The Limited Edition Prints of Dorothy Napangardi

In addition to her internationally acclaimed career in paintings, Dorothy also extended her artistic career into the field of etching and print making which saw her create a stunning series of limited edition prints for print makers including Crown Point Press (Dena Schuckit), Northern Editions (Simon White), Port Jackson Press (Belinda Fox) and Basil Hall Editions (Basil Hall).

In the catalog Dancing Up Country: The Art of Dorothy Napangardi, published in 2002 by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Christine Nicholls writes that “Dorothy Napangardi’s success as an artist lies in her ability to evoke a strong sense of movement on her canvases, an effect she achieves because of her remarkable spatial sense and compositional ability.” Nicholls goes on to say that the work “can be appreciated on multiple levels,” though indigenous commentators see painting as “a stage for human activity, rather than seeing the geometric aspects of the work.”

Working with print makers from Basil Hall Editions, Northern Editions, Port Jackson Press and Crown Point Press, Dorothy extended her artistic career into the field of etching and print making, creating a stunning series of limited edition prints.

"A major international print exchange project involving leading indigenous Australian artist Dorothy Napangardi, and Master Printers from renowned American print publisher Crown Point Press in San Francisco and Port Jackson Press Australia will be launched in the United States and Australia late in 2004.

In the summer of 2004, Dena Schuckit, Crown Point’s senior master printer, traveled to Australia to work with Aboriginal artist Dorothy Napangardi. The text of this Overview was written by her during the three weeks she spent in Australia. Years ago, when Crown Point Press took artists to Japan and China to do projects, I came to understand that the mother of invention is not necessity; it is opportunity.

Our project in Australia came about at the suggestion of Belinda Fox, printer and studio manager of Port Jackson Press Australia, who participated in a summer etching workshop at Crown Point in 2003. She introduced us to Napangardi’s work, and put us in contact with Gallery Gondwana, the artist’s gallery. Because the artist did not think she could make art away from her homeland, Fox and Lotte Water of Gallery Gondwana did the planning needed to bring the project to fruition in Australia. We sent Dena Schuckit there, and she and Belinda Fox worked with Napangardi to make and proof the plates in the etching studio of the National Art School, Sydney. The prints were editioned in San Francisco."

- Kathan Brown
Source: Crown Point Press, Newsletter November 2004