Art Gallery Clock



Time Passes

Rain today, the first rainy day I've encountered since leaving the UK. The perfect day to stroll from the hostel on Queens Street and meet up with a Norwich friend in the fabulous new Auckland Art Gallery.

An exciting find for me was a painting entitled 'Golden Cloud' by Gretchen Albrecht. After sketching the Tara Tara sunset earlier this month this 'abstract' painting made perfect sense and I look forward to working up the Tara sketch into a large painting in this way.

Later in the afternoon I painted  the newly restored clock tower and stepped outside in the rain for  authentic watercolour drips of colour. I'll work back into this later in the week in order to reflect the colours of the paua shell (abalone) jewellery made here.

Gretchen Albrecht (born 1943)
Golden Cloud 1973
acrylic on canvas 137cm by 177cm

Auckland Glasshouse

Sitting in a greenhouse in an Auckland summer for a couple of hours might seem potty, but I was happy to be painting in a glasshouse again! The focal point was a  raised pond with enormous lily pads. Soft to touch but the underside had fierce barbs. This was the 'Winter Gardens', part of the Auckland Museum complex high up in a parkland setting.

The Winter Garden cafe satisfied my cake craving before an afternoon in the museum admiring the Maori collections and the natural history floor. The highlight (other than the cake) was a film on how the mangrove trees live, especially good having sat and carefully sketched one the other day.

Kauri bark and sea bed patterns

A hike down the hillside through the small kauri grove on the island was the starting point for this painting sketch; the bark on the kauri tree has a distinctive shapes and walking through the bush in the midday sun sharpens the perception of pattern as the sun filters through the different exotic leaf shapes.

I'd arrived back at the beach apartment with a pocket full of leaves and bark to help with colour matching but after an afternoon on the kayak and swimming out in the clear waters of the bay I added the colours and patterning of the sea and the sea bed.

Red Kayak

I've been staying with a friend from Norwich who has an apartment on Onetangi beach, Waiheke Island which is a ferry ride away across Auckland Harbour. We went out in the double kayak, sitting at the front I was pretty nervous the first time as we set off with the surf breaking over  us but as soon as we were beyond the surf line it was magical. The sun was glinting on the sea, we rounded the forested headland  and swam on a deserted beach called Pie Melon Beach.

Monarch Butterfly

A butterfly died but gave me the chance to paint it carefully.

Green Lipped Mussel

The green lipped mussel was one of the more unusual shells I found on the beach. I love the way the inside of the shell held rainbow reflections and set myself this challenge to paint. A visit to the local community art gallery was inspirational, and resulted in a number of visits to see local artist studios.

Onetangi Bay,

Sitting in the sun on the beach at Onetangi Bay I watched a conventional launch, but they have James Bond type boats here too, called Sea Legs.They come up out of the water, drop down the wheels like an aircraft and drive up the beach and away up the road. I've missed the famous pohutakawa trees in bloom on the island, but the blue and white agapanthus covering the cliffs more than make up for it. Swimming across the bay in the early morning I noticed that the blue ones disappear from sight until you are nearer and in reach of the cliff.

Above the Clouds

This sketch had to be made FAST! There was only 40 mins in the air from the small airfield at Keri Keri in Northland, NZ to Auckland. While settling in seats and the propellers were turning I was quickly working on the window frame and the body of the 50 seater aircraft. The woman sitting in the next seat was fascinated and wanted to see the rest of the sketches but there was no time to spare.
The perspective up there was weird, a really interesting painting exercise, looking down like a map yet your brain is insisting that there are hills and valleys. The water threatened to spill on the bumps too!

Kauri Trees

Kauri Trees

Sitting all afternoon in the Puketi Forest  working on this painting was delightful, very few visitors disturbed the tranquility and birdsong. I met the (retired)  regional manager of the Department for Conservation who had initiated the walkway through the forest 20 years ago so was able to thank him personally for his efforts! Driving back down gravel roads from the Puketi Forest was interesting in the little hire car that I have dubbed 'the shopping trolley', built for the supermarket run!
My last day in Northland today, so I had a  fish supper on Matauri Beach watching the surf rolling in,  then joined my friends from the boat trip for a beer as the sun went down. I'll be flying down to Auckland tomorrow to join a pal on Waiheke Island for a week.

Tane Mahuta: God of the Forest

Kauri Tree 'Tane Mahuta'

Sketching is, I believe, all about looking, really looking, and being there. I don't mean being somewhere exotic, it could be sketching the cup and saucer on the breakfast table. The joy is losing yourself in the moment, focusing, concentrating and letting the outside world just slip away for a while.
Two hours sketching and staring up at this wonderful kauri tree (Agathis australis) had me spellbound. It is around 2000 years old, 17.68 mtrs tall and the girth is 13.77mtres. The Maori name is Tane Mahuta 'God of the Forest',
The tree was in the Waipoua Forest a couple of hours of switchback driving from Keri Keri in an under powered hire car with three of us wondering whether we'd have to get out and push. 
I could mention the swimming on the way back at Opinoni (photos) and the divine fish and chip supper with passion fruit, pineapple and mango icecream but it wouldn't be relevant to an art blog would it?

Mangrove Tree

Mangrove on the beach at  Piperoa Bay

The tide was in at Piperoa Bay and I was fascinated by the little waves rippling around the mangroves at the end of the beach. I'd taken the little ferry across aiming for Russell but a short walk brought me to this pretty almost deserted beach. Swam out while the tide was in then settled on the beach to paint. I want to mention the delicious passion fruit icecream but it isn't relevant.

In the Forest

 In the Forest

One of my biggest regrets (with hindsight) from visiting Australia several years ago was that I didn't take up an invitation to 'go sketching for the day' with an artist in Wagga Wagga. She was genuine but I was overwhelmed, thinking her painting was so good that I felt I wasn't good enough to go with her. Now I'm in the same boat. I've found an artist whose work I really admire living in Keri Keri, "Just phone him",  said the gallery owner, "I'm sure he'd welcome you to visit, after all, all artists like a pat on the back".  

I have to summon up courage, but meanwhile I've struggled to try out the ideas I saw in his painting, "Part of the Walk". I'm about to drive over to a forest this afternoon where the shadows will be deep as it is 30 degrees outside so will have another try at this style.

Valencia Orange Trees

Orange Orchard

Oranges, mandarins, tangelos, they are all growing in the orchard that surrounds this small and friendly hostel (Keri Keri Farm Hostel) I'd only booked two nights from the internet and now will be so sad to leave, I could cheerfully return here another year and stay a month. Wandering out into the cool orchard at 7am with my tea and toast and the labrador puppy Nika is bliss. These Valencia orange trees are over 70 years old and heavily pruned into interesting shapes. I tried playing with shapes and layering and return to them  in the next day or two.

Roadside Agapanthus

Roadside Agapanthus

The first early morning when I ventured forth from the farm hostel I looked carefully at the entrance to the grey tarmac roadway and 'memorised' the showy display of blue and white agapanthus - so that I'd be able to find my way back. I have to smile at that now because they are everywhere around Kiri Kiri,  'grow like weeds' say the locals. I wish mine would at home, I lost the lot last year in the heavy winter frost.

Tara Tara Sunset

Tara Tara Sunset

This is the real colour of the sunset behind the mountain and reflected in Tauranga Bay. I could hardly believe it when I opened the sketch book the next day, but the next evening there was another similar one and I was able to check....perfect colours. The sun was going down when we brought the boat back in from a day of fishing, sailing and swimming. Quite by chance I'd met up with some locals who felt sorry for me graunching up impossible hills on a bicycle and invited me out on their boat instead. I couldn't throw the bike in the back of the trailor quick enough.

Fishing off Stephenson's Island

Fishing in the zone

Anchored by Stevenson's Island I could see one of our party, in the yellow tender, fishing for the elusive marlin. "Oh he's OK, he's fishing 'in the zone'' they said. A nautical expression that had something to do with his happy smile and bottle of beer.  The Monarch butterflies all fly through here from South America, landing on Stevenson's Island and  Butterfly Beach (pictured behind the yellow boat). I fed the shoal of large pink and blue Mau Mau fish from one side of the boat to keep them off the baited lines on the other side of the boat; squealing with pleasure when the cobalt blue fish came up to the surface to feed from my line.

Going Fishing

 

 

 

Setting sail in Tauranga Bay for a spot of fishing

The water in Tauranga Bay was precisely this colour, with the little silver bubbles on the surface where the boat cut through the ripples. I was adding layers of deeper and deeper colours as we went out to sea and stopped as the ripples turned to the little jagged peaks where the water was about to turn inky blue.

Eucalyptus Forest

 

Lost in a Eucalyptus Forest, Kiri Kiri

I took a 'short cut' on my first afternoon in New Zealand. It was waymarked across a valley and through a forest to where I wanted to go, but then the path kept dividing and dividing and I was lost. The eucalyptus trees towered above 100ft (30 metres) or more. Shapely treeferns growing below like bracken would at home. Songbirds flittered through the branches, and everywhere was a  background percussive rasping of insects beating their wings. The pathways were littered with eucalyptus leaves of stunning colours.

An hour or two later I came out onto a road...precisely where I'd entered the' short cut'.

Butterflies and Gardens

 

 

 

Monarch Butterflies in Wharepuke Subtropical Garden, Keri Keri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first morning in New Zealand I sat for three hours in a subtropical garden cafe, mesmerised by the Monarch Butterflies, the sunshine, deepshadows, fabulous plants, songbirds, and delicious food.

Bangkok Airport

 Gate Nine at Bangkok airport was like sitting in a giant (air conditioned) glasshouse, a perfect opportunity to work on a view from inside looking out. The plane wasn't really purple (although the Thai Air livery is) I was just playing with getting the balance between the windows and the view outside. If you can't see the front wheels it's because I'd got this far when the loading finished and the plane backed out and flew off! 

Sensory Overload



Nakarach: Thai Mythology

Too much! I came out here for a visual 'shot in the arm' but just one hour on the streets of Bangkok has left me dizzy with light, colour and texture. Slowly walking through the markets with a broad grin on my face must be a good sign. All morning I've been painting Nakarach, a creature from Thai mythology who sits on the verandah overlooking the busy River Chao Pra Ya.

Leaving Norwich for a while

The Forum, Norwich

My last evening in Norwich, Norfolk UK for a few months as I fly out to New Zealand tomorrow to paint and sketch in the sunshine. This evening the Norwich 20 Group of artists  held a preview party in the Forum, Norwich for their exhibition this week and I was able to exhibit the first of the new works inspired by my year at Holkham called 'Walled Garden'. We had a meal on the mezzanine floor that you can see through the window, whilst the jazz band played for the preview party inside and the 10 beautiful bells of St Peter Mancroft Church played opposite. A perfect way to remember Norwich in the weeks to come.

Portrait Photographs

The gardeners  (staff and volunteers)   at Holkham have slowly got used to being photographed all day and from every angle this year. Week by week I've been able to get to know them and to build up a collection of portrait photographs as they work in the garden. This week I've been putting them together as a collection, getting them printed and framing them. Thursday I took them up to the garden and to see how they will look when they are hung in  the staff room as the 'Hall of Fame'. There are a couple of dozen people in the group and I'm over half way through the collection which will be finished in the spring. They were well received, one chap conceded that "I don't usually like my photo taken but I don't mind if you do it", which was praise indeed.

Four of the portraits from the Holkham gardeners collection

I've taken 1-200 photographs every fortnight this year, all around the walled garden at Holkham, carefully setting up the shots, using a tripod, and working on the settings.  Back in the studio I've uploaded, filed, catalogued and worked on them where necessary in Photoshop. I won't be taking my camera though when I fly south on Tuesday, just a sketchbook.

Illustrated Talk on Artist Residency

Compiling illustrated talk on artist residency

March 21st I'll be giving an illustrated talk on the artist residency at the walled garden at Holkham to the 'Friends of the Castle Museum' in the castle in Norwich. The Friends have kindly given me financial assistance with the residency which has been a great help, especially with the travel  costs of visiting every fortnight. 
Today was spent going through hundreds of photographs, writing the script, selecting and designing the accompanying slides, packaging the event  and having a run through. 
I am happy to travel to give this talk to other interested groups. I have the necessary laptop, projector and screen. Please contact me via the comments on this blog, the contact page on my website or telephone Norwich  01603 661196 if you are interested.

Getting ready for exhibitions

Preparing for April exhibition

Before Christmas the Guardian carried a letter in an agony column asking if it was OK to slob around in pyjamas between Christmas and New Year*  


I'm flying south in nine days so the pressure is on to get work completed. All eleven paintings from the new collection are now finished, framed, packaged and taken up out of the way to the attic ready for April's solo exhibition at the Holkham garden. They can all be seen in the 'Latest Work' page of my website        (www.sandrarowney.com) which I doggedly spent most of Christmas reworking...sometimes in pyjamas.


The Norwich 20 Group are having a week long exhibition in the Forum, in the centre of Norwich, from the 9th January. I'll be showing the new work "Walled Garden", so that meant a form to fill in, cheque to write, hanging system to prepare, packaging and a  CV to write and print. I'll be testing the water for the April show at Holkham.


The most rewarding job has been making the slate signs for the Potting Shed Gallery ready for April. I'd seen garden labelling on slate put to good effect when I was in Normandy last year. Tim Marshall the Head Gardener at Holkham found me some old slate to work and this is the result. The slate has to be cut to shape and drilled, the lettering carefully designed and made with permanent white marker (available from stationery, art and craft stores or internet) and wooden painted post attached with stainless screws and nuts. The post needs to be unscrewed before hammering into the ground or the slate will shatter. 

Slate Signs

*The answer was yes, good idea, the elasticated waist band will help with coping with all the food and drink.

Display frame for blog posts

Blog Ladder

 Many visitors to the Holkham garden don't have a computer or are not used to reading journals on the internet so have missed out on the weekly blog. I've been experimenting with cane frameworks  for the Potting Shed Gallery in order to display some of the articles from the internet. There are two big structural beams in the gallery over which can be suspended cane 'ladders'. The blog items are reworked in Microsoft publisher, printed in the studio, laminated and secured to the garden canes with green garden wire. The ladder is lashed securely with garden twine. Light, simple, easy to read and it will allow light to come into the gallery to the paintings on the walls. The longest most difficult job was editing down to seasons.

Constructing the ladders

When a painting goes wrong

I've been struggling with a particular painting over this last month or two. It worked beautifully in a photograph, translated in an exciting way into a digital painting and then kept falling over when I decided to paint it in acrylics.Why should I want to bare all and blog about it? Oddly, by writing a cohesive blog item and putting together the chain of events I can see clearly that it really doesn't matter! Not only that, but it has taught me heaps about composition, form, light, colour, tonal variation and so on.

 It is wrapped now ready for inclusion in an exhibition in April. Ok, not the best piece but it has been the most illuminating process of all the collection and therefore deserves a part. Without the experiments with collage, drips, intense colour, dry brush work and general struggle, none of the other paintings that followed would have happened the way they did.
KBO

"....the seed for your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you're feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides- valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides-to matters you need to reconsider or develop further."
  Art & Fear p31  by David Bayles & Ted Orland. Available from Amazon

Bananarama

"Bananarama"
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media
16" by 20"

'Bananarama'  passed  the finishing post today, to make up the set of eleven paintings that are influenced by my residency at the walled garden at Holkham. It's the greenhouses that I'm drawn to, and specifically the large one we call the orangery on the back of Wyatt's Vinery, the building opposite the gates to the garden. I'll add a photo or two.
I've painted in acrylic on a textured ground over canvas and and collaged some of the leaves and structures, pots and plants with papers that I've made and painted previously using acrylic inks 

Bananarama? The foliage has died back now exposing the stately shapes of the banana leaves, I like titles with a musical connection and this singing group popped into my head when I was working on the big orange leaves.

Updating Website

www.sandrarowney.com

There's not much point in having  a website if it looks old, tired and out of date, but it can be a mammoth task to update. I've been working on mine these past few evenings which  turned out to be more illuminating than watching Morecome and Wise reruns! I use Dreamweaver 8 to construct the site and can recommend the courses held at the Norwich Arts Centre to learn how to use it. I've been on the courses several times with Steve, he's a great teacher and doesn't mind me turning up again. It can be too hard to take in first time round so worth swallowing your pride and investing in a second go. 
I've added a couple of new pages to the site. A design page that pulls together all the art and design work that isn't painting on canvas; theatre design, digital work, sculpture, and so on. A second page contains examples of paintings I've made over the past few years. I could weep when I see some of the work I've destroyed in the past but at least I have the photographs.
www.sandrarowney.com

Ragga Jungle

Ragga Jungle
Sandra Rowney
Mixed Media

Another painting crossed the finish line today. A productive day after the stimulus of a visit to London yesterday.  This painting was tricky, I'd ramped up the colours to such a degree that I'd pushed myself out of my comfort zone and was unable to figure out how to finish it. 
I needn't have worried, one look at the Grayson Perry's motorbike that he drove around Germany set me wondering why I'd been so faint hearted! I'd set out to create a kaleidoscope of colour in the greenhouse so the answer was to carry on with the overgrown tendrils in inks and black threads, taking my cue from the previous painting Purple Haze.
Ragga Jungle is a form of music.