Water and Light

A day at the beach never looked as intriguing as it does at Ocean View: Water and Light, an exhibition at the City Gallery on 8 Don Street, through to 27 May.

Kees Taal's intricate and colourful metal ocean creatures in Deep Sea Fish amaze as you enter the show. Taal is slated to have his own solo exhibition at City Gallery later on in the year. Stay tuned for that. Nearby are the expertly crafted watercolours of award winning Maurice Middleditch of Central Otago.

Anne Grindell's soft, swirling, precise, graphic and beautiful acrylics are very calming and meditative especially in contrast to Cantabrian Ed Labadie's splendid and vibrant Regatta, an oil set amidst his beautiful watercolours. Labadie has a sold out June workshop in conjunction with the Southland Art Society. Tony Allain, a Channell Islander now living in Nelson, also offers an explosion of sumptuous light and colour, merely suggesting his subjects with pastels in Setting Out Creation, Regatta, and Flights of Fancy.

The meticulous watercolours of Marilyn Palmer-Story displays expert contrast particularly in Evening Stroll. Quiet. Beautiful. Around the corner is John Wishart's strong, bold, and stony Otago Peninsula. Continuing in this traditional style of work are Oreti Beach by Cromwell's Patrick G. Hall's , Brian Millard's dynamic Curio Bay, and Pat Murdoch's atmospheric On Holiday. Dawn Berry shows her love of Riverton in her acrylic Taramea to Rakiura and Moira Short presents her watercolours, Long Beach and The Wave, Catlins.

The back gallery with it's fluorescent lighting always presents a challenge for paintings (An intermix of warm and cold fluorescent could help overcome this problem). However Susie Ruddenklau of Wanaka surpasses this challenge with her Curio Bay, Catlins I, and Curio Bay, Catlins II. It's good to see her dynamic landscapes...a departure from her popular "Doris" series. Simon Decker's Fish n Chip Island grows on me, after initially considering it dark and brooding. I then realise it is a commentary on Cook's arrival to Aotearoa, resembling a series of film stills. I think I fancy this one, actually.

Followers of this blog already are aware how much I like the works of Danny Owen. His four works in this display are even better than his brooding piece over on show at The Bank Gallery. Danny continues to go from strength to strength with his art and I enjoy discovering the less angst-ridden side of Deow. These pieces are lush and gorgeous.

I am glad to revisit Maree Beker's Fortrose Macrocarpas, a dynamic depiction of the effects of our Sou'weters on flora. Nearby are the ever popular landscapes of Karen Pringle alongside two lively works by Janet deWagt whose studio is in Central Otago. I especially enjoy Captain Pugwash, an exotic stonefire clay work by Jude Winchester, and it's always good seeing works carved of stone by Stuart King.

City Gallery Manager Gabrielle Thomas states this show was created as platform on which to attract national artists to show in Southland along side southern artists. The resulting show is stunningly beautiful.

The Southland May Arts Festival line up of visual arts is splendid. Be sure to visit Rural Relics by Roddy McMillan over at Southland Museum and Art Gallery on until 7 June, and People, Places & Things by John Husband and Paul Lindsey till the 31^st May over at Anderson Park. Also, there is Melvin Day's Stabat Mater and White Silence: Grahame Sydney in Antarctica. However these exhibitions go on until 2 August over at Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore. I've been in studio painting madly for various contests and causes, so I may not get to all of these worthy exhibitions this month, but it is very important to support our visual artists. I urge you to encourage your local artist. Visit an exhibition and buy a painting!!!

Top Photo: Anne Grindell works on display

Middle Photo: A selection of works in Ocean View: Water and Light

Bottom Photo: City Gallery Manager Gabrielle Thomas next to Pat Murdoch's On Holiday

Southern Urbane

Southern Selection, a collection of artworks by artists living in, from, or who have an association with Southland, is an elegant , urbane show on now at The Bank Art Gallery. Curator Gwen Chaloner created the exhibition in conjunction with Venture Southland as part of the Southland May Arts Festival.

Belle Lumen a sumptuous oil by Gregori Chiaroni, next to Hilary Manson's Dress Rehearsal command attention upon entry into the upstairs gallery. Nearby is Contemplation #3 by Lisa Grace, one of her cheeky, self-assured mixed media works. Mags Meechang's Southern Season is a lush, bold interpretation of the Southland clime, while Danny Owen, aka Deow, contributes with his brooding piece, Through the rain she turns her back to better days.

Margaret Fairhall's Fantails beautifully demonstrates the energy and flittering of birds using her signature impasto technique. I always enjoy seeing Maree Beker's paintings. She is not afraid to try new approaches to creating, as is evidenced in her Southern Whitebaiters, where she has taken a subject that can be hackneyed and has given it a fresh, vibrant face. It is good to see Russell Everett presenting charcoal on paper in Evening Shadows, Patterson Inlet, lending to a sense of mystery. Robert Smith exhibits his mastery of metalworking in the multiple colours and shapes coerced from copper and stainless steel in Gore.

In the kiosk hangs WF Moore's Papatowai Beach Catlins, a masterful oil in the traditional school, alongside S is for Southland by Brydie Baxter, brilliantly maintaining the sense of vastness and awe in the view from the top of Bluff Hill. Also, there is Gwen Chaloner's Vintage Machinery, a friendly monoprint done in a challenging and interesting manner. Bridget Sangster's A handle and 2 tongs, showcases everyday, often ignored implements in a quiet, lovingly crafted ink on paper.

The "McGilvray Sisters", two popular Southland artists have, a whimsical Goldminers Breakfast, by Nicola McGilvray and the humourous Little Fish, an oil by Angela Railton. Christine O'Connor's use of texture, colour, and figurative drawing lends well to the title in Pensive, while Rebecca Whyte has on view her trio, Three Ladies, a sassy acrylic set. I am pleased, as well, to have my mixed media Dim Reflection included in this show. There are even more works for you to discover on your own.

While there is a variety of work on display to please different tastes, the entire collection fits together well and has a sophisticated flow. Southern Selection is on display every weekday till 5 till 29 May at The Bank Art Gallery in Invercargill.

Top Photo: Gwen Chaloner with Vintage Machinery
Bottom Photo: Beverly Claridge with "Dim Reflection"