‘Rubicon’ includes work by Patrick Malone, Graham McFelin, Grant Whibley and Shruti Yatri, who initially met at art school (Ilam in Canterbury, Elam in Auckland) in the 1980s and who have remained in close contact, meeting regularly to talk about life and art (which for most artists is pretty much the same thing).
One of the great things about group shows for artists is that it provides an opportunity for each artist to try out new ideas without the stress and commitment of a solo showing. Graham McFelin, for example, has long been acclaimed for his enigmatic and wacky assemblages and canvases with their surrealist overtones. The works in this exhibition, however, are “a new beginning, a fresh start. Abstract, multilayered, geometric paintings using templates and recurring elements.”
Grant Whibley also made a name for himself in the late 1990s with a series of museum bird portraits. His works in this show include a series of landscapes from the period 2002 - 2006, an experimental series in which he worked quickly and freely, seeing an image emerge quickly through the ink on paper technique he developed. “I produced over 180 works,” he notes. “[Over the years] they have been through various forms of revision …. They've been cropped, re-cropped, titled, prayed or cursed over, lost, burned, repainted and destroyed. There's now about 120 left. These…are the survivors of a journey I went on with Art and in myself, and it was not an easy one.”
This compelling exhibition closes 13 November, as does an exhibition in the gallery windows of portraits in oils and ceramic heads and figures by Ilam-trained artist Heather Grouden.
Opening a few days later, the much awaited 'Pocket Edition. Small Works for Large Walls’ is Northart’s annual affordable small works show. Thirty-one invited artists (see www.northart.co.nz for a full list) - just on 300 small (postcard-sized) original art works, variously painted or drawn in oil, acrylic, pastel, pencil, gouache, watercolour and ink – are on show. So there is a huge variety of subjects, styles and choices to purchase. This is a 'cash and carry' show; sold works are replaced with a photocopy stencilled SOLD which keeps the show intact up until the very last day of the exhibition. Don’t miss the show – especially if you are looking to gift quality art to friends and family for Christmas, or want to treat yourself.
The vibrancy of ‘Random Order' by Devonport artist Nancy Synnestvedt, which opened on 10 October in galleries 4 and 5, is almost overwhelming on first walking into the gallery. “I have a lifelong fascination -more like a love affair -with vibrant colour, and a deep interest in the interactions of colour and structure,” she says. “As a painter and former art teacher, my challenge has always been to find creative ways to evolve the materials toward new and vivid forms of expression.”
The title ‘Random Order’ refers to the “irregular beauty of hand-painted lines and an organising principle that relies on the satisfying qualities of asymmetrical balance. My perspective from a lifetime of making and looking at art is that the most important aspect of a work – the most meaningful and satisfying 'explanation' anyone can have – is the visceral, very personal response to the individual work itself, especially when the piece is abstract,” Nancy adds.
For further information about Gallery Time for Kids and other public events, go to www.northart.co.nz or contact the gallery
