Exhibition chance 'to show me'

Oamaru artist Jesse Geary sits by the centrepiece of his latest exhibition, Tui, at  Oamaru...
Oamaru artist Jesse Geary sits by the centrepiece of his latest exhibition, Tui, at Oamaru Railway Station. Photo by Rebecca Ryan.

Jesse Geary makes it clear he does not want to be labelled as one specific type of artist.

That is fitting given the eclectic body of work he has created for his latest exhibition.

Once known as a street artist, he no longer wants to be restricted by any particular medium.

This weekend, he is exhibiting a collection of his latest work at Oamaru Railway Station.

The Oamaru artist started on a journey to rediscover his style this year, after spending a lot of time doing commission work.

''I was always painting what other people wanted,'' he said.

''I got a little bit lost then. I didn't know what I actually wanted to paint.''

It started with one painting and quickly grew to more than 12 pieces which will all be on display and for sale at the exhibition, entitled ''Gorgeous''.

''This is just me ... this is to show me, my attitude [and] style,'' he said.

Geary has exhibited work before, in Oamaru at the Forrester Gallery in 2010 and later in Christchurch, where he curated an exhibition with another five artists.

''This show is just to prove to myself that I can do it all myself, because I've always wanted to.''

The centrepiece of the exhibition is Tui, a 2.4m by 1.2m piece created using acrylic spray paint, airbrush and brush work.

It will be up for silent auction over three days.

Geary plans to donate 40% of the profit to assist in mental health services in North Otago.

''I really hope to make an impact with this piece as mental health suffering is something that needs to be taken seriously.''

He was interested in hearing from any representatives of mental health services in Oamaru to discuss the donation.

''Sometimes it's small groups that make a big difference and I think that's the people I want to donate to.

''I just want to make an impact and get people to interact and bid.''

Geary (23) grew up in Oamaru and moved to Christchurch three years ago, where he started working full-time as an artist.

He said he was always drawn to art, which was a chance to be free with his imagination.

His work adorns several public places in Oamaru, in the form of murals and graffiti art.

That was how he became known for his art in Oamaru, but those days were behind him, he said.

Now, he was Australia-bound. This exhibition would be his last in Oamaru and a chance to say goodbye, as he planned to leave in about a month.

rebecca.ryan@odt.co.nz

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