“Painting comes from underground. You got to dig to get it out. Red, black, white and yellow' ”
- Peggy Patrick

The Aboriginal Art Print Network is a foundation member of the Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions will be available for your convenience shortly. Thank you

What Is An Original, Limited Edition, Fine Art Print?

Original or fine art prints are quite different in that they have been created by the artist working on a metal plate, lithographic stone, linoleum or wood block or screen and are printed in limited numbers. Furthermore they are hand printed using light fast archival quality inks on high quality acid free paper. As a result original prints have a long life measured in hundreds of years. ... more

Caring for Prints

Works on paper are more fragile than most other art forms so care needs to be taken to maintain them in good condition.With proper care limited edition prints, can remain in excellent condition for hundreds of years. When moving a print use both hands on opposite sides of the sheet so the paper bows and does not crimp. ... more

Framing Prints

The best advice we can give on framing is to find a good, honest and reliable framer. When you collect your print from the framer you can't see what has gone on behind the mat and print so you need to be confident that your framer is competent and has used good quality acid free boards and tapes. ... more

Collecting

As with any art, an individual piece is attractive to the buyer according to its aesthetic value, but its real financial value will depend on the renown of the artist, their resume, and where the particular work fits in to the artist's oeuvre. Aboriginal art,however, has an additional overlay. It is important to recognise the artist's age and seniority within his or her own tribe and their position in the historical development of the Aboriginal art movement. ... more

Investing

There are several reasons why you should consider investing in original prints. If you are new to collecting or investing, or have a limited budget, prints provide an economical and less risky entry point. The affordability of prints allows you to acquire works by a number of different artists. ... more

A History of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Printmaking

Aboriginal printmaking emerged in the 1960's and early 1970's. Although it can be said that it began much earlier in the form of stencilled images of hands that are found on cave walls throughout Australia. The first prints were linocuts produced by Aboriginal artist, activist and writer Kevin Gilbert in the mid 1960's ... more

Feature exhibition...

Canopy Artspace

Canopy Artspace combines gallery spaces, artist’s studios, arts organisations, and a printmaking workshop that are dedicated to promoting and showcasing Queensland’s indigenous artists.

In this expansive 1,000 square metre space, collectable contemporary paintings, prints and three dimensional works by internationally recognised artists such as Dennis Nona and Ken Thaiday hang along side those from regional Art Centres and individual artists from the area.

Fronting Grafton Street are three gallery spaces, one an exhibiting gallery, another dedicated to fine art prints and the third showing a wide variety of work from the Network’s stockroom These spaces are run by the Australian Art Network who have been publishing, promoting and exhibiting works by indigenous artists nationally and internationally for the past 15 years.

To the rear of the complex is the NEWflames Foundation’s workshop space. Here, this not for profit organisation nurtures artistic drive through studio residencies and professional development opportunities. for Australian indigenous artists.

Another indigenous arts industry pioneer, Theo Tremblay has relocated his fine art printmaking studio into Canopy Artspace. Here artists can work on linocuts, etchings, lithographs, screenprints, mono prints and papermaking with this master printmaker.

Arts Nexus, a development body for art and culture in Tropical North Queensland, and the Cairns Regional Council’s Creative Partnership Unit also share space in the complex.

This unusual artistic collaboration offers indigenous artists from the region the opportunity to create and present their art as well as providing Cairns visitors and locals an interesting environment in which to view and purchase work by Queensland’s unique indigenous artists.

For further information contact, Michael Kershaw.

124 Grafton Street CAIRNS QLD 4807
P: 07 4041 4678
E: gallery@canopyarts.com.au
W: www.canopyarts.com.au

» View exhibition works