Dry Point Etching + Watercolour - Unframed
Limited Edition of 10
Signed by Artist
This artwork ‘Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ngahere' celebrates the kererū as a spiritual presence in te ao Māori, both a taonga species and a symbol of balance, abundance, and relationship to the ngahere. The kererū, with its iridescent feathers and slow, steady flight, is a bird of quiet strength. This work sees the kererū as a living link between past and present, sky and soil, people and place. It is a bearer of knowledge, a sign of seasonal change, of forest survival and a spiritual messenger. To observe the kererū is to listen to an elder in motion. It teaches without speaking. Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ngahere is about the transmission of mātauranga, the kind passed down not just through words but through presence: through watching the flight of a bird, the fall of a leaf, the sound of the forest. It is a reminder that our ancestors are still here, not behind us, but around us. The work explores our want for knowledge and wisdom, it symbolises our need to look to our elders for guidance in order to understand our history and to grow culturally.
Drypoint etching is an intaglio printmaking technique where an image/ drawing is scratched directly onto a metal or acrylic plate using a sharp needle. The action of drawing raises a burr (a ridge of displaced material) along the lines, which holds ink and creates rich, velvety marks when printed. Ink is applied to the plate and then wiped so it remains only in the incised lines. The plate is then run through a printing press with damp paper, transferring the image onto the paper under pressure. Each print captures the delicate textures and expressive quality of the hand-drawn lines.
PAPER: Black Ink on Fabriano Paper
SIZE: Image (including signature, title and number: 265mm x 300mm, Paper: 330mm x 360mm
