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Hong Kong Layover

Ferry To Kowloon

My trip back from the Polish Printmaking Show and Seoul South Korea took me through Hong Kong. I had heard a lot about this great city from friends and decided to make a layover for three days. Since it is further south the weather is hotter and more humid than Seoul. The average temperature during my stay was 95F with about 95% humidity, a real jungle. It is an amazing city and I can see why the British didn’t want to let it go. The port is huge, the largest I have seen, at least 100 times bigger than Seattle. I walked around a lot and took the ferry across the bay to Kowloon to go shopping for electronic gadgets.

Hong Kong At Night

Hong Kong At Skyline

Invited to lunch by Polish Ambassador

Ambassador Lunch

We were invited to lunch by the Polish Ambassador on Tuesday (photo left to right: Dr. Marek Jedras, Ambassador Krzysztof Majka, our Rector Jacek Szewczyk, Prof. Seung Woog Kim and I am on the right). The Ambassador was a very nice guy. The Polish doctor that tends to all the Polish ambassadors attended also. Lunch was at the exclusive Seoul Club, very proper and delicious. Mostly we talked about the Polish Print Exhibition and contact between Poland and Korea.

The weather has been almost unbearably hot, about 90F with humidity around 85% and sunny.

Polish Printmaking in Seoul

Setting Up The Show

After my first visit to China about 4 years ago I was so impressed with the quality of Chinese printmaking that I felt a closer contact between Polish and Asian printmakers would benefit both. The best way to start this contact would be to show Asian artists what is happening in Europe and Poland is a great representative of European printmaking.

I am now in Seoul to open the largest exhibition of Polish Printmaking ever assembled. I have been working on this project for 2 years and after the initial exhibition in Tianjin, China last October we are now able to bring this excellent show to South Korea.

With the extensive help of the Art Department at the Kyung Hee University and especially Professor Seung Woog Kim we were able to make this spectacular print exhibition happen here in Seoul, South Korea.

Show Curator Chris Nowicki

There are about 240 prints in this exhibition and about 85 of the best Polish artists are represented with their most recent works. All printmaking techniques are represented with many examples of etching, aquatint, lithography, serigraph, linocut, digital, dry-point, mezzotint and more.This is an exceptional and incredible show.

The opening is this Friday September 2nd at 6:00PM, the site is the A&D Gallery on the Kyung Hee University Campus, Seoul, South Korea.

Seoul

Seoul Exhibition Banner

Here is my first post from Seoul.

My first full day in Seoul and we are setting up the big Polish Mezzotint and printmaking exhibition. Beautiful city with a lot of green spaces. Food is great especially Kim Chee. I will write more later but my first impression is that Seoul is a place I could live.

Setting Up The Show

Steam Drill Mezzotint

Steam Drill Mezzotint by Chris Nowicki

Mezzotint is one of the oldest printing techniques. It was the printing method of choice by publishers and clients during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a time consuming deductive method that can produce the most delicate of gray tones and the smoothest tonal transitions from light to dark and is still the most versatile and beautiful of the old techniques.

Click here to find more Mezzotints by Chris Nowicki at Active Artist Network.

Leaving Haines AK

I am on the way to Haines Airport.

My summer in Haines Alaska is finished for this year. I went through Juneau on my way back to Lummi Island, Washington to visit my brother and then I travel on home to Wroclaw, Poland. Juneau is a beautiful small town and every time I have gone through in the past few years it has rained the entire time. Here is a photo of seagulls sitting on the tide flats. A typical view in Juneau. In Haines I finished nine editions for three different artists in eight weeks. I worked hard had a great time saw lots of bears, and met lots of old friends.

Mother Bear Fishing

Mother Bear With Fish

I am winding down my summer printing at Alaska Indians Arts and actually got a lot of work done. In eight weeks I printed nine editions; one a John Hagen design for Alaska Indian Arts, two for Wrangell, Alaska artist Allie High and six for Seattle glass artist Preston Singletary. I drove out to Chillkoot Lake one day and caught this amazing photo of a mother bear in the middle of the Chillkoot River with a big Sockeye salmon in her mouth. She was taking it to her two cubs who were in the bushes on the riverbank.

Raven and Locomotive Mezzotint

Locomotive & Raven Mezzotint by Chris Nowicki

Inspiration for the Entropy/Locomotive Mezzotint came to me on a hike near Skagway, Alaska. There is an old WWII locomotive there slowly rusting in the woods. It is an amazing sight, this old rusting locomotive slowly returning to nature. No wake, no funeral just a quiet decomposition of this once huge, powerful machine. The reference is obvious as we ourselves return to nature in the same way.

The raven depicted in the print also carries heavy symbolism. From my experiences working with Native Americans in Alaska and being exposed to their culture I have learned that the Raven holds a special place in the mythology of this region. Raven is the creator and trickster with the ability to change his appearance into any animal or being. Raven created the earth and stars and put the sun and moon into the sky. So in this print he represents the creator/destroyer and my connection to the Northwest Coast Native American culture.

The river in this print is the Skag River that runs through Skagway, Alaska and represents the passage of time in contrast with the seeming eternal nature of the rocks and stones scattered about.

Northwest Coast Printing

Haines Print Studio

I have been coming to Haines, Alaska in the summer for 18 years to make limited edition serigraphs for Native Americans. Before Alaska I was printing Native Artwork in Seattle and have been doing this work off and on for more than 30 years. The entire process is done by hand, hand-cut stencils and hand printing. My studio is located in the Alaska Indian Arts Building at Fort Seward in Haines.