Margaret Preston

Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963)  was an Australian painter and printmaker. She is recognised as one of Australia's leading modernists of the early 20th century.

 

She received tutelage from the award-winning artist, William Lister Lister. And also studied at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School under Frederick McCubbin (who was a prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism).

 

Preston experimented with different artist techniques, such as, painting, pottery, printmaking (eg. woodblock printing and silkscreens).

 

Her early artworks were predominantly still life, but she focussed more on landscapes and cityscapes in later years.

 

Preston developed an early affinity with Japanese printing processes and principles. She studied techniques of woodcutting with the son of the renowned Japanese artist, Hiroshige. 

 

Preston applied those skills to her artworks through woodblock prints, which became a favoured medium of creativity.

 

Her woodblock prints are a form of relief printing whereby she used the technique of woodcut. That is, creating a matrix/stencil through use of wood whereby an image was cut into the wood. An image was printed in black ink onto a surface, eg. paper. Then Preston hand-coloured the image. Preston preferred to print by hand rather than use a press.

 

Preston used different wood as her matrix, including:- boxwood, American sycamore, Tasmanian beech, or Huon pine. Her tools typically consisted of three-cornered Japanese knife, gouges and a small wooden hammer. She used Indian ink or black oil colour; and dry watercolour paints with rice water.