Textile artist and printmaker Julie Rosvall exhibits new prints, alongside tiny works from the print exchange Return to Sender, in the Corridor Gallery this month. Organized by the PRNT Collective in Barrie, Ontario, the Return to Sender print exchange was inspired by the tradition of stamp collecting. Tasked with the challenge to edition a mini-print of only 1.75″ square, twenty-six international artists responded with the work in this exhibition. Rosvall was a participant in the print exchange and has augmented it for the Corridor with her new work, inspired by an exploration of smaller versions of her textile relief prints. Return to Sender is on until January 30.

Of her motivation, Rosvall states:
After a three year gap in my printmaking practice, when I didn’t create any new works, I was determined to get back in the print studio in August 2019.  I searched out an exchange that could jump start my printmaking.  I found “Return to Sender”, an Ontario based exchange that challenged participants to edition a mini-print of only 1.75 inches square.

The task proved more difficult than I expected. After several failed attempts to knit very fine yarn, and etch tiny plates, I had to get creative. In the end I created a small quadriptych print, which allowed me to work with thicker yarn, and create an image in four pieces that would still fit into the tiny envelopes required for the exchange. Since completing that initial print in September I’ve created four more small quadriptych textile relief prints inspired by the first experiment.

Born in New Brunswick, Julie Rosvall moved to Nova Scotia in 1998, settling in Wolfville.  It was then that she began her career as a textile artist, moving from weaving to spinning and finally to knitting.  In 2010 she began experimenting with printmaking, exploring the concept of transferring the patterns and textures of textiles to other media.

Rosvall has always had an interest in mark making on paper, and for many years envisioned using textiles to emboss paper. After seeing the work of printmaker Betty Goodwin in 2010 Rosvall was inspired to explore soft ground etchings with her knitted swatches. Through her explorations she has created a body of work that uses a variety of printmaking techniques to transfer her knitted swatches to paper. She has experimented with paper lithography, solar plate etching and combining engraving and etching with her soft ground knitted samples.

Return to Sender print exchange participating artists are:
Katie Argyle, Deb Atkinson, Sarah Benoit, Tamara Benoit, Kim Brett, Katie Bruce, Micah Cooper, Evan Dwinnell, Jamie-Lee Girodat, Katie Green, Susanna Harris, Timothy Hunt, Robin Leigh Kraft, Michelle Lasalle, Timothy Laurin, Sarah Leonard, Joanne Lomas, Jeanette Luchese, Hope Rogers, John Roshon, Anna Savoie, Hendrick Swaneveld, Jay-Cee Thibodeau, Lydia Uppington, Rhonda Uppington, and Julie Rosvall.

Located inside the Visual Arts Nova Scotia office at the Halifax Seaport since 2000, the Corridor Gallery is complimented by a historical legacy of Nova Scotia culture, simple yet modern architectural elements and an array of current cultural activity in the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia office. The Corridor Gallery is located at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, a city situated on unceded Mi’kmaq territory, and is open Monday through Friday, 9:30am – 5pm.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia advances the visual arts through leadership, education, and communication.

High resolution image for press available via Dropbox.

For further information regarding the exhibition please contact:
Carri MacKay
Programming Coordinator
902.423.4694 | 1.866.225.8267
communicate@visualarts.ns.ca | www.visualarts.ns.ca