Anna Reid, "Prints and Paintings" (The Fix)
The exhibition consists of 11 works with the majority of subject-matter inspired by the artist's love of the Otago coastline and the mountainous areas of Central Otago.
Although Reid's work represents sharp rocky outcrops and the lumps and bumps of rolling coastal hills meeting rivers and ocean, it is the artist's intention to allow the viewer to determine their own conclusions.
Reid's impressions of land and water are presented in a variety of sizes and shapes while focusing on an exploration of combining dry-point with paint and calligraphic line.
The artist's skill and ability with the dry-point printing technique is particularly evident in her work Tidal, in which a large tondo plate is used.
Worked in Reid's characteristic earthy palette of muted blacks, blues and browns, the use of line not only adds depth but also evokes a fluid and spontaneous mood to the work.
Reid's print editions are small, giving a delicate clarity to the work. This is especially evident in two small prints with quite a different subject matter.
While the artist may wish the viewer to determine their own conclusions with her landscapes, there is no conclusion to be drawn when viewing Reid's beautifully rendered flax and kowhai flowers. The flowers and seed heads are truly a study in realism.
David Teata, "Haka 2011" (The Artist's Room)
Teata's work continues to embrace and celebrate the uniqueness of the mixed cultures we have in New Zealand.
His prints have a strong Polynesian presence, expressed by a fusion of traditional and contemporary designs which utilise shapes, patterns and motifs, along with layering, embossing of images and subtle colouring.
Teata also enjoys order in his work, with lines, symbols and borders arranged geometrically. His technical expertise with woodcut prints is evident in these clean and clear designs, the underlying structure recalling the weaving patterns of various Pacific cultures.
The images appear to overlay each other, some merging and some quite distinct reflecting parallel multilayered meanings.
The haka figure is inspired by the artist's wish to pay homage to his own Polynesian heritage. He uses this motif to represents the continuity between the old traditions and the new, evoking timeless values of strength, integrity and respect.
Teata is inspired by New Zealand sporting teams such as the All Blacks to portray the modern vehicle for this ancient tradition, demonstrating how it continues to have relevance today.
Dick Lyne, "Bushman/Folk Artist'' (Brett McDowell Gallery)
It was upon his retirement as a bushman that Lyne taught himself to paint, concentrating on the depiction of native bush. It is this collection, painted over a period of years, that is on display.
Lyne's refreshing work is characterised by its naivety and like all naive art, it embodies an almost childlike simplicity in subject matter and technique. This creates work that is often flat in perspective and strong in pattern, colour and detail.
Although Lyne's pictures are busy, they provide the viewer with a story. They detail the abundance of the bush with a bright green colour palette.
This is highlighted in some with splashes of red from flowers and the blood-red heart of felled timber, evident in Falling Large Totara.
The activity of the men felling trees under calm blue skies is accurately rendered in all Lyne's work, a reference to the artist's knowledge of native timber and the logging process.
The recycled native timber frames are made by the artist himself and are chosen to match the type of tree portrayed in each image.
Some have the titles written on the frame in the artist's own hand, while others are engraved on homemade plaques such as Uppercutting Bridging Rimu Log, King Country 1956.
- Julie Jopp
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