Vanessa Edwards
Vanessa Edwards
Drumming the Tree
Vanessa Edwards
I graduated from Taupo Quay School of the Arts in 2002, majoring in printmaking. Following that I opened my first studio with Rachael Garland in Whanganui and have based myself there ever since. Over the last 10 years I have worked predominantly in drypoint. I enjoy the quick and graphic nature of drypoint, I can create an image reasonably quickly and then spend time exploring layering, monoprinting and refining the drypoint technique.
More recently I have started working in the mixed media sgraffito technique of scratching through a dark surface to reveal a light tone beneath.
Alongside old techniques of sgraffito I am exploring new technology and printmaking, utilising the laser cutter and seeing how far I can push the image making through laser cutting collaged imagery into MDF and then printing that through a press.
I love the feel and smell of printmaking, the many processes and techniques to explore. Printmaking derives from drawing and I love that. More recently I am looking at the long term relevance of my work and where I see it fitting into the larger scheme of things. This has resulted in me looking into tikanga and matauranga maori and our mythology. How is our past relevant in the present/ future? I want to continue to reference past ideas so that they are not forgotten but rediscovered in a new way.
I have recently completed a sabbatical to complete my Masters in Maori Visual Arts through Toioho ki Apiti, Massey University, Palmerston North. I am a secondary school teacher and work to create opportunities for young artist and young Maori to explore their identity and ability through the visual arts. I am looking to complete my Masters of Maori Visual Arts over the next few years.
