Steiner Collection, Auckland

Rodney Fumpston is an Auckland artist who was born in Fiji in 1947. He graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1973 with an MFA and first class honours. He studied printmaking at the Central School of Art and Design in London, graduating in advanced studies in printmaking in 1974, and was awarded the QEII Art Award in 1980 and 1983. Fumpstons use of colour and concept is flamboyant - he produces large prints with vivid colours against which he often offsets dark solid forms, giving the work an abstract quality. His subject matter ranges from Pacific themes, as seen in his woodcut series, to details of the New Zealand fern, as explored in his more recent etchings. Fumpston began exhibiting both in solo and group shows in the early 1970s and has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand and internationally. His work can be found in many private collections around the country.