Leonie Auhl, post-retirement Visual Arts studies at Bendigo TAFE (1996-99) awakened my long dormant interest in drawing and painting, and introduced me to printmaking and macro-photography. 
 
With an earlier Science degree (and particular interests in botany and palaeontology), it was natural for me to focus on intimate studies of flowers, fruits and fungi. More recently, I have included landscapes, many inspired by the ever-changing atmospheric effects on the hills surrounding my home.
 
Initially, I chose copperplate etching as my medium but, inspired by the works of Margaret Preston, I soon included linocuts, many of them hand coloured.  Being able to produce several prints from a plate allows me to experiment with colour choices during both the printing process and the later hand-painting stage (using water colours), each print then becoming a unique state.
 
Further experience and skills have been gained in numerous workshops e.g. APW (monotypes with Bruno Leti and Martin King, wood engraving with Rosalyn Atkins, Japanese woodcuts with Ema Chin), collagraphs with Sydney artist Bernhardine Mueller and, multi-plate collagraphs, monotypes, and chine colle with Sandon artist Diana Orinda Burns. 
 
My home studio depends on the activity etching in the laundry, drawing and lino-cutting in the kitchen, printing on a small press in the corner room of my husbands shed, framing in the dining room, painting and storing in a spare guest bedroom.
 
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with others and, during the Castlemaine State Festival 2011 (theme Pressing Issues), as well as exhibiting my works, I ran three demonstration sessions on copperplate etching and printing.  More recently I conducted a successful one-day workshop for the Woodend Art Group; there being no press, activities were based on monotypes, linocuts and relief printing of collagraphs.  
 
I have conducted appraisals for members of Bendigo Art Society and Castlemaine Creative Artists and have been invited to judge at some regional art shows (Ballan, Strathfieldsaye, Kangaroo Flat).  I also actively assist in the hanging of various local art shows.
 
Since 1997, I have regularly exhibited at Gordon- Edgerton Galleries, and in many local and regional art shows where I have received numerous awards.  Many of my works are now in private collections in Australia and overseas (NZ, UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Japan)

Leonie can be contacted at prlngauhl@iinet.net.au

'€œColour in Cunnamulla' linocut, hand painted with watercolours, image size 20 x 20cm

'Three heads are better' copperplate etching and aquatint, and chine colle, image size 10 x 15cm