Exhibit at Fredericton art gallery showcases Atlantic Canadian printmakers

Fredericton’s Gallery 78 is hosting a new art exhibit this month featuring the work of Atlantic Canadian printmakers.

The exhibit features pieces created with various techniques including etching, serigraphy, lithography, linocut, drypoint etching, and mezzotint.

"Print making is a very old tradition,” said Managing Director of Gallery 78, Germaine Pataki-Thériault. “I love that historic reference that is made by a lot of these artists, the way they have done things in that old traditional way, but then they kind of push the boundaries a bit. Those are the ones I find particularly fascinating."

12 artists from across Atlantic Canada are featured in the “Pulled, Pressed, and Screened” exhibition.

Artist Ann Manuel is a jack of all trades in the world of printmaking.  She is displaying some of her newest pieces in the exhibit.

"I think when you see some of the images in these wishbones, I think you'll think of childhood and it will bring back some of these memories,” said Manuel. “A group of kids on a raft in a lake, there's childhood toys, so it's all kind of light, sunshiny things in these two.”

"I'm hoping they might get a chuckle out of them I guess, most of my titles are sort of based on sayings that I've heard but maybe in an unlikely context, a little bit of folklore” said artist Kath Rutherford. “Then maybe look a little closer and go oh wow there's all kinds of stuff hidden in those prints.”

Manuel says there are lots of layers to observe when looking at the pieces.

"I will look at all these prints like a forensic artist,” said Manuel. “I want to know exactly how they did that I want to know what colour when down first, the multi-coloured prints those are really difficult to do it takes.”

The “Pulled, Pressed, and Screened” group exhibition will take place until April 8th.

"We have made that our mandate to focus on Atlantic Canadian artists,” said Pataki-Thériault. “We wanted to give them opportunities and we sell to people all around the world it's lovely to spread the joy of Atlantic Canadian Art."

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