Ben Reid graduated from the CPIT School of Art and Design in 2005 with a major in printmaking. He worked as an assistant to master printmaker Marian Maguire at PaperGraphica in Christchurch for 3 years. He now works full-time creating his own print and mixed media work. Brief Synopsis of Ben Reid’s Exhibition titled: ‘A bird in the Hand’ To have seen New Zealand before the arrival of the first human is Ben Reid’s unreachable idea of paradise. Instead, his work expresses the many conflicting emotions he experiences when surveying the damage done by human habitation to this country’s fragile ecology. There are many losses to mourn, but also small victories to celebrate. Recent conservation measures have proven successful in rescuing endangered birds from extinction, but as Reid shows us, these efforts can never stop. His delicate and elegantly structured prints remind us of what is at stake: the unselfconscious grace and beauty of New Zealand’s indigenous birds, as well as their utter dependence on our protection when faced with the destructive impact of human habitation. ime creating his own print and mixed media work.