Milford Galleries is presenting the work of three artists, two of them new to exhibitions in the far South.
Mervyn Williams' work is the best known to local viewers. His precise trompes l'oeil reveal the deception and truth of their images only on close inspection. Most appear as monochromatically painted canvas, left unstretched or deliberately warped. The surfaces, however, are flat, and the folds and ripples are the skilful work of the artist's study of light and shade.
Where Williams gives an impression of emptiness, Lorene Taurerewa uses emptiness as a presence, allowing it equal weight with the delicate half-formed figures in her paintings. The implied human forms emerge from the negative space as if from the mist, allowing what in Japanese art is called "ma", a space to enable viewers to imagine their own action.
Chris Bailey's hued heads sit alongside. Formed from mica-striated granite, the busts loom with mute, imposing presence. The hard rock is shaped with a mix of fine line and rough working that in some way echoes the figure and ground of Taurerewa's work. Nearby sit two vertical canoe forms, Mamari and Ngatokimatawhaorua. These totara carvings, again a beautiful mix of rough and smooth work, form a poignant homage to the artist's iwi.
Competition exhibitions are always an interesting opportunity to gather some indicators of the current - literal - state of the art. They present a wide range of artists from professional to hobbyist, producing works in a variety of styles and media.
So it is with this year's Edinburgh Realty award show, which has more than 140 artists represented. As is usual, landscapes are prominent, though the number of portraits and still lifes is reduced from previous years.
Generally speaking, the works are of high quality, though as always in such an exhibition there is a great variability. Among the standout pieces are Judith Brown's wildly impressionistic portrait, a fine character study by Evangeline and a gentle group portrait by Geoff Williams. A precise study of a clock's workings by Ricky Drew is noteworthy, as are Rennell Chivers' nicely captured waterfall, Murray Ayson's glowing mountain landscape, a strong gestural landscape by Paul Smith and moody views by Peter McLaren and Brent Forbes.
Judge Jenny Sherman chose a fine still life by Jan Ingram and delicate landscapes by Norman Hunter and Claire Forbes, the latter of which gained the top prize for what the judge described as its ability to "convey the lovely sense of time and place".
Quadrant Gallery is celebrating its fifth birthday with quintets of work by each of 15 artists.
Jewellery accounts for much of the exhibition, with nine jewellers each presenting some charming pieces. These range from the zen-like stonework of Jeremy Leeming, inspired by the ripples on the surface of water, to the trees and sea lions of Anna Claire Thompson's silverwork.
Fiona Mitcham's engraved metal, with its map and globe reference points, is notable, as are the more whimsical vegetable brooches of David McLeod.
Chris Idour's moonstone earrings and brooch are also beautiful objects.
Among the carved and fired works, there is also plenty to view. Wanganui's Rayner brothers provide dark humour by subverting their medium, Mark providing faux Royal Crown Derby cartoon figurines, and Paul providing dinnerware for the elegant Goth about town.
Liz Fea's ceramic bottles, inspired by the frosting on chilled containers and by glacier meltwater, are attractive to both the eye and touch. So too are Steve Myhre's stone carvings, inspired by South American prehistoric art as every-culture totems that, as with Chris Bailey's sculptures at the Milford, combine the precisely polished with the untouched to fulfil the aim of minimum cut for maximum effect.
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