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Stanley Palmer still livesinMtEdeninAuckland,NewZealand,inoneofthoseuprightwoodenvillaswithcabbage

treesframingthefront.IvisitedhiminJune2012,wantingtocatchupasI’dseenhishandsomepublicationEast:StanleyPalmerinalocalbookstore.Thiscovershisprints,monoprintsandpaintingsaddressingtheeastcoastoftheNorthIsland,wherehespenthischildhood.Thebookvisuallydemonstratestheartist’spreoccupationwiththelandasitapproachesthesea.Therearehisvistaswithsmallislands,thencloserintherearethemanukafringedhillswitholdfarmhousesandgnarledpohutukawatreesattheirbase;itisallaboutnaturebeinguntouchedbyhumankindorincloseharmonywithit.GregoryO’Brien’sessayfor‘East’explains,theworksare‘after-images–accountsofwhatremains,aresidueoftimesspentjourneyingorinoneplace.’2Theprintsinparticular

holdmyattentionastheirmaterialitymakesthemparticularlyauthentic,giventhesubjectmatter.Theyareintaglio,madefromthesilkysideofbamboosheaths,whichhasbeendried,flattenedandcutintotimber-likepiecesbeforebeingbuttedandfixedtocardasamatrixreadyforprinting.Thestretchingofthehuskcreatesfinelinesthatholdtheinkasmuchastheengravedpartsdo.Itequateswiththehumanskinandwiththesenseofthenaturalworldstretching. Palmerinventedhisuniquemethodofdrypointin1967whenhewasteachingartataNorthShoresecondaryschool.HehadstartedasaprintmakerusingwoodcutsinthewayPicassoemployedreductionlinocut,withusuallyfiveseparatecolours.ForsubjectshelookedtocolonialAuckland,awarethatitwasalteringquicklyasthedevelopersmovedin.HedepictedearlysuburbslikeNewton(beforetheNorthernMotorway)and

Ponsonby.Expressionisticallytreated,theprintscharacteristicallyhadsmallhouseswithredroofssteppedupbesidenarrowroadswithwaywardpowerlines.OntheoutskirtsofthecityhemadeexcursionstotheWaitakere,toHuia,KareKare,Waiwera,AnawhataandKaramatura,placeswhereheusedhisbamboodrypointsformoody,turbulentpictureswhereawaterfallmightshinebetweenbouldersandnativepungamightgriparockcrevice.Heoftenradicallydarkenedthelandformssothattheycontrastedwiththewhiteofthesea.Whenastretchoflandnearthecoastroseuphighasarockyoutcrop,heemphasiseditandwheretreesweretwistedandbent,hedrewthemwithanalmostfebrileline.Sometimesanativebird(liketherarehuia)featuredinthesky.Inasensethesubjectsoftheseearlyreliefprintsandbamboodrypointswerehomagestothenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,althoughthoroughlymodernandintentionallyprovincial. Toprovidecolourinhisdrypoints,Palmeradoptedlithographicplates.Thesecarriedbrowns,burntsiennaandolivegreen,inksprintedunderandovertheengravedlinesandthesofthairlinecracks.Sometimes,bluecameintotheequation,butnotnecessarilyforliteraleffect;ratheritaddedtothebroodingqualityofahilloroffsetaprintproofedinarusttoneandneedingsomethinglikeindigo.Ilovedtheseprintswhentheyfirstemergedinthe1960s.Theywerelargeandgutsy,andnaturalcompanionstothepotteryofBarryBrickellandRoyCowan,withtheirtexturedsurfaces.TherewasasensewiththepotsandPalmer’sprintsandthenewarchitect-designedopen-planhomesbuiltintothelandscapethatNewZealandwaslookingcloselyatJapanandacknowledgingthatcountry’sappreciationofnatureanditsdedicationtohanga(theprint)andtheceramictradition.

by Dr Anne Kirker, Brisbane-basedartcuratorandwriter

The rub of place and connections: StanleyPalmer’sprints1960-1980

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'Howharditistoescapefromplaces.Howevercarefullyonegoestheyholdyou–youleavelittlebitsofyourselfflutteringonthefences–littleragsandshredsofyourverylife.’LetterfromKatherineMansfieldtoIdaBaker,19221

Stanley Palmer,Pohutukawaandisland–Mahurangi,1974,oneengravedbambooplateandthreezinclithographicplates,42.5x55.0cm

Stanley Palmer, House,Coromandel,1972,oneengravedbambooplateandthreezinclithographicplates,39.5x54.5cm

printcouncilofaustralia 29

From1960to1980,Palmerfocusedonprintmaking;notonlybambooengravingsbutalsoreductionwoodcuts.Later,monotypeswouldcomeintohisoeuvre.Attheheartofthisperiod,KeesandTinaHosopenedNewVisionGalleryincentralAuckland,whichfosteredartists’prints,sculptureandcraft.IremembertheGallery’sprintstockinlargebinsandregulardisplaysonthewalls.In1967,thePrintCouncilofNewZealand(PCNZ)wasestablishedalongthelinesofitsAustraliancounterpart.Infact,PalmerwasanearlychampionofthePCNZ,servingontheoriginalsteeringcommittee,andsupporteditsaimtobringprintartistsaroundthecountryintocontactwithoneanotherthroughnewslettersandanannualtouringexhibition;healsoexhibitedregularlyatNewVision(1962-1982).WhenthePCNZwasfounded,therewerefewdealergalleristsinNewZealandwhoappreciatedautographicprints,beingsuspiciousoftheirstatusas‘original’artworks;hencetheimportanceofNewVisionGalleryandofthefirstPrintCouncilexhibition.ItwasopenedbyUrsulaHoffatAucklandCityArtGalleryandcomprisedseventy-fourworksbysixteenparticipants.PalmerwasamongtheseearlymembersaswasMervynWilliams,PatHanlyandKeesHosfromAuckland,JohnDrawbridgeandKateCoolahanfromWellingtonandBarryCleavinfromChristchurch.Bytheclosureofthisexhibition,160printartistsandprintpatronshadsignedup. IntaglioprintmakingdominatedallsixexhibitionsmountedandtouredbythePCNZ(uptothelastonein1976),and

characteristicallyitincludedPalmer’sbambooengravings.AtthesametimetheseweresenttointernationalgraphicsexhibitionsinTokyo,LjubljanaandIndiaandin1972NewVisionorganisedPalmer’sRocksandSeaprintsforthe36thVeniceBiennale.ThenextyearhewasincludedintheWorldPrintExhibitioninSanFrancisco.InternationalexhibitionsalsocameforshowatthepublicgalleryinAuckland,RecentPrintsfromBritain,forinstance,andPaulWunderlichLithographs1949-1967.PrintmakinghadcomeofageininNewZealand.Bytheearly1970s,salesofeditionedworkshadincreased,bothsoloandgroupexhibitionsofthemwereheldregularlyatcommercialgalleriesandartistslikePalmerwereabletosetthemselvesupasfull-timeprintmakers. In1974,hetravelledtoEnglandandIreland,continentalEuropeandNorthAfrica.During1973–1976,anexhibitiontitled6x4,ofNewZealandandAustralianprints,touredbothcountrieswithPalmerincluded.However,bythetimeitfinishedthePCNZwaswindingupandattentionwasfocusedonalarge-scaleshowofNewZealandprintsatAucklandCityArtGalleryin1977.Palmerparticipatedinalloftheseevents.PerhapsinhindsightthefracturingofthePrintCouncilshouldhavebeenpreventedasbythe1980stheprintsceneinNewZealandhaddissipated.ForPalmerthismeantthathediversifiedhisstudiowork,producingdarkpencildrawings,watercoloursandmonotypesalongsidetheeditionedprints.Soonpaintingwouldfeaturestronglyinhisoeuvre.

WhileIhaveonlymentionedatwenty-yearperiodinthisaccount,StanleyPalmerhascontinuedproducingprintsuptothepresenttimealongwithhispaintingsinoilonlinen.BothactivitiesaresteepedinhisappreciationoftheNewZealandlandscapeatitsmostuntrammeled.Process-driven,theseprintsacknowledgethefactoftheirnostalgiaforthepast,yettheydonotfaithfullycopyalocationwithoutthesupportofmemory;theyareasynthesisofmemoryandobservation.Thereisamysticalandromanticqualitytotheselinear,soft-toned,tactileprintsasthoughPalmerispointingout‘theinherentfragilityandisolationoflivinginacountrysurroundedbyavastocean.’3IcanthinkofnootherprintartistinNewZealand/Aotearoawhoissoquintessentiallyregionalistinhispictorialworkandwhohasbeensoconsistentinhisproject.Heconsistentlysoundsanoteofcautionoverurbandevelopmentandremindsoneofthingsrural:thebackblocks,thelittlehousesonfarmproperties,theruggedlandscapeopentotheelementsandthemagnificenceofnativebushandbirdlife.•

References1. Textcopiedonacardbytheartistandshowntotheauthor

asanexampleofhowheseeshimselfasaNewZealander.2. GregoryO’Brien,essay,East:StanleyPalmer,CraigPotton

Publishing,2009,p.7.Aparallelbook,West:StanleyPalmer,Godwit(RandomHouse),2000,focusedontheSouthIsland’swestcoastaswellasAuckland’swestcoast.

3. TheartistquotedinIsabelHaarhaus,StanleyPalmer–TheNorthShoreYears,MairangiArtsCentre,exh.cat.,2004,np.

left Stanley Palmer, Thereaheadwasstretchedthesandyroadwithshallowpuddles,thesamesoakingbushesoneitherside,1985,twoengravedbambooplatesandtwozinclithographicplates,42x62cm,reversedimagerightStanley Palmer,RakauTapu,2010,twoengravedbambooplatesandtwolithographicplates,28x41cm

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