Art seen

<i>The Bride (2013)</i>,  by Sue Hawker
<i>The Bride (2013)</i>, by Sue Hawker
''A Singular Occasion'', Sue Hawker (Milford Galleries Queenstown)

Viewing glass artist Sue Hawker's exhibition ''A Singular Occasion'' is a bit like gazing in wonder at the window display of a Paris confectioner. Hawker, the 2010 winner of the prestigious Ranamok Award, uses the technique of Pate de verre (literally, ''glass paste''), a form of glass art thought to date back to Ancient Egypt, which involves mixing finely crushed glass with a binding agent, applying it to a mould and firing it in a kiln, a process made more difficult by the fact different colours react to different temperatures. The end effect is glittering, deceptively delicate and almost edible in appearance, as if someone has been sculpting with sugar crystals, and in Hawker's hands, the results are nothing short of exquisite.

Described as a ''frozen theatre'', each piece of the collection represents the ''portrait'' of a member of a family wedding. The Bride (2013) is instantly recognisable, an elegant sweeping column vase bestowed with blossoms and evocative of a flowing veil and train. The ''male'' vases are wrought in black tones and straight lines to oppose the sparklingly pretty pink and cream curves of the ''women'', with the groom, He Does (2013), standing in nervously upright splendour near his cheekier groomsmen, the Likely Lads (2013) who lean conspiratorially toward one another. Collectively, the works are a brilliant execution of a charming concept.



<i>Skin of the Earth Vase, by Sue Rutherford</i>
<i>Skin of the Earth Vase, by Sue Rutherford</i>
''Fabric of the Land'', Sue Rutherford (Hullabaloo Art Space, Cromwell)

Located in the historic Old Cromwell Town, the Hullabaloo gallery is run by an artist collective which shares exhibition space on a rotating basis and is always a good representative of the high standard of work being produced in Central Otago. The current exhibition ''Fabric of the Land'' is no exception.

Sue Rutherford states of her latest ceramic works that they ''were inspired by ramblings along the Hawea River Track''. The simplicity and serenity of the statement is in keeping with the art itself, a selection of sculptures and vases that together conjure a more complete sensory experience of the river than would a minutely detailed painting or photograph. Rutherford is known for her preoccupation with surface detail, and each line, slash, curve and groove seems to evoke the movement of the water, wind, and earth.

The two Skin of the Earth Vases are particularly successful: almost fossil-like in appearance, solid and weathered as if they have been exposed to and made from the elements, they seem to tell the story of a winding pebble track and wind-blown grass. Through clever use of tone and shade, the River Bed Vase instantly brings to mind moss, algae and aquatic life, while a carelessly thrown stone or the quick leap of a fish might have resulted in the very likeable sculpture Splash, and the Bloom trilogy is like plant life under water, tugged one way and then another by the current.



<i>Shore Leave,</i> by Trevor Askin
<i>Shore Leave,</i> by Trevor Askin
''Group Show'', Winter 2013 (Toi o Tahuna Gallery, Queenstown)

Without cohering to a single shared theme, many of the artworks in Toi o Tahuna Gallery's ''Group Show'' explore concepts of cultural tradition, history and memory. The majority of works come from the brush of Fleur Yorston, whose background and passion for jewellery making is reflected in the subjects of her canvases. Fascinated by the role of body adornment in keeping alive history, Yorston incorporates coin, necklace and bracelet imagery into her painting.

Her brushwork and colour seem to pay homage to the artistic traditions of bygone eras, with the stylised forms and ochre palette of Cultural Arrangement II - Kowhai reminiscent of Greek vase painting and Art Deco, and the dot technique of the beautiful The Adornment of the Royal Flush a nod to Aboriginal art. The sculptures of jade and bone carver Lewis Gardiner, Tu Maia and Maripi #3, are elegantly sinuous and dominate their space despite their comparatively small size, while Aaron Kereopa's carved surfboard Hine Wai (Water Maiden) is a starring piece.

The standout of the exhibition is sculptor Trevor Askin, whose glorious bronze birds twist and turn, caught mid-flight and caw, throughout the gallery. Askin, who works from his own foundry in Timaru, calls his style ''curvilinear'' and uses the cire perdue (or ''lost wax'') method to literally break the mould on each piece, rendering it unique.



 - Laura Elliot.

 

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