Visitors and local residents flocked to the 37th Multi Media Art Exhibition hosted by the Fiordland Arts Society in the Fiordland Community Events Centre at Labour Weekend.
Weather was awesome, some preferred to be inside soaking up the art and lots of people went through with good sales.
Entry on the Saturday included a free afternoon tea while having the opportunity to meet the artists and live entertainment by Fiordland Players.
The media included everything from paintings, photography, glass, ceramic, woodwork, jewellery and sculptures and for the first time Fiordland Embroiderers Guild and Fiordland Creative Fibres Group were on display in conjunction with the exhibition.
There was also wide variety of art on display from over 20 other artists from Fiordland and Southland Region.
Guest artist, Angela Meecham, from Lawrence, who is an incredible felt maker, mixed media painting, and printmaker. Angela works with hand-dyed felt and had created some really innovative things.
Other Guest Artist, Caley Hall of Invercargill, honorary member of the Fiordland society, was exhibiting some of his highly sought-after and finely crafted landscapes. Hall was in familiar surroundings, with Fiordland landscapes being a favourite subject.
Hall specializes in oil painting, and is well known for his landscapes and expressionist abstracts. A largely self-taught artist, he has learned techniques and takes inspiration from other New Zealand artists, including renowned Queenstown-based painter Tim Wilson and Central Otago-based painter Peter Beadle.
Along with taking commissions, Hall sells smaller works on Trade Me and currently has some large scale works in Greg McDonald’s Chiaroni Gallery on Don St, Invercargill.
Hall has also helped raise money for charity by donating artwork to be sold, including $14,500 for Cure Kids, helping fundraise for the Loss and Grief Centre in Invercargill, and hosting art lessons for The Cancer Society.
His charity work was recognised with a Certificate of Achievement in this year’s Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards.
Caley Hall was working on a landscape painting of his own during the exhibition, and impromptu sharing of his skills with budding young artists. Fiordland College student Abigail Swanson was the recipient of his mentoring, with excellent results.
- Julie Walls
