Nelson To Darfield

Sat 5th Nov – Thurs 2nd Dec ‘Nelson To Darfield’

An exceptional exhibition from five renowned Nelson Artists: Marilyn Andrews, Owen Bartlett, Katie Gold, Lloyd Harwood and Sally Papps who explore colour, texture and the visual juxtaposition of art and our environment. Selwyn Gallery is very pleased to present an eclectic collection of highly regarded artists from Nelson - five very disparate styles and mediums which complement each other through wit, form, technique and execution.
Marilyn Andrews is well known for painting, but has recently explored more textural elements in her art. Fabulous miniature cloth ‘costumes’ are hung three together on string, with intricate detailing and design. By showing souls ‘strung up in limbo’, Marilyn questions societal constructs and ‘the journey of the soul’ as we explore who we are, and what drives us to exist within certain parameters – be it relationships, work, or family expectations.
Owen Bartlett is a fantasically talented sculptor with a sense of the dramatic. Influenced by his love of the sea and particularly diving, Owen has created ‘Neptune’s Treasure’ – a series of simplistic, biomorphic oceanic forms made from Aerated Clay. With exquisite texture and porportion, the ‘Neptune’s Treasure’ series conveys the magic and mystery deep within the sea, while showing the unequivocal beauty inherent within its depths.
Katie Gold is a contemporary ceramic artist who’s exuberant joy in colour, texture and shape is captivating. Using fine strips of clay, Katie ‘builds’ layers of clay into unique forms which celebrate her love of New Zealand in the physical – natural beauty and incredible geography – combined with the vibrant use of colour in her glazes, resulting in an outstanding ceramic collection.
Lloyd Harwood is a wonderfully sophisticated painter, who creates intriguing works rich in subtext and humour. Simplified forms and excellent compostion create structural planes from which an intense use of colour draws the eye. ‘Satire and paradox’ inform much of Lloyd’s work – often challenging the viewer, but mostly reveals “…a personal celebration of both the child-like wonder and often adult folly of being human.”
Sally Papps is also a highly sophisticated artist indulging in the use of humour and satire to convey her feelings about small-town New Zealand. The facets of rural life we both love and hate are gently but firmly made fun of in her cleverly executed works. Luminous colour, strong composition and a great deal of humour make these works intelligent and charming.
Please note, there will NOT be an Opening for this exhibition, but it will run from 10am Sat 5th November until Thurs 2nd December.
Selwyn Gallery will be open Tuesday through to Sunday from 10am-4pm for the entirety of the exhibition. A gold coin donation is welcomed. An exhibition programme is available on the gallery’s website www.selwyngallery.co.nz or in the gallery itself.
For further information or photographs please contact Anna directly on the above numbers or emails.

Lady Lava and ‘Peaks & Transience’ Opening Sat 2nd October.

Maree White’s charismatic performance as Lady Lava at Selwyn Gallery on Saturday brought to mind the adjective ‘SHAKEDOWN’ as she sang and strummed her own very special funk/rock and jazz fusion style of music. As far as Post-Quake therapy goes, Lady Lava’s vibrant, toe-tapping songs were a refreshing and inspiring mix, full of humour and enthusiasm for life.
Inspiration from random events such a ride on a dilapidated “ghost-train” at a Canterbury A&P show, a favourite Wellington Café, or rueing the lack of money earned as an artist in “I Should’ve Been A Real Estate Agent” reflect Maree’s quirky and altruistic nature. Her music is made with the same passion and flair as her painted works – this is one incredibly strong but compassionate woman, thriving in the process of creating music and art. With unique leopard-skin style and effervescence, Lady Lava charmed and impressed the capacity crowd, selling CDs and paintings aplenty.
Prior to Lady Lava’s performance she introduced a very special guest – Mary Davison – whose singing talent allowed her to break into the Catalonian Opera in Spain where she lived with her husband Mariano Vivas for 15 years. Mary sang an artistic but very Spanish interpretation of various popular songs, adding humorous comments and accompanied by a bemused Mariano on the Bass Guitar – an instrument he apparently hadn’t played for 15 years.
Sculptor Rebecca Rose spoke briefly to explain the long-term friendship she and Maree have shared, and how part of this friendship informs and moulds the tension between her Greywacke Figures and Maree’s perfectly executed landscapes.
Ruth Warren, Chairperson of the Malvern Community Arts Council (MCAC) was extremely pleased with the turnout for the Opening, and was highly complementary to the Artists stating: “We have been very fortunate with the quality of these two prestigious artists, but to have Maree perform for us as well, that was just superb.”
These two talented artists will complement the depth of local talent showing for the next ten days of Artweek, and it really boosts the credibility of a small community Gallery to carry artists of this calibre.
For more information, please contact Anna Norris annanorris@selwyngallery.co.nz

SHAKEN NOT DETERRED

SHAKEN but NOT DETERRED!
Darfield’s Iconic Artweek Goes Ahead.
Opening 6-8pm on Friday 8th October, Darfield Recreation Centre.
10am-5pm 9-17 October

After the region’s most traumatic event in recent memory, Darfield Artweek organisers have decided that this iconic event must go ahead.For 29 years, the Darfield Community has celebrated its artistic members and their endeavours by holding a large-scale exhibition over ten days. After the recent Earthquake, the committee decided that with the venue still intact, the locals could use a little distraction.“After such terror and distress, we decided that Artweek was a light-hearted and celebratory event – and that perhaps the community might appreciate being able to forget about the quake for a short while and focus on normality instead…” said Ruth Warren, Malvern Community Arts Council (MCAC) Chairperson. Artweek is usually made up of around 300 entries from local artists, with the calibre of talent ranging from Artists like Austen Deans and Simon Edwards, to amateurs who have never exhibited before. This year, approximately 20 businesses in Darfield will show a painting in their display windows, meaning anyone passing through the township will be exposed to wonderful artwork and the quiet celebration behind Darfield’s survival. The MCAC has planned to have pavement artists and a number of other entertainers to complement the art on show.Darfield and the surrounding communities foster a high number of quality artists from all walks of life, with Selwyn Gallery on Darfield’s main street being the focus. Gallery1 is the main exhibition space which shows a variety of artists from all over New Zealand in month-long slots; while Gallery2 is dedicated to local artists of all disciplines.During Artweek, Selwyn Gallery will show two emerging artists from the North Island; Painter Maree White, and Sculptor Rebecca Rose – both of whom are acknowledged as gifted in a competitive industry awash with talent. Artweek 2010 will be an opportunity to put aside the concerns and dramas brought about by the Earthquake, and take a little time to appreciate life in general - but more specifically to value artistic endeavour and how it can soothe souls so shaken by mother nature.

For more information on the Darfield Artweek, please contact annanorris@selwyngallery.co.nz or 021 227 3216www.selwyngallery.co.nz

The Four Of Us

Glynis Laidlaw,
Vicki Knudsen,
Jan Mitchell &
Averil Cave
…have successfully come together
in an exhibition which celebrates
different facets of artistic
expression.
In spite of the disparity in styles,
these painters and potter have
drawn together an exhibition which
shows how lucky Selwyn is to
harbour such talent.
From Fauve-inspired stylised
winter skeleton tree scenes, to
watercolour snapshots, charismatic
chooks and biomorphic pottery,
self-expression is the essence of this
colourful, yet thought-provoking
exhibition.
All four artists convey a thought,
emotion or state of being through
their work, and it is this skill that
is to be admired in all its forms.

Elements Of Nature - 7th Aug- 2 Sept

Sat 7th August - 2nd September

‘Elements Of Nature’ An Exhibition featuring Photographer James May & Painter Jane Riley
Exploring the visual vagaries and power of weather…

Selwyn Gallery and the Malvern Community Arts Council (MCAC) are very pleased to present an exhibition featuring two commanding artists - both of whom have a strong affinity for the environment around them, and an ability to produce uplifting works of art as an expression of that environment.
Jane Riley is a technically precise painter, specialising in oils. Her work portrays stylised elements of nature, with deliberate blending and design components, strengthened by astute use of colour and depth. Meticulous brushstrokes define and lend substance to ethereal birds, waves and sky-scapes. This unity between structure and brushwork underpins works of enormous passion and flair.
James May complements and contrasts Riley’s painting style with his remarkable photography. By using natural points of reference or manmade structures, May anchors his ‘big skys’ to the landscape. Storming, mouldering cloud passes through the works, providing texture, drama and focus. The sky-scapes readily show his skill in the use of light and dark, colour and contrast; the end result being a collection of exceptional works, tightly put together with all the drama nature can muster.
The exhibition will run for a month, from 10am, Sat 7th August-2nd September.
For further information or photographs please contact Anna directly annanorris@selwyngallery.co.nz or 03 3188702

“OUR FRIENDS” Exhibiting from Saturday July 3-29th.

The Exhibition “OUR FRIENDS” at Selwyn Gallery, Darfield, is a tribute to the support base of ‘Friends’ who enable the Gallery to function.
As a Volunteer-run Gallery, we depend on support from our Friends both financially and logistically.
Most of our Friends have an interest in art, and quite a number practice various disciplines, so it was a natural step to provide a platform from which they could exhibit.

As a result, this exhibition will be an eclectic mix of painting, mosaic work and textile art. This potentially cumbersome cross-disciplinary expression of art will be refined by raw talent, ongoing personal development and a pure passion for self-expression.

Such a love for the arts will define the very nature of the works, and a strong theme of landscape emerges. “As a usual Canterbury perspective, landscape and nature dominate our consciousness, and this pervades the works in this exhibition”, notes Arts
Co-ordinator, Anna Norris.

“As a Gallery, we need to acknowledge the value of our Friends’ contribution to our success, and this is a wonderful way to express our thanks”, says Malvern Community Arts Council Chairperson, Ruth Warren. “We hope the community joins us in supporting the people who support us”, she concludes.
The strength in any voluntary organization is the community it serves, and the Selwyn Gallery is an impressive example of what comes from passionate locals.

For any queries or comments, please contact the Arts Co-ordinator, Anna Norris using the information above.

TOGETHER - ALONE Sat 5th – Thurs 1st July

TOGETHER - ALONE Sat 5th – Thurs 1^st July
Featuring spectacular pastel paintings and intriguing felted handbags from husband and wife team, Tony & Beryl Allain.

Selwyn Gallery and the Malvern Community Arts Council are thrilled to present an exhibition of works from International pastel artist, Tony Allain, and wife Beryl.

Tony Allain is renowned for the quality, composition and expertise in his works. A painter of “light and movement” , he was influenced in his early career by ‘The Painters of Light’ in St Ives, Cornwall, where he lived before calling Nelson Home.

Of impressionistic persuasion, Tony’s work is full of beautifully blended colour, but applied with the signature brisk brushstrokes and fluid movement suited to ‘plein air’ or outdoor painting for which Cezanne and the other Impressionists became famous. Such active brushstrokes convey the colour, movement, mood and essence of light that drives Tony to produce such exquisite works.

From the other end of the spectrum, Beryl Allain creates impressive felted handbags which are alive with colour and texture. Working the natural wool fibres through the process of felting and dyeing, then using the finished product to create arresting handbag designs is a unique and intriguing artistic endeavour. The end result is a modern interpretation of an age-old process, admirable in both its simplicity and complexity.

“This is an exciting opportunity to see two quality artists from both the fine arts and craft disciplines. This incredible husband and wife team will pull together an exhibition that fills you with wonder, light and warmth on a cold winter’s day”, says Arts Co-ordinator, Anna Norris.

Please join us at the Opening on Saturday 5^th June at 10am.

For more information or images, please contact Anna at Selwyn Gallery, 03 3188702 or email ajhnorris@xtra.co.nz