BRUCE HUNT

BRUCE HUNT

The Longest Road 6 April - 1 May 2013

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

milford galleries queenstown

9A Earl Street (03) 442 6896 qtown@milfordgalleries.co.nz

1

The Long Road acrylic on can

d (Road to the Goldfields II) (2012) nvas, frame: 1095 x 1550 x 54 mm

2

Morning Over B acrylic on can

Big Bend (2012/13) nvas, frame: 938 x 1148 x 54 mm

3

The Road Below acrylic & oil on

w - to the Branches (2012) n canvas, frame: 1043 x 1399 x 54 mm

4

Magic Mounta acrylic on can

ain and the Ahuriri (2013) nvas, frame: 866 x 1245 x 54 mm

5

Ohau - Return acrylic & oil on

to Raupo Lagoon (2012) n canvas, frame: 1093 x 1550 x 54 mm

6

Goodger Road acrylic on can

d and the Saddle (Lindis Station Above Geordie Hills) (2009/10) nvas, frame: 1330 x 1638 x 54 mm

7

Cool West Wind acrylic & alkyd

d - the Road to Skippers II (2012) d oil on canvas, frame: 1042 x 1398 x 54 mm

8

Airstrip II (2010 acrylic on can

0/11) nvas, frame: 866 x 1045 x 54 mm

9

Ohau and the acrylic & alkyd

Swan Lagoon (2012/13) d oil on canvas, frame: 940 x 1245 x 54 mm

10

Into Shadow acrylic on can

McPhies Ridge and the Dunstan Mountains (2012/13) nvas, frame: 1094 x 1550 x 54 mm

Bruce Hunt’s landscapes speak of distances travelled and forgotten places rediscovered. He combines an in-depth exploration of the bones of the earth with a soft-edged gaze that blurs any sense of time.

In previous bodies of work, Hunt has examined the specifics of place and The Longest Road continues this; he paints with exactitude, his vistas recognisable and true to life. What makes his canvases so much more than a recording of location is the sense of timelessness he brings to each work. Rather than a single, sharp snapshot of a particular moment, Hunt captures the enduring gravitas of the landscape. Hunt’s mountains and valleys appear as they have been, as they are and as they will continue to be. The reflections as seen in Ohau and the Swan Lagoon have existed longer than memory, and serve as a reminder of geological time, larger by far than the span of human generations.

The soft texture that suffuses Hunt’s paintings comes from his careful layering of thin paint washes over and again, building up velvety tones of colour and light. In Goodger Road and the Saddle (Lindis Station Above Geordie Hills) the artist’s underpainting with bright blues and purples glows through the surface, giving depth and life to the angled shadows on the hills and a tinge of menace to the clouded horizon.

Where Hunt introduces man-made elements to his vistas, they are often dwarfed by the topography surrounding them. Roads wind precariously around the edges of mountains and gullies (Cool West Wind - the Road to Skippers II) and sometimes they are barely glimpsed, sitting lightly on an intransigent terrain. Hunt uses them as a device to draw the gaze, asking the viewer to travel the long road through his painted lands.

Bruce Hunt’s The Longest Road refers not only to the transitory journey through a landscape but to the slow mutability of the landscape itself. Bruce Hunt’s considered, quietly magnificent paintings invite contemplation of the timelines of the land as well as those of the viewer.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST 1

The Long Road (Road to the Goldfields II) (2012)

17,500

2

Morning Over Big Bend (2012/13)

12,500

3

The Road Below - to the Branches (2012)

15,000

4

Magic Mountain and the Ahuriri (2013)

12,500

5

Ohau - Return to Raupo Lagoon (2012)

17,500

6

Goodger Road and the Saddle (Lindis Station Above Geordie Hills) (2009/10)

22,000

7

Cool West Wind - the Road to Skippers II (2012)

15,000

8

Airstrip II (2010/11)

11,500

9

Ohau and the Swan Lagoon (2012/13)

12,500

10

Into Shadow - McPhies Ridge and the Dunstan Mountains (2012/13)

17,500

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

BRUCE HUNT b. 1964, lives Dunedin

Backlands (2010)

Critically acclaimed artist Bruce Hunt conveys an authoritative sense of location and vernacular, his paintings capturing the enduring majesty of the Central Otago landscape.

"Hunt's epic depictions of the Otago and South Canterbury landscapes are powerfully emotional works which sweep the eye over what appear to be seemingly endless sinewy vistas." (1) Imbued with the romantic sublime, these panoramic vistas are more than mere documentation. Hunt’s works evoke an emotional and spiritual response to the land. He explores the history, geology and myth that envelop the vast empty tussock-clad hills and arid plains of the Lindis, Danseys and Dunstan Trail regions.

The landscape, often depicted in the glow of dawn or dusk, achieves remarkable depth, luminosity and atmosphere. Masterfully, Hunt captures the subtle play of light and consequent shadow. The muscular geology of the land seems clothed in folds of soft velvet as he layers translucent paint in warm shades over cool to produce an inner radiance.

Hunt spends much of his time traversing sheep trails or old gold mining paths. “As an artist my fuel is the anticipation of discovering new territories but also the seasoned familiarity of places returned to again and again.” (2) There is a sense that these paintings are inhabited both by the artist and the viewer. We are invited into the works, asked to stand atop a lonely ridgeline or evening valley, and consider the tension between the fleeting nature of humanity and the timeless land we occupy.

Remote trails forged through the isolated landscape, interspersed by the occasional water trough or distant fence line, are the only reference Hunt makes to humankind. Hunt has observed the advance of pylons through the Dunstan Pass, and the threat of the Project Hayes wind farm proposal makes him anxious for the future of this land. His affinity with the landscape has led Hunt to stress the “urgent need to keep these few remaining landscapes as pristine as possible.” (3) Bruce Hunt was born in Wellington 1964 and currently lives in Dunedin. He attended Wellington College 1978-82 and Victoria University 1983-84. Hunt has been practicing as a full time artist since 1983 and exhibits regularly throughout New Zealand. His work is held in private and corporate collections throughout New Zealand, including the National Bank.

1. 'Top Ten', Christchurch Press, 2004.

2. Artist Statement, 2007 3. Ibid

Bruce Hunt 2013 CV P a g e |1

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

BRUCE HUNT b. 1964, lives Dunedin EDUCATION 1983 – 84 1978 – 82

Victoria University Wellington Wellington College studying Art under Phillip Markham

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007

2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1988 1986 1984 1983

The Longest Road, milford galleries queenstown The Backlands, Milford Galleries Dunedin Central, milford galleries queenstown Flight, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Auckland New Works, MG, Auckland Summit Fever, Milford Galleries Dunedin The Ochre Triangle II, milford galleries queenstown The Ochre Triangle, Milford Galleries Dunedin New Work, The Art House, Christchurch Trail of Dreams, Ferner Gallery, Auckland Art House, Christchurch Beneath the Surface, Ferner Gallery, Wellington Brown Velvet, Ferner Gallery, Wellington Lands End, Ferner Gallery, Auckland Into Shadow, Ferner Gallery, Wellington A Reflection Of Time, Ferner Gallery, Auckland Valleys of the Lindis, Ferner Gallery, Wellington New Work, Ferner Gallery, Auckland The Distant Landscape, Ferner Gallery, Wellington Face Of The Land, Ferner Gallery, Wellington Road to Erewhon, Ferner Gallery, Auckland Suter Society Guest Artist, Suter Gallery, Nelson Edge Of The World, Ferner Gallery, Auckland Ferner Gallery, Auckland Ferner Gallery, Wellington 45 Degrees South, Ferner Gallery, Wellington North, Molesworth Gallery, Wellington Molesworth Gallery, Wellington Moray Gallery, Dunedin Molesworth Gallery, Wellington

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2012 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 1996 1985

Hight / Frazer / Hunt, milford galleries queenstown Naturally Urbane, Artis Gallery, Auckland The Earl Street Journal, milford galleries queenstown Southern Traverse, milford galleries queenstown Southern Landscape, milford galleries queenstown Richard Dunlop, Bruce Hunt & Hannah Kidd, milford galleries auckland Masterworks 2007, milford galleries queenstown Looking South, Milford Galleries Dunedin Location South, milford galleries queenstown Southern Landscape, Milford Galleries Dunedin Coutts Mercedes, Auckland NZ Academy of Fine Arts Group Show, Wellington

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2007

2006 2004

Moore, Christopher, ‘Unfolding the Mystery’, Christchurch Press. October 2007 Maynard, Anna, ‘Protect Our Inspirational Landscapes..’, Southland Times, June 2007 Benson, Nigel, ‘Central Otago Canvas for Artist’, Otago Daily Times, February 2007 Museth, Tom ‘Great Southern Land’, Urbis Landscape Magazine, Autumn 2006 ‘Top Ten Kiwi Artists’, The Christchurch Press, January 2004

Bruce Hunt 2013 CV P a g e |2

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz