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 Newletter December 09
Wishing you all a wonderful festive season with loved ones and fantastic 2010 year to follow. Celebrate your achievements and the contributions you have made to your community and know that you have made a difference!
Another year has “flown” by……and with it, the global crisis that has affected our world in so many ways……personally, I found so many acts of kindness and a certain resilience flowed through our small communities, which was positively heartwarming.
Maggie Read, our Arts Co-ordinator took time out earlier this year to be with family. She loved it so much that she is now concentrating on all her favorite pastimes, gardening, tramping, school art projects (Waikino Water Journey particularly) and just being alive & wild. Maggie is still a passionate advocate for creativity in all forms and we wish her the very best year ahead and thank her for her contribution to our art community.
There have been many new artists, new galleries being established and collectors are still roaming in our region as it grows and builds its creative soul. Keep your eye out for those keeping their eye on you!
The Abstract Gallery & Café was recently established on SH25 by the Thames turnoff and features many wonderful works synonymous with our local landscape. Just further up SH25 is Wholly Quilts, bursting at the seams, in the original church, where Natalie Murdoch international award winning quilter, displays beautiful works of fabric and design. Also the Little Gallery of Fine Arts in Tairua is a must to visit tucked behind Manaia Gallery and featuring over 40 outstanding artists.
There are so many events happening this summer, the Coromandel Music Festival, Keltic Fair, Waihi Summer Festival, Whangamata Art and in the late summer the combined dynamic exhibition at Mercury Bay Art Escape to name just a few.
Please check our www.artscoromandel.co.nz/events page and scroll through the list of exhibitions, festivals, concerts and events happening all round the Peninsula. If you have something you would like us to list, please email there is no charge.
I was visited recently by an inspiring international wildlife cameraman who, with his family will be relocating from Europe to NZ and was looking at the Coromandel region to base himself from whilst continuing to be involved in audiovisual production work for the international film industry, documentaries and publications such as National Geographic.
Also, another contact made through the www.artscoromandel.co.nz site was a, soon to be resident from the UK, who was travelling in our region to scout for specific artists who he would like to invite to exhibit in his “soon to be established” gallery in Auckland which will specifically feature works of Coromandel artists.
Exhibits are still being accepted for Waihi Summer Festival, Molly Morpheth and the Waimarino Art Awards check their websites for details.
Congratulations to Barbara von Seida for her Premier Award at the Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Awards and for 1st prize winner at the Taranaki Art Awards. Barbara is a well known local artist who continues to exhibit and enter competitions all over the country. Well done Barbara & Ernie.
Art Stats
By the 21st December the www.artscoromandel.co.nz site had 13,560 visitors. The average visit saw guests scroll through 5 pages – meaning the visitors stayed on the site for some time to look at a range of pages. On the 12th & 13th of December we received over 2,000 visitors that weekend. Interest comes firstly through USA, Australia, France & NZ for the month of December. Key phrases from search engines include: coromandel, art, events, and galleries.
We need to build on the artscoromandel website so that you, as artists, can benefit from exhibiting in this space. Please encourage others to join the site with links to websites or art information. The more artists the site promotes, the more our search engines are being optimized.
Enjoy the festive season.
Artyfact
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls” Pablo Picasso
Newsletter October 2009
ART NEWS
Moving into spring, bringing its bright, invigorating and fresh energy, is often an inspirational time for many creative souls. Look out for current exhibitions at the Paeroa Arts Society with guest artists. Labour Weekend offers a huge selection of art events – check the events calendar on this site.
The success of some of the regional winter festivals including the Whitianga Scallop Festival, Paeroa Jazz Festival and the Antique Fair, were welcomed and enjoyed by locals and visitors offering fantastic music & entertainment.
These annual events get better every year with support from volunteers, organizations, artists, promoters, sponsors, councils and of course visitors. It is a credit to those at the coal-face of organizing such events. They often have an unenviable job and take the biggest risk. Thanks to those community workers who make these events happen for us all.
The summer events calendar on www.artscoromandel.co.nz is growing, with exhibitions, events and festival dates being confirmed. Thanks to those who have submitted their events, KEEP THEM COMING…..the more great exhibitions and activities we can offer and promote, the better it is for all of us.
Please send dates for your individual exhibitions as well as your local art community information and we will advertise it for FREE!
A reminder that Entry Forms are now available for the Art Waikino Exhibition held over Labour weekend, contact Helen Wilson sharpadze@xtra.co.nz for forms or further info. The 39th Waihi Summer Festival categories, information and entry form is also available, Email waihisummerfestival@hotmail.com for further info. The “Corporate Battle of the Bands” will be held in Thames in October, there is a Quilting Exhibition in Whangamata, lots of cafes promoting local art and of course the galleries all over the Peninsula will be buzzing.
The 3rd Biennial National Arts Conference, Rotorua to be held 12-13 October www.creativerotorua.org.nz for program and registration. The Arts Conference brings together New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, artists, marketers, designers and others working across media, industries and sectors in the creative economy.
ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS
Waikino School and artist Michael O’Donnell have now completed the ‘Artists in Schools’ programme. With months of storytelling, claywork, forest visits, creative play culminating in a concert from the children of Waikino School who have participated in the program. Maggie Read, our Arts Co-ordinator has worked alongside the children and Mike as part of the Artists in Schools program which has been a huge success. Maggie is taking more time for her own art and whanau. We thank her for her wonderful gift of connectivity and for the 2 years she spent keeping us up to date with arty news. Maggie is a passionate advocate for artists in our region. Watch this space!
STATISTICS
July & August saw the hits on www.artscoromandel.co.nz start to build to around 30,000 hits – which means lots of people looking or returning to the site. On average the site gets 600 unique visitors per month (new visitors to the site who have not been there before). Visitors to the site are viewing an average of 2 – 4 pages predominantly “artists”, “events” and “newsletters” pages, (which translates into visitors staying on the site to look at who, what and news about our art community). GREAT RESULTS.
USA, Australia followed by NZ, Netherlands & Spain were the main visitors during September, with USA far outstripping the latter. Our key link from other websites is www.thecoromandel.com where we have reciprocal links
WENDY MUNROE
Wendy was a prolific artists, she worked in many mediums throughout her life, from paper mache to painting, fabric art and design, mosaic and sculpting. More recently exploring clay work. Her contribution to her community through her art was vast; she was commissioned to produce art pieces for schools, Marae, women’s refuge, family organizations and society for unborn child to sculpt pieces that were significant to their cause. Her private exhibitions were always a unique and magical experience often she would exhibit up to 100 pieces – her creative energy was irrepressible. Sadly, Wendy passed away in August 09; her lifetime of unique artwork will always be treasured.
ARTIST’S QUOTES
“Art Washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso
NEWSLETTER – MAY 09
ART NEWS
March and April have been really busy months for our region. The Mercury
Bay Art Escape brought many more people to be part of an event that is
growing each year. Hot on its heels is the Great Coromandel Art Tour – three
weekends of open studios and galleries and creative activities for visitors of all
ages to be part of. And now the Homegrown Festival will showcase the regions fine food and wine as well as its art over the month of May. It is the hard work of the organizers that make these events so successful and put the Peninsular on the national art map. With more New Zealanders exploring their own back yard, emphasizing the unique creative spirit that is where we live can only be of benefit to all.
There are two wonderful new art books now available.
• “Hotere”, a stunning book covering 50years of work and illustrating over 250 of Ralph Hotere’s paintings This new book will surprise even those familiar with the work of this celebrated artist.
• “Making the Molecules Dance”, showing 60 years of the work of Len Castle. Beautiful images of the complexity and diversity of this man’s journey with clay.
Waikino School and artist Michael O’Donnell are well under way with the ‘Artists in Schools’ programme. The school has allocated a room which will be transformed into a wonderful creative space for the children and the community. This programme gives artists and schools the opportunity to work together and give the children something very unique and special. This became possible after Waikino School attended an Arts Workshop held by us last year.
The first Arts Workshop this year was a bit different – using computer software to prepare and enhance artwork ready to include in an ‘artist’s profile’. With many of the galleries and major exhibition organisers now requiring entries to be submitted electronically it was a very useful workshop for those who attended.
STATISTICS
America and Australia are still the most frequent overseas visitors to www.artscoromandel.co.nz with an increase in interest from other parts of the world. New Zealanders continue to use the site most often and we receive many enquiries through the site from visitors seeking artists they would like to contact artists they have met before.
TOURISM STATISTICS
The latest statistics from Tourism Coromandel show the ratio of domestic visitor numbers in the region for December to March was 63% with international visitors at 37%. There was also an increase of 5%in March of international guests. When compared with other tourist regions in New Zealand, Coromandel has had the greatest increase of international guest arrivals
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Guity Evelyn of Topadahil Studios uses oils, acrylics, natural pigments and gold
dust to create the overlaying effects in her work Her studio overlooks the
beautiful wharekawa harbour and is inspiration for many of her paintings
ARTIST’S QUOTES
“Art Washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Pablo Picasso
NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 09
ART NEWS
Three months of wonderful summer and lots of visitors to our region. The weather was great and where ever you went, there were fantastic exhibitions to wander around and glorious studios open. Hopefully, you have all had good sales and commissions and with plenty of warm weather to come, there is still a lot to look forward to. Check our ‘Events’ section to see what is happening in your area.
It was wonderful to hear the excellent promotion of the Mercury Bay Art Escape on National Radio 101 ‘Arts on Sunday’ and to see the names of Angelique Delano and Marianne Braithwaite in the New Zealand Motor Homes travel section promoting the region. Our piece of paradise deserves national recognition and it looks like we are starting to get it.
EXHIBITIONS
Hauraki House held a really comprehensive exhibition in January. Paintings and clay art from local artists drew the crowds in and it was a pleasure to see the work being admired in this lovely facility.
The Waihi Summer Festival had a continuous stream of visitors and good sales as well. It was great to see the Youth Section so well supported and even better to see the red stickers on some of the work.
Grahamstown, Thames has been alive with art and music over the summer with changing exhibitions. Susan Dunster and Dorothy Meharry still have work on show at Flora Nova and the Sola Café respectively
The Lee-Johnston Gallery in the Waihi Museum saw work by local and peninsular-wide artists and the well laid out display of excellent work led you through exhibits of painting, fabric, wood, clay and mosaic.
Congratulations to Heidi McCulloch and Barbara von Seida, for having paintings accepted into major national exhibitions – The North Shore City Art Awards, Tauranga National Art Awards, Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award and WSA Painting and Printmaking Art Awards
The Mercury Bay Art Escape was hugely successful with more than twice the number of visitors this year. People came from all over the country specifically for the weekend but notably more from the major cities. Many of the artists had between 150 -200 visitors over the three days. This is now an established event in the New Zealand art calendar thanks to the hard work and effort of the organisers.
STATISTICS
The difficult global financial situation is reflected in the visits to www.artscoromandel.co.nz . There are an increasing number of visits from the UK and Europe though and as long as the exchange rate remains as it is, they are willing buyers of New Zealand art.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Betty Collings is a sculptor, painter, constructor and clay worker. If that is not enough, she is also an arts writer and curator. Betty is very involved in the annual Mercury Bay Art Escape.
ARTIST’S QUOTE
“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment”
Claude Monet
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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2008
ART NEWS
2008 is drawing to a close – a year of shifts and changes and re-evaluating. Some wonderful art has been created expressing the effects of these changes and we are privileged to be living in a region where the environment rules the way we live and feeds the creative juices.
The new ‘Artworks, Cafes & Gardens of the Coromandel’ is now complete and will be available for the busy season ahead. This great biennial publication, compiled by Robyn Lawrence and assisted by Hauraki Enterprise Agency, is a comprehensive showcase of our region’s wonderful artists. It is available in outlets all over the country and is used by visitors to find the work our region is well known for.
Great news that there are now two new galleries in Thames, Bounty in Pollen Street and Pearlfisheries Gallery in Albert Street. It is encouraging that Marie Robinson and Fiona Cameron are making an interesting space available for artists.
www.artscoromandel.co.nz STATISTICS
The number of unique visitors to the website continues to grow and the site is used by increasing visitor numbers from United States and Australia. This month we were contacted by our local District Council who used the site to seek artists interested in submitting proposals for a public artwork on the Peninsular.
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
The Katikati Art and Mural Festival continues to bring crowds to the town. Whitianga artist Peter Nicholson won the mural-painting competition with his work portraying the journey of Irish immigrants from Ulster to Katikati in 1875. Waihi artists, Chilton Tinling and Colleen Rundle were two of the 40 exhibiting artists.
Not only was Coromandel artist Barbara von Seida’s work selected for the North Shore City Art Award, but she won the Premier Prize. She is also a finalist in the Waitakere Art Awards and has had work accepted for the Taranaki Art Awards and Tauranga Garden and Artfest.
Waihi artist Heidi McCulloch was also selected for the prestigious North Shore City Art Award, the Tauranga Garden and Artfest and the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award in Hamilton. It is wonderful that our region is featuring so predominantly in the national art scene.
Congratulations to Sue Wright for her part in the production of “In Search of the Rainbow” – The Coromandel Story”. This beautiful history book, designed to encourage reading, is delightful.
Whangamata artist Tony Howse was awarded the supreme award and he won the craft section at the recent Art Waikino exhibition with his beautiful kauri female torso. This exhibition is now attracting more and more artists from the Peninsular and beyond and some excellent sales were made.
Congratulations to Shelley Cruickshank for having her artwork accepted for a great commercial purpose. Shelley’s beautiful ‘Native Forest’ adorns a range of gumboots, ‘Gummies’, featuring designs by New Zealand artists and celebrating our Kiwi identity.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
November
Joanne Mahoney, painter and beach comber. Joanne’s work is purely New Zealand coast and her work is the epitome of what we love and value about our living in this region.
December
Ray Neumann’s abstract and constructivist works is based on observations of the natural or man-made world. He is interested in the qualities of multi-layer glazing.
Our “Artists of the Month” record a noticeable increase in visitors to their ‘artist’s page’ which is great extra exposure and can only enhance the opportunities to dialogue with art lovers and buyers.
ARTYFACTS
In 1867 Charles Blomfield came with his family to New Zealand with the Albertland Settlement Association. He worked in Auckland as a house painter. The family moved to Thames in 1867 and worked building houses for the hundreds of people who joined the goldrush. Charles Blomfeld was among the gold-seekers, but his claim was not successful and he only retrieved a meager amount of gold to show for his efforts.
He was strongly attracted by the native bush and began to paint. He had no formal training but had a natural talent and soon mastered the art. He painted his subject in oils directly rather than recreating in a studio from sketches. His famous ‘Kauri of Thames’, painted in 1915 shows his love of nature and attention to detail.
ART QUOTES
At moments of great enthusiasm it seems to me that no one in the world has ever made something this beautiful and important. M C Escher
NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2008
ART NEWS
We have survived!!! Those long dark, wet and windy days are over and inspiration is rushing through the art community. The wonderful exhibitions coming up over Labour weekend and the summer are evidence of the exciting new work that has come from all that adverse weather.
STATS
Even with all the uncertainty in the world, www.artscoromandel.co.nz has had increasing interest. There has been a steady flow of visits to the site and some very interesting enquiries.
Visitors from overseas, who have travelled the Hauraki/Coromandel region and made art purchases and have lost touch with those artists, are using the site to make contact again. We have had several requests for the names and contact details of artists as these people are planning to visit the region again.
Being a part of the www.artscoromandel.co.nz art community means that you would be contacted directly and your most recent work would be seen on your ‘artist’s page’ by potential buyers. As we rely more and more on international art lovers, exposure through a reputable website becomes imperative.
EVENTS
The passing of artist Rei Hamon CBE, in August is a great loss to New Zealand art. His work is so well known here and all over the world.
The winter brought lots of indoor musical happenings and one great outdoor Jazz Festival in Paeroa. Thames Music Group continues to inspire with the lunch time concerts by some of our region’s great musicians.
Whitianga rang with voices of singers from all over the North Island and ‘The Mercury Bay Big Sing’. Under the baton of James Niblock singers were tutored and shaped for a Midwinter Concert. There are plans to repeat this very successful event.
The Labour weekend and exciting summer exhibitions listed in our ‘events’ section are something to really look forward to. It is the time of year to get out and about, and planning an ‘art itinerary’ is a must. Don’t forget to let us know about your exhibitions or art events so we can help you get the word out there. Another way to promote your studio or art work is to advertise in ‘Artworks, Cafes & Gardens of the Coromandel’. This publication is biennial and the 2009-11 edition is being compiled now. Look on the home page of www.artscoromandel.co.nz for contact details.
Applications for Creative Communities funding close on October 30th so if you have a creative community project that you need financial help to complete, get your proposal in as soon as possible – your local District Council will have the application details.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Art @ Paeroa’s ‘Spring Surprize” exhibition, with the work of Zoe Cutfield, Berys Daly and Janet Smith, has vibrant new work and the opening night delighted art lovers from all over the greater Waikato.
Congratulations to Waihi South School pupils, Casey Mitchell, Angie Sowerby and Hannah Arevalo, Jarvana Phillips, David Jennings, Jimmy Brown, Sam McAlister, Kushvinder Sandhu and Stephanie Su for winning the ‘Fair Go School Ad Award’. The students had to submit a 30-second ad focusing on the attractions of the town.
Also, congratulations to Dash Mackel, Hannah Arevelo, Eshar Higgins, Savannah Harvey and Nathan Marigold. These students were finalists in the New Zealand School Photographic Competitions.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
August
Angelique Delano
Angelique is Chilean born and her paintings reflect the colour and vibrancy of that culture. Her works hang in private and public collections all over the world.
September
Trevor Heighway
Trevor carves in bone and stone with pieces of his work in public places as well as in private collections and gardens. He has work featured in the wonderful art book,” Stone, Bone and Jade”
‘ARTYFACTS’
Rei Hamon was born in Auckland but lived much of his working and creative life in Thames. He had worked for the Ministry of Works working on roads and drains and managed the Thames Sawmilling Company. It was while working here that his heart went out to the giant trees he was required to fell and he vowed never to fell another healthy tree.
A farm accident in 1965 left him almost paralysed and he started to draw with a ball point pen, later changing to pen and ink. He used a technique called pointillism, a drawing made up of millions of dots. He had not drawn since he was a child and had no idea he had the skills. His work captures the New Zealand bush and flowers in superb detail and is sought after by collectors worldwide. Sadly Rei passed away on August 16, 2008.
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NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 08
Here we are, half way through the Winter and the days are lengthening. There is some early blossom out too to remind us that Spring is on its way.
STATS
The May and June 2008 statistics for the use of www.artscoromandel.co.nz show that the site had 28,000 additional hits in this period compare to the same period in 2007. The greatest users of the site come from U SA, Australia and New Zealand respectively. This is really positive information as it shows the use of the website is growing and giving increased exposure for our artists. As economic belts are tightened in New Zealand, it is even more important to show our international visitors that the Hauraki/Coromandel offers not only one of the countries most interesting landscapes and coastline, but a vast creative community as well.
Feedback from our participating artists suggests that overseas visitors like to seek out artists’ studios and buy New Zealand art. www.artscoromandel.co.nz is a vehicle for them to find our artists, visit studios and galleries and leave knowing that time spent in our region was rewarding and enriching.
EVENTS
If you are looking for creative happenings in your area, look in the ‘events’ section of www.artscoromandel.co.nz and please let us know if you are planning an exhibition or art event so we can help promote it for you. Also there are some exciting winter workshops in our ‘workshops’ section for those of you who are looking for inspiration and new direction.
REGIONAL ARTS MEETING HELD
On July 17th representatives from around the peninsular, along with Tourism Coromandel and Arts Waikato, met to discuss the possibility of having a ‘peninsular wide’ art event. There have been comments made about the amount of time and money spent on specific area events and that; with the changing economic climate, it might be more cost effective to be more collaborative. The outcome of the meeting was to be part of the ‘Home Grown’ Festival in May. This would give excellent publicity on a large scale. We will have another meeting this month to refine some of the ideas and details and will let you know that outcome in the next newsletter.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Denis Robinson has again produced a superb book of New Zealand artists “New Zealand Favourite Artists 2” and Rachel Olsen is again one of the contributors with her work showcased on the cover.
When you pick up a magazine or a rural newspaper it is a huge thrill to see our region’s artists as a major feature. Recognition of the work that is created here in publications other than art books, further endorses our well established art profile. The article on Kuaotunu knife-maker Lloyd Franklin in “The Shed” magazine, published by Cadenza Publishing Ltd, showed the enormous knowledge and skill required to produce his work. Although there was a lot of technical information in the article the overall impression was that this was a very clever artist at work making lovingly created pieces of art for very appreciative buyers.
The ‘Coast and Country’ newspaper featured an article on Con Kiernan, mosaic artist. Con is an internationally recognised artist who has featured in the British Association of Modern Mosaic inaugural publication in 2006 and who now lives and works in Waikino.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Congratulation to Sandra Toornstra and Trish MacReady for their contribution to the NZ Art Guild’s major collaborative work. They are two of 88 artists, each painting an individual panel which when assembled is a 1270mm x 1520mm piece of work. The theme was ‘ON YOUR MIND’ and 20% of the sale price was donated to The Mental Health Foundation. .
Waihi artist, Robyn Tucker is working with the children at Waihi Beach School to create a 4m x 2m mural for a brick wall in the school grounds. It is the end result of a school trip to Kelly Tarlton’s followed by painting the ‘story’ and finally a mural.
Whiritoa fabric artist, Esther Nitschke, who now has two pieces of her works in the permanent collection at Te Papa - something special to look for when you are next in the Capital. http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz .
COPYRIGHT & ROYALTIES
The Copyright (Artist’s Resale Right) Amendment Bill has been introduced into Parliament. It will entitle visual artists to receive a royalty each time an original art work is resold commercially. It does not apply to the first sale or transfer of art work, the sale of work between private individuals or of sales of less that $500, but is directed at auction houses, galleries, dealers or other professionals involved in the business of selling art. Submission on this Bill closed on July 4th but their website www.mch.govt.nz/projects/culture/resale-royalry.html has updates and more information.
An extra $2 million dollars will go to the NZ Authors Fund over four years to compensate authors for loss of royalty income on books lent by public libraries so, at last, we are getting serious about the worth of the work of our artists.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
June
Lisa Corston
Lisa’s paintings of music, movement and emotion covey the emotions of the musician or the dancer. She will also create Personal Healing Artworks, portrayals of aspects of life.
July
Pamela Blaike - Patches and Cream.
Pamela’s love of fabric and the endless possibilities of creating intricate and complex patterns in very obvious in her beautiful works of art.
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
Winter is always a quiet time for exhibitors but Thames is still alive with Pamela Plummer at The Thames Gallery and Jeanne-Marie at the Sola Café. Art @ Paeroa exhibited the work of students from Millar Avenue School and the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum exhibited work from the senior art student of Waihi College.
Again, if you are having, or know of someone else who is having an exhibition, let us know – we will promote it for you on www.artscoromandel.co.nz.
“ARTYFACTS’
Stanley Palmer was born in Turua on the Hauraki Plains. He is a painter and printmaker and began exhibiting his work in 1958. From the late 1970’s he incorporated the use of bamboo engravings, a technique he devised by flattening sheaves of bamboo and gluing them to cardboard ready for engraving. His work focuses on the New Zealand landscape and addresses issues of colonisation, conservation and humanity. Such is his love of the land that even as a child he was shocked by seeing people take sand from the shore and this philosophy remains evident in his current works.
Now he has added writing to his repertoire with “To The Harbour” published by Lopdell House, a children’s story telling of how things were not so long ago, how good they were, how they have changed and how they are worth preserving. He has not only written the beautiful text but it is also illustrated with his own stunning work.
Stanley Palmer has work in the collections of galleries throughout New Zealand including the Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa and the Turnbull Library. He also received an Honour award in the New Zealand Book Awards 2008
ART QUOTES
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see
Edgar Degas
NEWSLETTER JUNE 2008
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
April
“Artist of the Month” for April was Tony Howse. Tony’s love of the sea and love of his materials is reflected in his ability to enhance the natural shapes that nature has provided. Tony has work in private collections in Europe, America, Japan and of course New Zealand.
May
“Artist of the Month” for May was Rob Fort. Rob’s love of the sea is obvious in the varied forms and subject matter he paints. He has won many awards, the most recent being in 2005 when he won the Supreme Award at the Putaruru “Fresh Water” Festival. Rob has work hanging in the Hilton Hotel in Rotterdam, Germany.
ART NEWS
Visits to www.artscoromandel.co.nz continue to grow. Statistics for the month of May since the site was launched have gone from 2501 in 2006 to 29303 in 2008. The busiest time of the week is Monday, Thursday and Friday so it seems that visitors are planning ahead for the weekend or doing a bit of research after their visit. The ‘events’ section is a great way to keep informed and to promote your exhibition, concert etc so make sure you let us know what you have planned so we can post it on the website.
Our 2008 Arts Workshops are in full swing with the first of four being held in Paeroa in May. Enthusiastic pastel wielding participants were asked to stretch their imagination and open their thoughts to different ways of expression. Some interesting art was created and some good friends made.
The Ministry of Education’s “Artists in Schools” programme is now well underway in New Zealand and our region is privileged to have James Webster residing at Mercury Bay Area School. James has agreed to present a workshop in August about his experiences. If you would like more information about our workshop schedule, contact us at Hauraki Enterprise Agency.
Coromandel photographer Peter Quinn, who is now based in the Cook Islands, will be flying back to New Zealand for a Mayoral opening of his exhibition “Great South Road”. This is exhibition is part of the Auckland Festival of Photography and will be held at Manukau’s TelstraClear Event Centre.
The first screening of “Passion for Fire (Two Potters)” in Coromandel showed a real insight into the fiery happenings at Driving Creek. Potters and glass workers are linked to the magic of the flame. Barry Brickell kindly allowed the film to be shown at the NZ Potters Association’s annual convention in Christchurch but it is available to purchase at Driving Creek.
Natalie Murdoch, patchwork artist from Mangatarata, has some of her beautiful quilts on tour in America. She will be there later this year and will be taking workshops for some lucky people in December. Natalie’s quilt, “Papatuanuku”, was selected to tour New Zealand in the National Association of Quilters “Elemental Challenge” travelling exhibition in 2007.
Sarah Peck, mixed media artist from Thames, has had six pieces accepted at the annual art exhibition at Riversdale Court, Queenstown. Sarah’s unique pieces have been in many local and national exhibitions and having her work at Riversdale Court is a wonderful opportunity for the Southern folk to enjoy her art.
“CantaClay,” exhibition of New Zealand potters, in Christchurch saw Thames born David Brokenshire win the Premier award for non-functional work – a testament to an octogenarian artist whose work has graced our galleries for five decades.
On the clay note, it is sad news indeed that the artist’s co-operative “Pots of Ponsonby” has closed. This was the launching pad for many of our clay artists, whose success may not have been as easy without the support of this dedicated group. High rentals and changing consumer demands have made it impossible to continue their good work.
It is wonderful that “Peninsular Post” dedicate a space in their newspaper for weekly profiles of artists. “Art Space” is eagerly pored over to keep up to date with familiar artists and to learn about new ones – great stuff!!
If you have any local art news that you would like to share, please send it through to us - we may be able to use it in our newsletter.
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
The Great Coromandel Art Tour is over and the organisers can take a break now, knowing that the event was a great success. This was Louise’s first year as coordinator so as well as creating her own art, she managed to have everything fall into place in time for us to enjoy.
Penny Ballinger’s wonderful ‘car and motorbike photos’ adorned the walls of the Kava Café in Waihi and drew lots of interest from the patrons. This is a new venue for exhibiting and now the home of the Waihi Camera Club.
The Home Grown Festival brought the peninsular alive with fantastic music of all kinds. Every town offered something special to visitors and locals so along with the wonderful “Coro” food it was a truly satisfying celebration of life in this part of paradise.
“ARTYFACTS”
Campbell Smith, now a Hamilton based artist, has strong roots in the Waihi area. He was an art teacher at Waihi College and along with Eric Lee Johnson and other Waihi arts helped to start the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum.
Campbell is a world recognized proponent of the art of “wood engraving”. This intricate process of carving on the end grain of a block of wood and then printing the image by overlaying a piece of paper on the inked surface was used in newspapers prior to the development of photography. He was the director of Hamilton Art Gallery – now know as the Waikato Museum of Art and History as well as a poet and the writer of 23 plays. A new book written by De Ann McEwan, “Lines of Light”, celebrates the work of this fine artist.
ART QUOTES
I dream a lot, I do more painting when I’m not painting. It’s in the subconscious.
Andrew Wyeth
THE FOLLOWING NEWSLETTERS ARE FROM OUR ARCHIVES AND HERE FOR YOU TO ENJOY
NEWSLETTER APRIL 2008
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
The ‘Artist of the Month” for March was Dave Fowell. Dave is a painter, sculptor, musician and passionate supporter of the art community. His restaurant and garden are home to his own and many of the Peninsular’s finest artists. As well as creating a fine collection of visual art, Dave is also capable of producing wonderful ‘food art’ which is presented in his busy Café. All of this and great music as well!!
ART NEWS
The wonderful and well organsied events held throughout the region in February and March have all contributed to an astonishing increase in visitor numbers to www.artscoromandel.co.nz - three times as many as the same period in 2007. Mid-week is when the site is most active which suggests that people are seeking information before they visit the area.
The first students of the Otago Polytechnic’s Diploma in Ceramic Art have now graduated. This is a distance learning Diploma and is available in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Otaki, Christchurch and Dunedin. Discussions are being held to offer the course in Nelson as well. It is a two year course working with an approved ceramicist or group. Entry is by interview but you will need to have completed four years of secondary school.
The Ministry of Education’s ‘Artists in Schools’ programme is a wonderful opportunity for professional artists to work with New Zealand primary and secondary schools to inspire and encourage our young people. The programme offers generous funding for 10 weeks to both the artist and the school and was launched this year.
The Original Art Sale being held in Auckland in June 2008 has closed entry applications for this very successful art market. Entries open on February 2nd t for 2009 and are open for six weeks or until the exhibition is full. For this year’s event, the organisers offered the $2000 Matariki Award – a competition to inspire works that “can define a meaning of Matariki and convey this special period in Aotearoa” - lets hope this is an annual addition.
Trust Waikato ‘Taonga and Treasures” exhibition, held in Ngaruawahia in March, will be taken on tour throughout the greater Waikato region which includes the Peninsular. This is a collection of special significance to the Waikato people. Early paintings and carvings, rarely seen outside a museum, will be on show in many smaller towns during the year -watch their website, www.trustwaikato.co.nz , for places and dates.
An exciting new art book by Damian Skinner, “The Carver and the Artist” Maori Art in the Twentieth Century, which follows the development of Maori Modernist Art and shows the transition of cultural and social structures from rural to urban settlement.
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
Hauraki House again held an exciting exhibition “Art Times 6”. Glass, Clay, Paint and Prints made this a really stimulating collection.
Barbara Sutton-Bruce filled the Art@Paeroa Gallery with Butterflies and Bowties – an exhibition of work with powerful messages.
The Mercury Bay Art Escape brought crowds to the Peninsular and was a great success. This was a rare chance to visit studios that are not open to the public and for visitors to see the extent of the work created here. Participating artists all agree that it was an excellent event and will be planning more in the future.
Creative Whangamata’s Art Wander had perfect weather and 16 artists who opened their studios enjoyed sales and commissions as well so it was a very successful event.
‘ARTYFACTS’
Rhona Haszard was born in Thames in 1901, one of five children and daughter of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. She enrolled in Canterbury College School of Art (now University of Canterbury School of Fine Art) at the age of 18 where she met and mixed with colourful artists Ngaio Marsh, Evelyen Page, Rata Lovell-Smith and Olivier Spencer Bower. They were the new, exciting and innovative women artists of the time. Rhona was ground breaking in her art and her attitude to life. She married in 1922 but eloped with Leslie Greener to France in 1926 amidst much social turmoil.
In France, her post modernist style caught the imagination of buyers and she was soon exhibiting in Paris, London, Scotland and in Cairo as well as sending work home to New Zealand. She was considered a ‘new’ women who dressed eccentrically, ate unprocessed foods and advocated a free lifestyle.
Leslie was appointed to Victoria College and Rhona painted and exhibited in Claridge’s Hotel and at the Galerie Paul in Cairo. It was at Victoria College where she mysteriously and tragically fell to her death from a tower window.
Rhona Haszard’s work is in major galleries in New Zealand and worldwide and several books have been written about this remarkable Thames artist.
ART QUOTES
“Truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing and are capable of, but nevertheless sense a power that grows in proportion to your resistance.”
Henri Matisse
Hauraki Enterprise Agency
43 Moresby Ave, P O Box 160, WAIHI, NZ
Ph/Fax: 07 863 6326
E-mail: maggie@haurakienterprise.co.nz
www.artscoromandel.co.nz
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NEWSLETTER February 2008
What a great summer and don’t we all deserve it? The Peninsular has been alive with glorious exhibitions, open studios and galleries. How wonderful that our visitors are seeing the Coromandel/Hauraki at its very best. Hopefully the excellent weather is being reflected in excellent sales and commissions.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Helen Barlow is the ‘Artist of the Month’ for February.
Helen’s art career started in commercial art, working in publishing and print preparation.
Now a painter, her styles have moved from illustrating in detail to a freer and more relaxed style. Using typically New Zealand subjects, Helen’s work is filled with colour and texture. Working with the group ‘She Who Paints’ has given her the encouragement and support to create her beautiful paintings.
ART NEWS
November 2007 saw 29.701 hits to the www.artscoromandel.co.nz website, 8000 more than November 2006, with a marked increase toward the end of the month. Mid-December was very active. There is always a surge in interest mid-week throughout the year which shows that visitors are seeking studios and artists to call on while they are here. When visitors are on the site, our research shows that they are staying longer and visiting more and more pages. The majority of visitors are from New Zealand, America and Australia with an increase in visitors from Europe and Asia.
The Peninsular is still alive with Art Events and exciting exhibitions and there are still plenty of visitors enjoying our glorious part of the world. Do let us know if you are holding an art or music event and we would love to promote it in the ‘Events’ section of www.artscoromandel.co.nz.
In the New Zealand Honours this year, Peter Siddell was awarded the Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to art. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of a fine and committed artist.
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
‘Congratulations to Barbara Sutton-Bruce for achieving the Supreme Award in the Waihi Summer Festival and to Dawn Elliott for her winning Delme Brake Award painting. The new layout and the mosaic demonstration, along with the great artwork, made this a really excellent exhibition.
The success for Denise Cook’s claywork at the Art@Paeroa ‘World Famous in Paeroa’ competition is exciting news as she was also a winner at ArtWaikino last October.
Thames Society of Arts Summer Open Exhibition was filled with some amazing work. It was wonderful to see some of our www.artscoromandel.co.nz artists, Allie Curran and Sarah Peck, achieving 1st and 3rd places in the ‘Open Section’ as well as Loesje de Bree, Jean Wilton and Sarah Peck’s merit awards.
‘ARTYFACTS’
May Smith was born in Simla, India in 1906. Because of early health problems she was drawn to painting to fill her day. She and her family immigrated to New Zealand and in 1924 she began studying engraving at Elam School of Art. In 1928 she moved to London to study at the Royal College of Art. After graduating in 1931, and with the Depression approaching, she found finding work as an illustrator difficult. This inspired her to design and produce her own hand-printed fabrics using wood and lino blocks. She had met Frances Hodgkins who, at the time, was working as a fabric designer and inspired May to work in this medium.
Despite initial sales, she found it hard to market her art and in 1939, returned to New Zealand. She exhibited at the Auckland Society of Arts show and created quite a controversy with her use of colour, texture and form. Her interest in fabric design and painting produced memorable works which are held in galleries worldwide.
In 1967 moved to the Coromandel where she continued to paint until her death in 1988. Her work is in permanent collections in major galleries throughout New Zealand.
ART QUOTES.
“Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, and the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Wassily Kandinsky
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www.artscoromandel.co.nz
Hauraki Enterprise Agency
P O Box 160
WAIHI
Maggie@haurakienterprise.co.nz
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
Greetings from the team at Hauraki Enterprise Agency. We wish you the very best for the busy holiday season ahead. The visitors to the region are all on holiday and the artists are all working!!! – that is the nature of the art world in our area. Aren’t we so privileged to be living in this glorious part of New Zealand while we have to work?
ARTIST OF THE MONTH.
This month’s artist is Maggie Johnson. Maggie has lived and worked in Canada, Italy, the Czech Republic, the UK and Australia as well as traveling through Europe, Nth. America and Africa.. Her love of colour, form and nature is present in the journey her work takes her. Maggie’s photographs show perceptions, and then what is there when looked at closely.
ART NEWS
www.artscoromandel.co.nz received over 30,000 hits in November 07, double the number of pages visited in November 06 which shows the interest in the site is growing rapidly. We will be refreshing the home page in the New Year to make sure that the interest continues. Also, we have introduced a small annual fee of $70 to our artists and galleries for their individual use of the site to help maintain this excellent artists’ showcase. We will continue to promote exhibitions, events and art news, list clubs and organisations without cost and do our best to support our region’s well-deserved art reputation.
Two beautiful art books have just arrived on the market. One, ‘The Big Picture - A History of New Zealand Art’ by Hamish Keith, which speaks about art from the earliest inhabitants of Aotearoa to the present day with comments about the art world. The parallel television programme, shown on Sunday evenings, is worth watching. The other, ‘New Zealand, A Painted Country’ by Denis Robinson, is a collection of works by 31 contemporary New Zealand painters, spanning from Haast to the Bay of Islands. Our own Rachel Olsen’s vibrant image of Coromandel’s buildings is included.
‘ARTYFACTS’
Thames born ceramic artist David Brokenshire began his long association with clay in the 1950s while studying architecture at the Auckland University College School of Architecture. After graduating he moved to Christchurch to work for an architectural firm.
His large stoneware sculptures were inspired by his love of the natural world and he spent the first fifteen years of his clay career firing these in an oil-fired two chamber kiln. In 1974 he fell in love with porcelain which allows him to create expressive forms, often unglazed or washed with metallic salts. David’s delicate free forms glow with a mysterious translucency which captivates the eye and emotions.
David’s 80th birthday year in 2005 was celebrated with a solo exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery, a tradition that started with his first exhibition there in 1952. He represented New Zealand at the World Craft Council meeting in Australia in 1975 and has the honour of having one piece of his work in the International Museum at Faenza in Italy.
ART WORKSHOPS ‘Walking in Their Shoes’
Many of you have been able to attend our Art Workshops throughout the region and the feedback and ideas exchanged suggest that more workshops would be of great value.
October’s workshop ‘Processing through Collage’ with Janice Higgison in Waihi started with the fun of having a huge choice of materials to create a collage name. As the day went on participants were encouraged to use the materials to tell a life story in a vertical collage! The variety of approaches was amazing and then after building another collage to represent what we would like the future to hold the day ended with a great team spirit and a chance to share what our work represented.
November’s ‘From a Gallery Perspective’ workshop in Tairua gave four quite different aspects of getting the art to the buyers. Deborah Hide-Bayne talked about what is happening in the city galleries and the changing role they play in the artists’ life and Andrea Johnson spoke of her role as an owner of two galleries and the way she supports her artists. Dave Fowell’s diverse approach to attracting customers and keeping his gallery interesting for customers and artists, showed what is possible if a lot of energy and innovation is used and, finally, Hilary Falconer gave some wonderful advice on using the media to support your exhibition or event and hence, free advertising!!
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
‘Tim Li’s’ recital in Thames was played to a capacity audience. His interpretation and sensitivity to the diverse programme was stunning. At only 24 and a recent Master’s graduate, we have many more years of enjoying the skills of this pianist.
‘Ray Neumann’s’ exhibition at The Thames Gallery was pure excellence. The intricacy and exactness of design, colour and application was moving and such a pleasure to see.
The ‘Pohutukawa Festival’ is now behind us and the weather was great with crowds of people enjoying the various events. This is a festival for all artists and musicians to share their work and for the public to take part in a relaxed manner with the emphasis on fun.
‘Art Rendezvous’ brought crowds of people on a stunning Whangamata day and raised almost $600 for the Special Olympics – we will all look forward to the event next year.
‘She Who Paints’ filled Hauraki House with colour, subtlety and drama as the very different styles of these six artists shows how art reflects personality , social comment and environment together so well.
ARTIST’S QUOTE
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." ~ Aristotle
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Hi Artists and Art Lovers,
This “four seasons in one day” weather we have been having is bringing inspiration and irritation. Won't it be wonderful when it settles???
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
This month's Artist is Rick Wolfenden. Rick is a designer jeweller from Whiritoa. He works with gold, silver, precious and semi precious stones combined with the beautiful gifts from the South Pacific Ocean. Rick has worked in the jewelry trade since leaving school and as well as creating his own exquisite pieces, can remake old jewelry without losing its original spirit.
“ARTYFACTS”
Eric Lee Johnson was born in Fiji and moved to New Zealand in 1912. Eric was a prominent painter and photographer from 1942 until his death in 1992. As a young man he worked as a junior artist and studio manager for Wilson and Horton, Auckland but left to work in London. While living in London his photographs were exhibited with the South London Group. On returning to New Zealand he created a large body of work from Piha and exhibited with Rex Fairburn in Auckland in 1945. His first solo exhibition was in 1948 in Wellington and Dunedin. He moved to Waihi in 1960 and continued to produce his distinctive landscape style there until moving to Whangarei and eventually to Auckland in the mid-eighties. In 1981 Waikato Art Museum presented a major retrospective exhibition and in 1993-94 Auckland City Art Gallery presented an exhibition of his photographs. Pieces of his work are still held in the Waihi Museum and Art Centre.
ART WORKSHOPS - 'Walking in Their Shoes'
The September Art Workshop with Michael O’Donnell, clay worker, sculptor and painter, was very successful. Mike is a passionate artist and drew all sorts of emotions from those attending. He was able to show that being an artist was a little like being a clay pot in a firing – created and shaped with skill, carved and decorated with love and then set fire to!!!!!! Sometimes the results are surprising, sometimes awesome. The way to self expression is in the mind of the artist and Mike’s encouragement of others opened the door for innovative interpretation of the world around us.
Janice Higgison’s Collage Art Workshop in October was loads of fun and left everyone with a new way of thinking about creating a visual story. Janice brought boxes and bags of ‘stuff’, some natural and some man-made, and we were asked to construct a life story and a future life story. The emphasis was on the story, not the art piece and some amazing work adorned the room when we ended the day. The opportunity for reflection and interpretation and a symbol of the work was a gift to take away.
The last in this excellent series, ‘From a Gallery Perspective’, will be held in Tairua. Check on the ‘Workshops' page for dates and times. These workshops have been well attended and some great ideas for future workshops have been suggested.
EXHIBITION FEEDBACK
Katikati Art Group’s exhibition was very successful, with eight artists from the Waihi area showcasing their work. This has become a big event, drawing visitors from Tauranga, the Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua and Auckland.
The Art @ Paeroa Spring Exhibition brought the work of Barry Ross Smith, Norm Sayer and David Colwill as guest exhibitors to this exciting annual event. There were original works as well as photographic prints for sale, so work in one form or another was flying out the door.
Labour weekend was an art lover’s delight. Coromandel had its “Coro Do - Festival of the Arts”. Whangamata’s Memorial Hall was filled with the work of the talented artists of the town, Art Waikino made stopping in the Karangahake Gorge a pleasure. Whitianga had its Art Market and a visit to the Thames Arts Society Gallery in Tararu is always a must, so planning the round trip was a bit of a tricky logistical exercise! Lots of individual artist’s exhibitions to spend time at too. We are so lucky to live in such an inspirational and diverse region. The natural art is constantly changing and showing us what Mother Nature can do and the created art tucks itself around the landscape to make the perfect combination for visitors and the residents.
“Hidden Treasures”, an October exhibition organised by Lynda Green in Hauraki House, Coromandel saw the coming together of woodworkers, fibre artists, furniture makers and other artists as the first step in developing Whare Tuonohono, a collective to combine ideas and concepts to pass on the skills to future generations.
ART NEWS
Here is an interesting excerpt from the “Rural Women” September 2007 bulletin.
“A new $50 000 pilot project aims to link humanities research with Government priorities. The study will examine the contribution of government-funded creative industries, like film, television, literature, museums and performing arts, to New Zealand life and to driving effect on our creative industries. The study is a partnership between the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.” The project may conclude what we already know, that creativity is a integral part of being a New Zealander, as valuable and important as any other business.
It is great news that the country's i-Sites will now be on a National Database linking tourism operators’ information nationwide. So, with the link from www.artscoromandel.co.nz to the i-Sites, getting art news to visitors to the region will be that much easier. Your ‘artist’s page’ will have more exposure so it is important to keep it up to date and changing to hold the interest of the return visitors.
Statistics show a huge increase in interest in www.artscoromandel.co.nz in the two weeks preceding and including Labour Weekend. Visitors to the region know that Coromandel Hauraki is filled with creativity and there are many art events happening but it is great to see the website is being used to explore the possibilities to plan their art itinerary.
ARTIST'S QUOTE
"In whatever one does, there must be a relationship between the eye and the heart." (Henri Cartier-Besson)
September 2007
Spring At Last!!!!
And don’t we all deserve the sun, new growth and life that the season promises. It is time to dust off the art working clothes and let inspiration flow.
"Artyfacts"
In 1962 Peter Webb rang Mr. J C Fletcher (now Sir James Fletcher) and asked if he would be interested in five New Zealand watercolours by the nineteenth century painter J B C Hoyte. The five paintings, finished in 1868, were scenes of the Coromandel, three rural and two of the town. The five paintings were purchased and hung in the Fletcher Holdings dining room. These Coromandel paintings, which are now part of the Fletcher Trust Collection, still hang in Fletcher House, Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland.
There has been plenty of winter activity in the Arts and the www.artscoromandel.co.nz site has had 15906 hits in August alone, the majority of those coming from America, followed by New Zealand and Australia. It is the most accessible site as it is always first in the Google listings of Coromandel or art. Be sure to check your own page to see how many times it has been visited and to keep it interesting with new photos and text.
Another interesting statistic is that almost 10% more New Zealanders are holidaying in New Zealand so we can expect an increase on the Peninsular as everyone in New Zealand knows that the Coromandel region is the home of many wonderful artists and is great place to find original art. The "Buy New Zealand" campaign should raise awareness of the variety of artists’ work available right here and this can only be positive for everyone.
ART WORKSHOPS
The “Walking in Their Shoes” Art Workshop presented by Lynette Murray and held in Thames was a huge success. Everyone came away with renewed enthusiasm and confidence. Lynette showed pictures of her work, her marketing tools and gave us the story of her art life but more than anything, showed her absolute commitment and determination to succeed.
This month's workshop will be tutored by Michael O'Donnell, clayworker, sculptor and inspirational speaker. Michael's work shows a lifelong commitment to self expression and social change.
"Artist of the Month"
This month’s “Artist of the Month” is Natalie Murdoch. Natalie began quilting 17 years ago and has been teaching for 15 of those. Her quilt "Papatuanuku - Earth Mother" was selected to tour New Zealand for the next fifteen months as part of the Elemental Challenge issued by the National Association of New Zealand Quilters. She moved to the Hauraki Plains from Auckland’s West Coast two years ago and has established a studio and retreat facility in Mangatarara. This central location is easy for fibre artists to access and for Natalie to travel and teach.
Congratulations to Sarah Peck for selling three pieces at the 'New Zealand Affordable Art Sale' in Wellington – a wonderful achievement.
Congratulations too to Denise Cook for winning the President's Prize and to Judy Parker and Susan Garrett who jointly won awards at the Art @ Paeroa “Art Thru' the Window” exhibition. This competition really showcased the work of the society’s members and was a great way to bring art to the people. Lots of favorable comments from the public, some of whom had never visited the Gallery, so raising the awareness may lead to more sales and commissions!!
The east side of the Waihi Memorial Hall forecourt now celebrates the work of Waihi artist,John Mulvay It shows Seddon Street as it was in 1912. and is based on photographs of the era. Mr. Mulvay spent eight years as a mural artist in the greater Auckland area so he is familiar with the art form and Waihi now has the privilege of showcasing his work.
Isn’t it wonderful that the New Zealand Herald has again started an ”Arts Guide” in their Thursday edition? It disappeared some years ago but it is a welcome return especially if you are planning a trip off the peninsular and would like to add a few exhibitions to your itinerary. And it will be wonderful when our own Peninsular artists are featured. To add to the art exposure, we now we have another series of ”Artsville” on Chanel One television and Kete Aronui on Maori Television to keep us in touch with what is happening in New Zealand art. Creative New Zealand will be given an extra $15.75 million this year so the world of art will get a well deserved boost.
Don’t forget to check the EVENTS section to see what wonderful works are being created in your area and if you have an exhibition or event you would like to enter, just send us the details along with a photo and we can add this for you.
Artist’s Quote
“In both figure and landscape I want to get to the point where people say of my work “that man feels deeply, that man feels keenly” ”. Vincent van Gogh 1882
Newsletter July 2007
Hello Winter Survivors
This winter has certainly brought its share of dramatic and devastating weather to the region. We really hope that you have had little or no damage and that you are able to continue working after such an emotional week.
“Artyfacts”
In each newsletter we will be including an “artyfact” – something relevant to our area and hopefully interesting to all of us and visitors to the website. Please, if you have any “artyfacts” you would like to include in this section let us know.
‘In 1973 Barry Brickell created a “potter’s community” on his Driving Creek property, building the first wood-fired stoneware kiln in New Zealand
 ARTS Workshops
“Walking in their Shoes” Workshops
A series of four workshops with special international guests who are working artists, including musicians, painters, sculptors.
These workshops will provide personal accounts and discussions on Inspiration, Keeping the Spirits High, Motivation, Focus, Marketing, Commissions, Contracts, the Importance of the right Venue, using case studies and examples.
Also available will be Workbooks & Code of Practice examples and other valuable material. To register for this Arts Workshop please email: maggie@haurakienterprise.co.nz or contact Clare or Maggie on 07 8636326.
 DIPLOMA VISUAL ARTS
A proposal to establish an Arts-based education facility that will provide a wide-ranging program around contemporary visual arts practice and theory has been on the boil for several years now. It is a studio-orientated program in which process, knowledge and creative research are brought together through practice in the studio environment. Hauraki Enterprise Agency is working alongside Manukau Institute of Technology and AUT to create this opportunity but there have been some major hold ups with Tertiary Education Committee reviewing all their current funding strategies and, finding the right location is a real key to developing this program.
The Diploma in Visual Arts was intended to be based in Waihi commencing 2007 and would consists of four main courses:
Studio Practice 1 – research, art & design methods, visual arts practice with emphasis on experimental & interdisciplinary outcomes.
Studio Practice 2 – develop a body of work through two or three dimensional disciplines drawn from painting, printmaking, photography, image, sculpture, graphic design and contemporary jewelry.
Drawing – introduction to the use of drawing as an essential prerequisite for the development of all visual arts in visualizing, exploring, interpreting and communicating ideas.
Contextual Studies – historical, cultural and social contexts, the fundamental relationship between context & practice developed through research, communication, critical evaluation and professional practice skills.
This project is still in its developing stages and presently HEA are negotiating with a number of other polytechs to form parts of the program, to get things off the ground. Its a long process and takes real committment. If you can assist in any way please contact us.
The second option is to run evening & summer school options at other locations around the region maybe topics such as graphic design, photography, jewelry are of interest to you. Please tell others around the Coromandel about the Visual Arts School and register your interest with the Hauraki Enterprise Agency 07 863 6326 email maggie@haurakienterprise.co.nz
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