The printing press sits at the centre of Rodney Fumpston’s (Williams 1960-1964) living room, solid and quietly authoritative, as if it has always belonged there. The walls around it are lined with prints from a career spanning more than 40 years, alongside family photographs that trace his story back to Fiji, where he spent his early childhood before moving to New Zealand. It is a working space as much as a home, reflecting a life shaped by making, memory, and craft.

Head of Visual Arts Jonathan Cameron, Foundation Executive Andrea Douglas, and Collegian David Hill (Hamilton 1964-1968) recently visited Rodney at his Auckland home, stepping into the space that felt less like a home and more like a living archive. Every surface holds meaning. Shells and small found objects sit in corners; bold colours and rhythmic forms repeat across his prints. Fiji, where Rodney spent his early childhood, still flows quietly through his work. “It’s in the blood,” he suggests, without fuss.

Rodney’s creative journey took root early at St Paul’s Collegiate School. He recalls cold bike rides with fellow Collegian Peter Cox (Sargood 1960–1963) to visit New Zealand artist Ida Carey (Staff 1960–1961), who taught them art. They would sit in her garden studio, warming their hands around home-baked scones. “A welcome break from the dining room food at school,” Rodney laughs. Those visits planted the earliest seeds of what would become a lifelong dedication to printmaking.

After St Paul’s, Rodney went on to study at Elam School of Fine Art where he found his medium. Etching, with its demand for patience and precision, suited him. From Auckland, Rodney then studied at the Central School of Art in London. Rodney and David Hill were in London at the same time. 

Over time, he became one of New Zealand’s most respected printmakers, exhibiting widely and influencing generations of artists through both his work and his quiet discipline.

“The image must come first,” Rodney says. “That’s the most important thing. The technique just follows along.” He is quick to downplay explanation. “The artwork should speak for itself. I’ve done my job by doing the work, that’s the hard bit.”

Today, Rodney still prints, turning the wheel of his press with the ease of long practice. He demonstrates the process with careful, intricate movements, followed by broader, sweeping motions that feel, as he puts it, “so freeing.” There is pride in his voice, but no showmanship, only respect for the craft.

Rodney’s work now hangs as part of the St Paul’s Art Collection, a legacy sparked by David Hill’s original gift. Rodney himself donated a large print from the 1980s, carefully transported in a car just big enough to hold the two-metre piece. His work will also feature in the school’s planned 2027 Art Collection tour, which will highlight Collegian artists and the stories behind the works displayed across campus.

While Rodney speaks candidly about his concern over the shrinking number of contemporary art galleries in New Zealand, his focus remains on the future. He hopes students encountering his prints might feel what he once felt: a spark, a pause, a question forming. If they do, he knows the artwork has done its job.