Printmaking Excellence Examples - Owl's Creation, Dragonfly, Hand of Time

1. NCEA Level 2 – 91323 Printmaking 2012 Examples of Candidate Work

2. Excellence

3. Thisportfolio has been verified as clearly within the Excellence grade range. ‘Owl’s creation’ The portfolio presents outstanding evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. A relationship between the owl and human form is clearly and cleverly established at the beginning of the submission with both drawing and prints. The candidate then sets about exploring this relationship creating dramatic, considered, and at times humorous works that reflect analysis and understanding of artists like Barry Cleavin, David Salle, Da Vinci and Luis Fong. The integration of appropriated images or compositions to regenerate highly original prints is explored throughout the submission. Dry-point, lithography, mono print, woodcut and lithography techniques are employed consistently and with facility. The fluent body of work critically selects a range of formal and conceptual approaches including positive and negative contrasts, transparency, layered images and the use of frames to isolate and integrate the compositions. A synthesis of ideas, both personal and those referenced from current and established practice is clearly evident in the submission. These are clarified through the deployment of a variety of approaches to established printmaking practice throughout both panels. Art historical references are critically employed and add depth and intrigue to the works on panel two in particular. This is a confident, intelligently planned and executed submission that uses printmaking processes and techniques to sympathetically and dynamically convey meaning.

6. Thisportfolio has been verified at the lower end of the Excellence grade range. ‘Dragonfly’ The portfolio presents convincing evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. An investigation into the form and structure of the Dragonfly is clearly introduced and articulated at the beginning of panel one. The early establishment of the circular motif and the subsequent regeneration of this throughout both panels have created opportunities for the candidate to demonstrate sufficient fluency to be awarded Excellence. The variety of compositional conventions and the frequent redeployment of motifs demonstrate criticality. A robust exploration of printmaking practice that includes dry-point, pronto plate, mono-print, collagraph and the use of collage and installation are investigated in the submission. The student has used these and artists such as Sarah Hughes, Gretchen Albrecht, Terry Frost, Ross Bleckner and Terry Winters to clarify and extend ideas. The final work successfully extends compositional and narrative ideas by regenerating earlier motifs with subtle references to the magnifying glass and dissection dishes. Shifts in scale and space assist in producing a dynamic composition. To move further up the Excellence grade range the candidate would need to regenerate a greater depth of ideas on panel two. For example, they could have regenerated ideas from the installation on panel two and used these to further enhance the final work.

9. Merit

10. This portfolio has been verified at the higher end of the Merit grade range. ‘Hand of time’ The portfolio presents sound evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. The submission explores a theme involving life, beauty, vanity and aging by possibly involving a self-portrait. Artists like Holly Robinson have been effectively used to develop the student’s own ideas. Surface, colour, contrast and textural effects are all explored early in the submission. These are then purposefully developed and extended throughout both panels culminating in the layered final work that effectively contrasts the coloured woodblock with the atmospheric dry-point. The submission uses and merges printmaking techniques that are appropriate to the ideas being developed. It begins to show evidence of clarifying ideas related to self. The purposeful nature of the submission is further enhanced by the linking of one series of works with another as plates are repeated, extended and re-contextualised to create new works. The introduction of the body clock on panel one reinforces this and acts as a link between the ideas created on both panels. To gain an Excellence the candidate could have explored a wider range of initial ideas that would have created opportunity to demonstrate the clarification and regeneration necessary at this level. More consistent use of print-making techniques throughout both panels would also have enhanced the submission and created the opportunity to move into Excellence.

13. Thisportfolio has been verified at the low end of the Merit grade range. ‘Pattern portrait’ The portfolio presents sound evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. Close up studies of brains, geometric pattern and portraits in a range of analogous and contrasting colour are integrated in a series of drawing studies and prints on panel one to introduce subject matter. Dry-point, mono-print and collage are explored as images and pattern are layered and integrated. The candidate extends ideas with purpose in panel two as compositions become more complex and dynamic. The final two prints use the brain format to effectively frame the portrait. Geometric pattern adds contrast and interest to the compositions generating a sense of movement. The submission sits at the lower end of the Merit range because there are a limited range of plates presented. These are arranged and reused purposefully but to extend ideas further into the Merit grade range more images and plates could have been introduced, especially in the developed works on panel two. A more purposeful and assured articulation of the figure, introducing a variety of viewpoints and shifts in scale would also have enhanced the submission.

16. Achieved

17. Thisportfolio has been verified at the high end of the Achieved grade range. ‘Windows on landscape’ The portfolio presents sufficient evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. Drawings, photographs and paint studies appropriately introduce the investigation of the relationship between figure and the land that reference artists such as Nigel Brown and the Expressionist, Franz Masereel. The candidate provides clear evidence throughout the submission that the body of work has been systematically selected and ordered. The final work employs a framing convention reminiscent of a photographic album that is introduced in smaller format earlier in the panel. Decisions like this has placed the submission near the top of the Achieved range. The candidate engages systematically in the print convention of woodcut by developing a sequence of works that shows a refinement of cutting techniques. For the submission to move into Merit the candidate could have developed the photo frame idea further or added other print practices. Refining cutting techniques, introducing hand colouring, chine colle, or employing multi block prints, along with further investigation into positive and negative contrasts are other ways the submission could have demonstrated a more purposeful approach.

20. Thisportfolio has been verified at the lower end of the Achieved grade range. ‘Coke’ The portfolio presents sufficient evidence to meet the criteria consistent with The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, relating to the following strands in Visual Arts, Level 7: Understanding the Arts in Context; Developing Practical Knowledge; Developing Ideas; Communicating and Interpreting. The candidate demonstrates sufficient evidence of systematic endeavour and understanding of printmaking conventions throughout the submission to achieve this standard. Subject matter is introduced through small drawing studies and these are then used to inform the dry-points and woodcuts where emphasis is given to the articulation of flat colour that reference pop art conventions. A sequence of prints is evident in the body of work presented. From the beginning to the end of the folio the candidate demonstrates evidence of learning about, and understanding of, some of the characteristics and constraints of both woodcut and dry point. The candidate begins to show some engagement in the printmaking process using an expressionist approach to explore gestural mark making and positive and negative space. Although the cutting is at times inconsistent, it improves and the printing of the blocks is well handled. To be placed more securely in the Achieved grade range, the candidate could have developed ideas further for the woodcuts on panel two with small drawing studies that explore compositional conventions and ideas such as scale, the use of positive and negative space and colour relationships appropriate to the genre. The candidate could also have considered the ordering of the selected works on panel two to more clearly demonstrate the development of ideas.