I’ve mounted two prints of the photograph on the sides of a piece of reclaimed post to give the impression of a lost pet notice.

I have made other works based on this photograph. A collection of lino-cut prints, “Have you seen these birds?” and a stone carving “Have you seen this bird too?”.

This work is being exhibited in the Ashburton Society of Arts 60th Annual Exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery from 1-26 July 2024.