I’m Terrie Reddish—artist, printer, and bookbinder. Working with restored presses and time honoured tools, I create unique artists’ books, broadsheets, and prints. Much of my work explores the third dimension of book structures, where form and content meet in unexpected ways.
Paper is my primary medium: book board, marbled paper, Japanese tissue, handmade sheets, and the occasional recycled treasure. Tyvek, Kraft‑tex, gold foil, fabric, and leather also find their way into my studio when the piece calls for them.
I’m inspired by the natural world, the play of words, the shapes and negative spaces of letters, and the tactile possibilities of printing and binding.
My creative journey began in 2002 with coloured‑pencil botanical drawing. Within a few years I was exhibiting botanically accurate depictions of New Zealand native flora. In 2008 I was awarded a Gold Medal at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Winter Show in London. The RHS Lindley Library acquired one of my medal‑winning works for its teaching collection, Dr Shirley Sherwood added another to her renowned private collection, and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in the United States holds a third.
Before becoming a full‑time artist, I worked as a procurement manager for Auckland City Council and later taught procurement throughout New Zealand. In 2008 my husband Steve and I moved to Hawke’s Bay, where I began expanding my practice beyond botanical art.
In 2013 I purchased my Cropper Charlton Franklin proofing press from a retired letterpress printer who generously guided me through the steep learning curve of a new craft. In 2024 I added a 1969 Korrex Stuttgart—a precision press ideal for work where registration matters and hand‑inking becomes demanding. I print primarily with oil‑based inks on handmade paper.
The press name, Imprimo, is from the Latin verb meaning ‘I press’ or ‘I print’.