Students at TAFE NSW Meadowbank have the privilege of being taught by award-winning and legendary Sydney printmaker Rew Hanks, who has just taken out first prize in the prestigious Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award 2019.

Rew’s two metre long linocut, Gone Fishing East of Faskrudsfjordur, is an intricate and sophisticated work depicting a stark Nordic landscape, and was created after he spent three months living in Iceland with his wife.

Rew has been working in the printmaking industry for 35 years and his experience and passion for printmaking mean students at TAFE NSW are learning from the best of the best.

“I started out teaching printmaking as a way to support myself while continuing my personal art practice and subsequently the teaching part has turned out to be immensely rewarding.

“It’s wonderful to be able to expose art students to a variety of techniques and styles so that they can be the best artists they can be,” Rew said.

Rew has held 27 solo exhibitions and over 178 group exhibitions in Australia and internationally and has been awarded over 40 national and international print prizes. His works are held in the Australian National Gallery and feature in most state and regional galleries throughout Australia.

He teaches the printmaking component of the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts and says the learning facilities at TAFE NSW Meadowbank are the best he’s ever seen.

TAFE NSW Meadowbank is one of the few training providers that offer lithography, screen printing, etching, and relief printing and wood cuts subjects.

The teaching equipment includes an Albion press which was designed in London in the 1800s and was acquired by TAFE NSW from the Powerhouse Museum.

Rew said “I enjoy seeing a student that shows potential and helping them to realise a positive outcome.

“Studying visual arts at TAFE NSW not only gives students practical skills and work experience in a range of studio disciplines, but helps them understand and engage with the arts industry to take their practice to a professional level.”

To find out more about what courses are on offer at TAFE NSW, visit www.tafensw.com.au or phone 131 601.

Media contact: Alice Dalley, TAFE NSW Media and Communications Business Partner, 0402 528 210, alice.dalley1@tafensw.edu.au