Watercolour NZ Newsletter December 2016 issue 166

WATERCOLOUR

NEW ZEALAND Inc.

Joint winner of the Watercolour New Zealand Supreme Award at Splash 2016 Lake Brunner by Adrienne Pavelka Adrienne writes: “Many happy holidays were spent around the shores of Lake Brunner with family and arty friends. The colours and atmosphere are almost indelible.

With almost every painting l do, l plan the composition first, then decide on my colour palette which was cobalt blue dark, raw umber, a splash of yellow and indigo for the darks. The most difficult and stressful part was the reflections where, because l was working very wet on wet, the pigment had to be so strong. I have to confess to using an opaque white for breeze lines. It was a happy experience when it all worked. You all know the feeling!”

Newsletter 166

December 2016–February 2017

In this issue:

Splash 2016 Awards Page 3

People’s Choice Award Page 4

Paintings from Splash 2016 Pages 5 & 6

Safari to Reefton Page 8

From the President

Splash 2016

I think I’ve almost recovered from both Splash and the WNZ safari to Reefton, which was punctuated by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

The Old Nurses Home where we were staying withstood the shaking and I later learned that the loud rattling noises throughout the quake were the sash weights of the double-hung windows banging against the insides of the window frames. We escaped unscathed and the gods continued to smile upon us as we were able to drive through to Picton on the Tuesday and catch the ferry on schedule.

Splash 2016 was a great success. Over 3000 people visited the show and the response from the public was overwhelmingly positive: “Beautiful,” “Brilliant,” “Amazing,” were frequently heard comments. “So much beautiful work here – makes me keen to have a go at watercolour,” said one visitor. “There are paintings here of gallery standard,” commented another. When it was pointed out to him that this was a gallery, he said “I meant National Gallery.” The only complaint, and it was a common one, came from visitors who said there were so many good paintings that they couldn’t vote in the French Art Shop People’s Choice Award because they found it impossible to pick a single favourite.

The success of a show like this depends first and foremost on the quality of the paintings that you, our members, submit so we’re grateful those of you who sent us their work. This year for the first time we included a junior section, an initiative which attracted a lot of interest and favourable comment. Three of the six paintings in this section sold. We hope the junior section will go from strength to strength as these artists represent the future of watercolour.

Joint Winner of the Watercolour New Zealand Supreme Award and 2nd place in The French Art Shop People’s Choice Award Soren by Marcus Ebbett

We would like to thank the Wellington City Council’s Arts and Culture Fund for their grant which helped cover the costs of running the exhibition, as well as Gordon Harris, for their sponsorship of the awards for Innovation in Watercolour and Best Painting by a Junior, and the French Art Shop, who sponsor the People’s Choice Award.

Marcus: “I started working with watercolour about a year and a half ago and have really enjoyed learning the different techniques involved. This year for the Splash exhibition I wanted to try something different and challenging.

Figures can be difficult to paint in watercolour, so can flowers, so I thought I'd take on the challenge and paint both. The painting which won the award is of my wife Soren Ebbett and the setting is from our wedding day. I started with the background wash, then the skin tones.

I had to do some prior research into what colours to mix to achieve what I wanted. It started looking pretty good and I was quite surprised, that’s when the pressure kicked in, I didn't want to ruin it. The painting was for sale, but I have it back now and I'm pretty sure I'll be holding onto it. I feel very happy and proud to have won an award at a national level for something I love doing. It encourages me to keep pushing myself and my career.”

Marcus Ebbett with his painting Soren

Next year’s Splash will take place in September. Dianne Taylor, who sold all three of her paintings on opening night, said she started planning her paintings for the exhibition in February. I hope you will likewise plan ahead for next year’s show so that we can continue to provide a top quality showcase for New Zealand watercolour.

John Toft President, Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

Winner of the Gordon Harris Junior Award Matt’s House, Otaki by Jamie Lewis

Winner of the Gordon Harris Award for Innovation in Watercolour The Green Rose by Michael Barker Michael: “The painting is a celebration of nature, underpinned by the Romanticist ideal that “nature is the teacher”. The central motif is ‘Viridios”, a figure from Celtic-Romano myth, more commonly known today as “The Green Man”, embellished with the sacred Celtic trees: the oak, the hawthorn and the birch, together with shamrock, fern and the unique gingko-biloba, as well as attendant ‘mini-beasts’. The format is the ‘ecclesiastical rose’, suggesting eternal truths, in this case, the vitality and interconnectedness of nature. The painting style sits within the European tradition of fantasy and illustrative artists such as Arthur Rackham, Alan Lee and John Howe. My preferred materials are Hahnemühle paper, Reeves watercolours and Da Vinci brushes.”

This is the first year of the Gordon Harris award for best painting by a junior (under 18) in the Splash exhibition. Watercolour New Zealand is delighted that Gordon Harris Ltd has sponsored this new award, which aims to encourage young artists to paint in watercolour.

Jamie Lewis lives on the Kapiti Coast and has been painting for six years. He is now fourteen. When he was seven, Jamie entered a painting called Dinosaurus in a competition at the local Mahara Gallery and won the junior award. The judge, Philip Markham, guest artist at Splash 2016, spotted Jamie’s talent.

Now Jamie is taught weekly by Philip, who expands his horizons and mentors his progress. Jamie is studying art at Paraparaumu College. He participates in performing arts and his sister is a dancer, so creativity is a family trait.

Congratulations Jamie.

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Let nature be the teacher!

Jamie Lewis is congratulated by Grant Robertson, MP who opened the exhibition Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

www.watercolournewzealand.co.nz

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The People’s Choice

Splash 2016

The People’s Choice Award Sponsored by The French Art Shop Congratulations to Dianne Taylor whose painting Le Café was the clear favourite among the 1341 voters during the exhibition. In second place was Soren by Marcus Ebbett, featured on page 3. In third place was Stony Creek Terrace, Skippers Canyon by South Island artist Maurice Middleditch.

Le Café

by Dianne Taylor

Dianne: “The special characteristic of Le Cafe is the zig-zag light pattern on the chairs, leading up to the light-filled window. There is also the human element – the play between the three women and the gentleman. Is he listening to their conversation or simply looking past them to the window? Are the women aware of his presence and possible interest in them? The viewer is left wondering.

The board was tilted at a 45-degree angle. I learned this technique from the wellknown overseas artists who have tutored Watercolour New Zealand workshops – tilt the board sharply and let the pigment and water run down. The painting was done in one hit, working round the gentleman and the table and chairs which remained white. I began with the right-hand figure, worked down to the floor shadows, back to the middle woman and across to the left side. During this process, I made sure the edges of the paint flow were kept wet, avoiding hard edges. The colours used were Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Rose, Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna. Then the gentleman and the furniture were painted. I particularly enjoyed painting the chairs, especially the reflected light on the two at the back for which I used Burnt Sienna and a dash of Cadmium Red. Finally the cigarette smoke was added with white gouache to give the scene more atmosphere.”

Out Skiing by Noleen McKeen

Boyle River by Adrienne Pavelka

Stony Creek Terrace, Skippers Canyon

by Maurice Middleditch Maurice: “I have long been attracted to Skippers Canyon with its steep, dramatically rugged landforms. It tells of incredible wealth for some of the early gold miners working in the Shotover River and surrounding areas. But for me it is the amazing light on all those steep broken ridges which gives the canyon its appeal.

‘Stunning!’ really is the only way to describe it if you are lucky enough to be there at the right time. I use a fairly limited palette of colours which includes Ultramarine, Permanent Violet (very carefully), Neutral Tint, Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre and a little Sap Green. As for the subject material, it is just everywhere at Skippers Canyon.”

Woodland Stream by Jacky Pearson

Senorita by Dianne Taylor

Morning Mist, Fiordland by Philip Markham

New Members welcome! We are the national society for watercolour artists and welcome new members from home and abroad. Membership includes our quarterly newsletter, workshops, social activities, exhibitions and discounts at art stores. Annual subscription: Member – $40 Couple – $50 Student (enrolled) – $20 Name

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Please post with subscription to: Membership, Watercolour New Zealand, PO Box 33088, Petone, Lower Hutt 5046, New Zealand Direct credit: WNZ bank account: 010607-0026637-00

President: Vice President: Vice President:

Treasurer:

John Toft Sue Wild Sudha Shenoy Jill Hartstonge

04 934 2699 04 526 7304 04 388 3837 04 567 6938

johntoft@paradise.net.nz sue.wildnz@gmail.com sudha.shenoy@xtra.co.nz jillhartstonge@clear.net.nz

New members who would like a listing in the Artists Directory on our website, please email amethystsky@clear.net

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Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

www.watercolournewzealand.co.nz

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Splash 2016

Splash Demonstrations At weekends our artists demonstrated their skill in the medium to interested viewers.

One little viewer was so inspired that we simply had to give her paper to draw!

Early Light Southern Lakes by Roy Boston

Early Morning Charter by Dianne Taylor

Mooloolaba Marina by Robyn Newth

Low Tide Series – 3 by Svetlana Orinko

Alan Collins – artist extraordinaire

by Alfred Memelink If you ask any watercolour artist around the world what they think of watercolour painting I bet you'll never get an answer anywhere close to how our Alan Collins describes his love of the medium. If you happened to watch TV One's 7 Sharp recently, you might have caught Alan answering with ''I think watercolour is just about the most exciting thing you can do with your clothes on.” This classic response typifies Alan who is 90 this month. It is his amazing spirit and the love he shares with his wife, Sally, that keeps him 20 years younger than his years. He is an example to us all.

Alan has over three quarters of a century of art behind him. He was born in Wellington way back in 1926 and learned to paint before he could read and write. He studied at the Wellington Technical College School of Art, before becoming an artist with National Publicity studios. Later he became Director and then Manager. During a stint working in London as an illustrator, he met a lovely English girl whom he proposed to, promising to settle and raise a family in Eastbourne by the sea. Sally was very excited by the prospect and said 'yes'. However, Alan hadn’t specified which Eastbourne and that it would be the one half way round the world, in New Zealand, not the one just down the road from London. Fortunately Sally was happy with his choice and fell in love with their Eastbourne seaside home. They have been very happily married ever since and still live by the sea.

Alan has amazing ability with the challenging medium of watercolour together with a sound understanding of the colours of the New Zealand landscape. Recently he painted 30 works for a solo exhibition at Memelink Artspace in Petone, painted mostly ‘en plein air’. He loves to find a unique scene and go out in any weather to capture it, bracing himself against a post to fight the wind which tries to whip his board and palette away.

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Clockwise from top left: ∼ Robyn Eastgate-Manning ∼ A junior artist ∼ Joy de Geus ∼ Alfred Memelink ∼ Phil Dickson Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

www.watercolournewzealand.co.nz

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Safari

Obituaries Obituaries for Watercolour New Zealand Members

Shaken, not stirred!

Jon Anders Oien

Safari to Reefton

An elected artist member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and long time member of Watercolour New Zealand, Jon Anders Oien died on the 23rd of September this year.

by Sue Wild If you are woken from deep sleep by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake centred less than 100 kms from your bed, the Old Nurses Home Guesthouse in Reefton is the perfect place to be. Opened in 1949 by Mabel Howard MP, it is a solid timber building that survived the nearby Inangahua earthquake and knows how to stand strong. We sixteen soft watercolour artists were shepherded outside by a fellow occupant, Mitch, trained by the New Zealand Army. He and his troop kindly made copious cups of tea for blanket-wrapped, wide-eyed folk, calmed us and saw us back to bed.

Born in the USA, Jon was introduced to watercolour while studying architecture in the 1950s when he had to submit designs executed in the medium. After coming to New Zealand in 1974 he took up watercolour painting as a hobby, eventually spending two or three hours every day painting.

On his many trips to Europe, Jon took numerous photographs which provided the inspiration for watercolours depicting his favourite subject matter, classical European street scenes. His method was to take elements from a number of photographs and blend them together into a unified composition.

This unusual experience added to three days of memorable outdoor painting, most of it in sunshine. The area is an artist’s paradise. At every ten metres, there’s a subject begging to be painted: wafting misty clouds casting challenging shadows on the purple hills; dozens of picturesque buildings in various states of repair dating from as far back as the 1870’s when the town mushroomed on discoveries of gold and coal; the river and side creeks, native bush and rhododendron-colourful gardens; rusting machinery of all descriptions and even bearded locals willing to be portrayed. We could have painted for a month and still had a rich fund of new material.

Jon’s work sold well, particularly prior to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, but he always said he was definitely not in it for the money: “I just keep on painting because I enjoy it.”

A quietly-spoken, likeable man with a dry sense of humour reminiscent of Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame, Jon was, as his death notice in the Dominion Post said, “Loved and admired by all who knew him.”

Local Lad by Pavithra Devadatta

The Long View by Jon Anders Oien

Brian Carmody (1930-2016) “Respected Watercolourist and Teacher of Many” Brian Carmody will be remembered as one of New Zealand’s finest watercolourists.

A long-serving president of both the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and the Wellington Society of Watercolour Painters, he won the National Bank Watercolour Award in 1980 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1984. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2007, Brian was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts. In 2012, the NZAFA recognised his achievements with an exhibition entitled Brian Carmody: a Tribute.

Safari Reefton group

We were delighted to have the company of new member Heather Plowman from Nelson and her daughter, Shannon, visiting from Cambodia, Leonie Avery who joined us from Westport, and Adrienne Pavelka and her friend from Lyttleton.

Thanks to Jan Jeffery for creating delicious food for our expanding group. Thanks to everyone for delightful company and a wonderful trip.

If you are wishing you had come, consider joining the next safari to Flock Hill in the Canterbury alpine hills.

Reefton Bridge by Libby Kemp

Brian spent his working life as a teacher of art, first as an Art & Craft Advisor to the Department of Education and later as Senior Lecturer in Art at Wellington Teachers’ College. “In my own time I painted,” he later recalled.

Brian was first and foremost a watercolourist. “I’ve never really enjoyed painting in other media,” he said. “I like watercolour and I’m not good enough at it yet. It’s one of those sorts of media that you never master. It keeps on opening up new fields, so you keep going.” And keep going Brian certainly did. It’s a measure of the respect in which his work is held that an exhibition of his watercolours in Wellington last year was a sellout.

Brian made an enormous contribution to art in New Zealand as a painter, Reflections by Brian Carmody a teacher and president of both the NZAFA and the Wellington Society of Watercolour Painters (which later became Watercolour New Zealand). In an interview with WNZ for our Oral History Project, Brian recalled: “I’ve had a lot of people say, people who have bought my work or people who have looked at it anyway, ‘Oh, you’ve helped me look at things in such a different way. You’ve just helped me look.’ And maybe that’s justification enough for doing what you do.”

Reefton by Robyn Eastgate-Manning Page 8

Sue Wild in the field Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

A profile of Brian Carmody written by John Toft was included in newsletter 156 in 2014. www.watercolournewzealand.co.nz

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Obituaries

To book a workshop or request further information: Email: bookings@watercolournewzealand.co.nz If you don’t use email, phone Sue Wild (04) 5267304

Avis Higgs Watercolour New Zealand began in 1975 as the Wellington Society of Watercolour Artists, the first watercolour society in New Zealand. At the first meeting Mrs Avis Beere (née Higgs) was one of three speakers who addressed the group of seventeen members on the art of watercolour. In 1979 she was elected president of the society, which by then numbered sixty-four. She painted and exhibited into her 90s and remained a valued member until she died recently at the age of 98.

Four-day Workshop

Born into a family of artists, Avis was encouraged to paint by her father, Sydney Higgs, a well-known Wellington watercolourist. After attending art school, she worked as a designer in the textile industry in New Zealand, Australia and England.

Her painting technique and style developed alongside her professional work. “I had such an interesting life with textile designing, but I really wanted to just paint pictures” is how she summed up this period of her life. Returning to New Zealand in 1952, she married Jock Beere and joined the maturing Wellington art world. Painting became her primary focus and Avis soon gained recognition for her work. She has been an important member of the Wellington art scene for over 60 years.

Avis won the National Bank Award for watercolour in 1964, and Special Merit prize in 1968. She exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, the Elva Bett Gallery and the Antipodes Gallery. In 2006 Avis received the Governor General’s Art Award. She was admitted to the Hall of Fame for the College of Creative Arts at Massey University in 2010.

Deserted Farmhouse by Avis Higgs, winner of the National Bank

Award for Watercolour in 1964, held in the Te Papa Collection

A profile of Avis Higgs written by John Toft was included in newsletter 153 in 2013.

Valerie Scott QSM JP. 1928–2016 Memories from Jan Thomson

Workshops

Class: 2017/1

PAINT VIBRANT WATERCOLOURS with Malcolm Beattie Melbourne artist Malcolm Beattie paints watercolours with beautiful purity of colour. His paintings depict the life and activity of his environment. Malcolm leads painting tours overseas and is a contributor to the Australian Artist and International Artist magazines. He has won numerous awards and is author of the book Simplifying Complex Scenes in Watercolour.

Enjoy four days of watercolour excitement, exploring the benefits of painting with a limited palette and broad washes while enjoying the experience of creative watercolour. Extend your knowledge of watercolour techniques, composition, drawing and simplification, and learn how to produce clean paintings full of light, colour and atmosphere. Malcolm’s is a commonsense and logical, but above all an enjoyable, approach to vibrant watercolour painting. Malcolm will demonstrate continuously and set tasks for participants. Critique, guidance and appraisal will be ongoing.

Autumn Rain, Melbourne WC

The approach is the practical application of theory – very hands on! Each participant will complete approximately two paintings per day, and gain a valuable insight into the methodology of the tutor as a professional artist. Subject matter will be varied – such as seascapes, beachscapes, urban streetscapes, rural landscape, skies, figures in the landscape, etc. Malcolm will cover pen and wash technique – very useful when travelling.

Dates: Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April 2017, 9.30am–4pm Venue: Karori Arts Centre, 7 Beauchamp Street, Karori, Wellington Class level: All (not absolute beginners) Student fee: $420

Anchorage, Blairgowrie

I was saddened to hear of Valerie’s recent passing. Others have spoken of her various careers and achievements, but I’d like to write about her as an artist and good friend.

The first time I picked up a watercolour brush was at a workshop run by Janet Andrews. I was slightly terrified at finding myself in a room of seemingly talented artists, while I floundered with puddles and cauliflowers. The immaculately made up and coiffed lady next to me calmed me and quietly started me on my watercolour journey. Valerie was always encouraging, especially to beginners, generously sharing her knowledge and skills. When I began to have solo exhibitions she was always at the opening, and posted me newspaper cuttings about them, together with a handwritten letter.

Adrienne Pavelka’s ‘Watercolour Techniques’ workshop Report by Lynette Buchanan

Valerie was a talented artist, painting (often with collage) many of the old buildings in her beloved Thorndon. Her own cottage was like Aladdin’s cave - filled with beautiful paintings, prints and sculpture, mirrors strategically placed to reflect lush pot plants and fresh flowers, all grounded on a gorgeous royal blue carpet.

Valerie loved to shop. She was, for many years, the shopping reporter for the Evening Post. On Christmas shopping expeditions she would point out treasures that I wouldn’t have spotted.

There were other sides to Valerie too: she spent many hours as a volunteer phone support person for Samaritans; she worked on a campaign to improve conditions for patients and staff in resthomes. She had endless energy for helping others and was loved by many people.

Christmas Card by Valerie Scott Page 10

Valerie, you will probably be the only person I’ll ever meet who would make real cucumber sandwiches for her house-painter, who was ready to listen with a friendly ear and offer wise advice when needed. I’ll miss you, and I wouldn’t have missed you for the world.

Watercolour New Zealand Inc.

I really enjoyed this workshop. We were the lucky 14 participants as 12 others missed out. Adrienne’s approach is to simplify and emphasise the effects of the sky’s rhythms and light on land or reflected water. Our first painting was a big stormy sky above hills leaving a sliver of yellow for light on a hill top. The first wash was a yellow gradated wash. Then two strong colours were made up to achieve that stormy sky look remembering to let some bits stay white and not to puddle. While waiting for washes to dry, we had fun with a still life painting. Crayons or similar were used as a loose under drawing before applying watercolours. We learnt to see colours in patterns and to balance the colours out. The third painting was a lake with reflections. Adrienne demonstrated how to make rain and capture reflections of simple trees and sky in the lake.

A challenging day but Adrienne’s skilful and generous approach to us all as individuals helped us to achieve results. Thank you Adrienne.

www.watercolournewzealand.co.nz

Our next safari:

AUTUMN SAFARI TO FLOCK HILL 10–12 MARCH 2017 Flock Hill is a 90-minute drive west from Christchurch into the foothills of the alps. Members from the north will fly to Christchurch and share a rental car. The accommodation is set on a 36,000-acre working sheep station. There are cottages and a bunkhouse, with a large lounge/dining area for our use. In every direction are glorious mountains and river valleys, farm homesteads and sheds, all waiting to be captured in watercolour.

Your challenge will be to decide which view to paint! It’s a great chance to meet fellow artists, including Adrienne Pavelka, who knows the area well, and to enjoy the camaraderie that our safaris are noted for.

Don’t miss this opportunity For further information email: bookings@watercolurnewzealand.co.nz (Subject line: ‘safari’)

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Events

Monthly Painting Group – ‘MPG’ The outdoor painting sessions have a co-ordinator for each group. If you would like to be on the email list for reminder and update, please email the co-ordinator:

• Wellington – Judy Langham – judyl@paradise.net.nz

• Kapiti – Audrey Moore – jandamoore@paradise.net.nz Full details of location (directions), painting subject and café are listed on the Watercolour New Zealand website www.watercolournewzealand.nz

WELLINGTON GROUP 10:00am – 12:15pm Coordinator: Judy Langham (04) 9343046 or 027-3091888 Date

Day Coordinator Painting location

Café/picnic lunch

29 Jan

Robyn Newth

Bring your own picnic lunch

26 Feb

Jacky Pearson

26 Mar

Helen Wilson

Rivendell. Turn left of SH2 to Kaitoke Regional Park, continue to end of road – last car park.

232 Norfolk Road, Carterton, Wairarapa. Drive north from Carterton; turn left on Norfolk Road; drive 2.5km. House is on right. (Drive time from Wellington: 90 minutes).

Front of Parliament grounds.

Bring something for the bbq and a salad to share.

Italian café near the local New World.

KAPITI GROUP 10:00am – 12:15pm Coordinator: Audrey Moore (04) 904 6382 Date

Day Coordinator Painting location

14–15 Jan Audrey Moore 5 Feb

Audrey Moore

5 Mar

Audrey Moore

Lavender Creek Farm Open Weekend (entrance charge) 123 Settlement Rd, Te Horo.

Otaki Historic Railway Station. Turn East at central shops on SH1.

Otaihanga Domain. Waikanae River views and bridges.

OTHER DATES for your Diary Saturday, 10 December Christmas party – details below 11–12 March Safari to Flock Hill – details on page 11 19 March Watercolour New Zealand AGM: 2:00pm at Karori Arts Centre 7–10 April Workshop with Australian tutor, Malcolm Beattie

Watercolour New Zealand Christmas Party WHERE

At the Days Bay Pavilion Restaurant in Williams Park opposite the Days Bay wharf

WHEN

12 noon on Saturday 10 December 2016

BOOKING

Please email to: bookings@watercolournewzealand.co.nz with Christmas Party in the subject line. Tell us how many you are booking for. We are making a bulk booking at the restaurant.

PAINTING BEFOREHAND

We will meet in Days Bay at 10am and paint on the beach or in the park

Café/picnic lunch Bring own lunch (drinks/snacks available) A great day out, especially if weather is fine!

Local café Bring your own lunch.