“I feel there is hope in the ability to stop and reconnect with the beauty of the natural world around us.”
Creating such a large body of work was a daunting task. It felt like she was baring her soul, she said.
This is the first time she has made large-scale prints.
One print – after This Moment, everything will be different – is a reflection on the power of a moment to change the future and shift perspective on the past.
The print was pressed on Robin – a new Gunning Etching Press gifted to Gisborne Printmakers Group in memory of Penny Ormerod, who initiated and tutored its first group in 1976.
“The gifting of this press by Robin Ormerod, Penny’s daughter, has allowed me to scale up my artworks from smaller pieces into larger forms that bring to life my thoughts and ideas,” Stewart said.
“I am so grateful to Robin for the impact this press has already had on my art and process.”
One piece was taken apart and put back together.
“It was a little bit of an environmental reflection – trying to think about how you can reimagine the work. There’s a Japanese influence in the stitching with the red silk thread and I really enjoyed the idea of taking it apart and putting it together again.
“I think it’s about challenging your perception of things because when you see things the same way all the time you kind of stop seeing them properly.
“I’ve varnished the paper as well, so it creates this kind of antique feeling.”
She was introduced to printmaking in 2016 when she attended a workshop with veteran printmaker Jean Johnston.
Stewart has come a long way since then. In May, she won the People’s Choice Award for a creation made of moulded bull kelp at the 2026 Small Sculpture Prize in Waiheke.
The Small Sculpture Prize is a national award for an original freestanding or wall sculpture up to 800mm in any dimension.
Stewart has been a member of Gisborne Printmakers – the oldest printmaking group in New Zealand – since 2023 and is the regional representative for the Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand.
Next month she will be part of the She Shed tour, an annual art and garden trail where local women artists open their private backyard studios and creative spaces to the public. She has made several smaller pieces for the event.
Quiet Moments is running to the end of November at Matawhero Art Gallery at Matawhero Wines.
Cellar door/gallery hours: Wednesday-Friday, noon to 3pm; Saturday-Sunday; noon to 4pm.
Artist Torri Stewart with three nature-inspired prints on display at her exhibition, Quiet Moments, running at Matawhero Art Gallery. Photo / Kim Parkinson
From the sea – a collagraph offset print by Torri Stewart.
Not my flag – a collagraph handmade print by Torri Stewart.
After This Moment, everything will be different – a print by Torri Stewart.