On the 22nd February I was happily painting Pohutakawa flowers at the studio when the huge Christchurch earthquake struck. I took cover under my table and waited until the surreal moments passed. Shaken but unharmed, I flew down the stairs. To the amusement of the other tenants I realized I was covered in dirty paint water! Sadly, many of you were not as fortunate. To any of my Christchurch clients and friends who have been badly affected by this experience I hope you are surviving these difficult times and you are feeling the love and support of those around you. Kia Kaha - “stay strong”.
I’m pleased to confirm that the studio and artwork survived the big quake reasonably well and I have received my ‘green sticker’ from the council. So, if you are in the mood to look at some paintings and enjoy a coffee it would be great to see you.
AB see of D
The Dyslexia Foundation has produced a special limited edition coffee table book entitled the AB see of D. With 26 artists chosen to produce an artwork for each letter of the alphabet I was pleased to get S (for strawberries). With my love of fruits this was great fun and it is good to support such a worthwhile cause. Unfortunately, the planned launch of the book and the associated art auction was delayed by the big Christchurch earthquake of 22nd February. The good news is that the event is only temporarily postponed and not cancelled.
I was very pleased to be awarded first prize in the acrylics section at a recent art exhibition that took place in St. Andrew’s school in Christchurch. The canvas was entitled “Stolen Pears”. The painting was inspired by some fruit that mysteriously turned up one day whilst I was staying on Banks Peninsula. I couldn’t resist painting the pears because the shape, colour, and texture just lent themselves to the paintbrush.
With my new website up and running I am looking forward to offering more regular information about recently completed works and other news. The painting above (“Nucleus”) is one that I recently finished and sold through Gallery De Novo in Dunedin. My philosophy is to offer a small number of high quality paintings and it’s great to be represented by four fine galleries that are committed to assisting New Zealand artists.
Almost six years have now passed since the opening of my purpose built studio in Christchurch and it is very encouraging to still be going strong, despite the current recession! Within this I believe that art should uplift and allow something of an escape from the day to day routine. Art can also act as an investment with one big advantage over things like shares and debentures, whatever happens you can always enjoy it.
One of the great things about the Papanui Studio is that it lends itself to small concerts and the acoustics are excellent. Graham Wardrop has played on a number of occasions and he was joined at the last event by Naomi Ferguson and Mark Apperly. The studio is also ideal for art classes and these are now such a regular feature that I have added a section to the website.
Recently, I have produced a number of cards suitable for birthdays and anniversaries etc. Carefully hand made these are designed to say something a little extra. They are available directly from the studio.
