The Bellows Ed. 2 of 10

One of the prints of a large body of work exhibited at the Stanthorpe Regional Gallery and Gallery Downtown, Tweed Regional Gallery in 2020.
This Drypoint engraving is the Stables at Ballandean Station. Old Ballandean Homestead comprises a c. 1870 residence, detached kitchen, creamery, killing shed, milking shed, yards, stables and remnants of a blacksmith's shed and forge. It was the third head station constructed on Ballandean run, established c. 1840 in the New England district.
Ballandean was among the earliest pastoral runs taken up in that part of the north-eastern districts of New South Wales that later became Queensland. Some reports claim occupation as early as 1839.

The name Drypoint Engraving sounds complicated so let me explain the process.
First I take a small piece of acrylic or perspex, then with a needle pointed scribe I scratch the drawing into the surface. Now this drawing has to be reversed or back to front to how it will print. Then the scratches look white so I also have to do it in the negative. So the whitest areas (or deepest scratches) will print blackest because when I apply the ink, they will hold the most ink. The lightest scratches will be the finest lines.
Once all the engraving is completed, then its off to the print studio. I take a scraper and drag an even coat of ink onto the plate. Then with a soft cloth and a very gentle hand I wipe off the excess ink. The ink is then held in all the tiny scratches.
The plate is then placed (or registered) on the etching press. I use cotton rag paper that has been soaked in water for about 30 minutes. I dry off the damp paper and lay it over the plate then cover it with a blanket and roll it through the press. Then the exciting part.... lifting the blanket and peeling the completed paper engraving. Usually followed by a little happy dance. Then the finished piece is dried and the paper flattened ready for framing.

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Hi. Welcome to my page and thanks for visiting. I work on collections of different subject matter. To simplify my page and help you find what suits, I've organised my artwork into groups. As you scroll through you will find landscapes, seascapes, birds, crumbling sheds and interiors, life journeys and engravings and a few random paintings I've done just for the fun and beauty of the subject.
Rhonda Armistead is an Artist from Lismore in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia and is a member of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists. Her work is part of the CodeX Moon Museum project and will be aboard a SpaceX rocket to be launched in 2023 to land on the South Pole of the Moon to be left in a time capsule as part of Human History.
Featured on Colour In Your Life TV (Series 13) and Bluethumb. Commonly, I explore the intrinsic biodiversity and nature studies of the Region along with expressive portraiture and dramatic combinations of both, usually with an underlying message of either environmental issues or personal growth.

My paintings, drawings and prints are held in Private and Corporate collections throughout Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Nepal, America and Japan. Over many years I've judged dozens of prizes, consulted on many artists exhibitions and been very active in the Arts industry, and taken part in numerous group and solo exhibitions over the past 15 years and worked on many commissioned pieces.

I like to mix it up a bit and use different Mediums including, Oils and Acrylics on Canvas, Reduction Plate Lino Prints, Dry Point Prints on Acrylic Plates, Drawings, Sketches in Pencil and Charcoal and Fine Line Pen.
I run a full time Picture Framing business in Lismore where I teach art classees, curate and consult on Artist's Professional practice. This leaves me little time to paint, but I generally steal some time at night and on the weekends. My work is not prolific but follow me anyway, you never know what I'm going to come up with next, given all the inspiration I see daily. I work on large exhibitions and commissions so please feel free to follow my Facebook page for updates on where I will be exhibiting next. And please don't forget to hit the little Bluethumb blue heart when you see something you like. Feedback is always welcome.
My paintings include Portraits, Landscapes, Seascapes, Birds and Animals, Heritage and Biodiversity, Abstract and Contemporary pieces.