Back to Townsville (no need for Umbrellas)

The fabulous Umbrella studios in Townsville, (Far North Queensland for our overseas readers) invited Basil back for a second stint this year. This time we had eleven eager etchers and, thankfully, two absolutely assiduous assistants (’tis the season to be alliterative) because, as usual, Basil simultaneously launched every medium he could think of on Day 1 and wondered why it had got so hectic by lunchtime. It all works out in the end, as each participant gets to try a few new techniques and see what the others are doing at the same time. A tutorial on the morning of Day 2 gives everyone a moment to look at each other’s proofs, before Basil disappears into the aquatint box for another day and things get really busy! This shot was taken towards the end of the workshop as one of several multi plate etchings were peeled off the Hilldav press, carefully overseen by Jill O’Sullivan (and Gail Mabo, centre)