Wellington - April 2018 Exhibitions

As it was Easter when I arrived TLC was closed until the Tuesday. On Sunday I took a walk along the Waterfront to Te Papa to see what exhibitions were on.

I was really pleased to discover there was the TOI ART exhibition for viewing, which is Te Papa's new art gallery featuring Michael Parekowhai, Pacific Sisters, and Lisa Walker, with new art by Tiffany Singh, Janet Lilo, Jeena Shin, BodyCartography Project, and Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, alongside the national art collection.

 What interested me about this was with my involvement in the Waipu Wearable Art 'n Tartan two years ago. This is what the website had to say about The Pacific Sisters.

 The Pacific Sisters is a collective of Pacific and Māori fashion designers, artists, performers, and musicians that electrified 1990s Auckland. The group began on the fringes, but their ground-breaking style and performances brought the urban lives of a New Zealand–born Pacific generation into the mainstream spotlight.

The Pacific Sisters include ground-breaking artists Lisa Reihana, Rosanna Raymond, Ani O’Neill, Suzanne Tamaki, Selina Haami, Niwhai Tupaea, Henzart @ Henry Ah-Foo Taripo, Feeonaa Wall, and Jaunnie ‘Ilolahia.

They once described themselves as being like the Polynesian version of Andy Warhol’s factory – an ever-evolving collective of artists coming together to create art, music, fashion, and film.

“Our work is a reflection of the ‘spark’ we have had as Pacific Sisters – finding our connections to our Pacific stories, peoples, lands, each other,” Ani O’Neill says.“For me, Pacific Sisters is a safe space to push boundaries. We might seem a bit hardcore and serious to some, but we have a lot of fun – we like to laugh and play with words as well as frocks.”  Source: The Internet

 Tapa, made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussentia papyrifera), is found across the Pacific. In Fiji, it is known as masi and is made exclusively by women. Masi is made by stripping the bark from the plant, separating the inner bark, and beating it with a wooden mallet, usually on a wooden anvil. The method of decoration differs from place to place, and has changed over the years. The different kinds of masi include masi kesa (stencilled), masi kuvui (brown or smoked), seyavu (white or plain), and masi vakarerega (yellow). The different colours reflect a person's rank in society, with white or brown masi used by those of chiefly blood. The uses for masi are also very diverse.

 Filipe Tohi's work is based upon the ancient Pacific Island art form of lalava(lashing) that was used for joining and binding materials together. Meters of colored sennit(kafa) were wound and tied so as to create distinct geometric patterns that were a well-established part of daily life. 

These works by Lonnie Hutchinson's caught my eye too and was stunned to learn they were done using builders paper. They reminded me of the hand-cut "snowflakes" I made with folded paper as a child.

Colour affects me in different ways. As well as exciting and energising me, it calms and gives me a sense of peace and grounding. I really liked this display for this reason as the rainbow holds all the colour spectrum. I googled vertical lines and like this description of them...

The vertical suspension of the work  lifts the eye, mind, and spirit upward.  They convey strength, stability, and security.  They inspire awe and tend to diminish the significance of human scale. This is why historically churches have always used vertical lines- to lift your eyes heavenward.

[source: the internet]

 I was also fascinated by Helen Calder's artwork. She experiments with paint and ways of applying it to give different surfaces, to see how far she can push the medium. In an earlier group of paintings she poured paint on to panels and then off again to leave shallow relief surfaces. There was a particular day when she was in a hurry and left a panel still draining its surface on to plastic. When she came back the next morning there was a beautiful pooled paint form. It was a wonderful accident, and actually typifies what happens in her studio, a process that is a mix of control and accident.

Found this REALLY INSPIRING especially given my interest in doing the Advanced programme and challenge my fear of experimentation!)

Love the combination of craft and art - clever display of textiles.

This was quite mesmerizing to watch (random pages flipped over within the display - I'm now wishing I'd videoed it in action)

Work inspired by Colin McCahon's "Scared" paintings. While I'm not a huge fan of McCahon's work I do like his bold use of text - I guess that's why this one caught my eye as I was passing.

"The sign of our times - social media"

TLC STUDENT EXHIBITION

While I was staying in Wellington I learned there was a couple of TLC students exhibiting their work at a pub up Cuba Street.

 I found it a bit overwhelming but was glad I went - it was a good experience.

What caught my eye as you went into the bar and restaurant venue was the printed handmade paper light fittings and screens. Something I'm very keen to try doing myself (and hopefully before I complete my Honours Programme)

Art Exhibitions (viewing time) - 4 hours
Photography/editing/blogging - 10 hours

Photography - April 2018

While I was down in Wellington I took a LOT of photos. I had some happy and not-so-happy results. 

 I've spent many hours arranging them into series for viewing.

"Trees at TLC"

Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don't see what goes on underground - as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree. ~Joyce Meyer

"PUNGA"

 "MANHOLE"

 "BARBED WIRE"

"LIFE & TIMES OF A DRAIN-PIPE"

"Gateway to TLC"

"PERPENDICULAR"

"WELLINGTON NIGHT-LIFE"

The last series are my "Really Bad Moon Pics"

 I am really ashamed of them and ashamed that after all this time I STILL haven't learned how to fully use my DSLR. I have some mental blocks when it come to reading information and processing it in y head. I am now wishing I'd attend a photography workshop at TLC. Being "there, on-site" would have probably really have helped. 

I love the dancing light patterns though, kinda of reminds me saxophones...and seahorse!

NB:I have since learned that ORA on the TLC website has online tutoring that I can refer to help me which may be useful for the future. I've only got one more month of my study left and I've been shedding a few tears. I can't imaging not having the creative support when I have finished though I do plan on applying for a scholarship in October to do Level 7 Advanced so may well be back :o)

Photographing/editing (sorting into series): 20 hours

3D Sculpture - Whale Tail

After shaping the curved outer edges I worked on carving out the heart-shaped centre to honour my respect for the whale, its sheer size and beauty within our oceans and the tail representing strength, speed and sensitivity in Maori Culture 

3D Sculpture (carving) 3 hours

Photography/editing 1 hour

April 2018 - Encaustic Painting (block week 2 workshop at TLC)

On the 1st of April I travelled down to Wellington to attend an Encaustic Wax painting workshop at The Learning Connexion. I was very excited to be doing this as I had been wanting to do the workshop for some time but it hadn't worked out due to other constraints. As it was a long weekend being Easter, the workshop ran from Tuesday to Friday. Marci explained there were a lot of techniques to be covered and she'd demonstrated two or three each day for us to try. 

(Click on the image to enlarge)

The first day of the workhop we learned what "encaustic wax"was, the materials used and why those particular waxes. We each had our own workstations with a electric griddle and board to work on. After the heating the wax, Marci showed us how to apply the wax to our supports, fusing in between each coat after the first four applications. Then she showed us how to add pigment using small containers. She had a bagful of the little "Dine" cat tins (cleaned, of course) that she collected thanks to her very fussy cate who would only eat Dine but she found they worked really well for individual colour pot size-wise but also had some old muffin tins as well. Marci also discussed what sort of pigments could and couldn't be used and why that was. They need to be oil based  not water based to to be compatible the wax medium.

Our first activity was to simply "add colour" by mixing small amounts of pigment with small amounts of wax using the individual containers or tins. In between the wax was "fused" using a hand held propane torch or a heat gun. I found the later gave less intense heat therefore giving more control on how quickly the wax melted.

I started the first day with lots of enthusiasm and very quickly realised I had NO control over the outcomes! What I did really like, that surprised me was the effects shellac had on the wax, both fused and unfused. Thus I decided to purchase some from the materials shop, along with some Microcrystalline wax to take home with me.

Above: Encaustic wax with a mixture of pigments,

gold leaf and fused shellac on a hardboard support.

My second experimentation was applying the pigments thickly at one end  and then, supported on an angle, fusing the wax with the preconceived idea they would 'run' - they kinda of did, but didn't! (still learning how this whole wax-thing works!!) I liked the effect so I set it aside to look at it periodically to admire and decide if I was going to risk messing with it  :o)  

On the final day, Marci demonstrated collaging and image transfers. I attempted the latter but stuffed up by fusing it so I had to peel it off and start again. Unfortunately the music score had very little ink to cling so it didn't transfer very well. I was disappointed about that.

Above: Encaustic wax medium with image transfer

On this block I've play around with scoring the wax, first with the prongs of a fork (then fusing) and then with a awl or something similar. This time I was careful with my fusing as I wanted the leave some of the engraved lines intact. 

Finally, I applied an application of shellac, lighty fusing it to create interesting patterns and textures but not too much so I didn't lose the lines I'd just scored into the wax.

I was also keen to experiment with plant materials and encaustic wax. During lunch break on one of my walks around campus I collected a few leaves etc and tried to be open to whatever happened in my creative use of them. My first few attempts were happy accidents but I also had some of the (thin) leaves curl when I wanted them to "stick" and leave an impression.

Again, I'm REALLY liking the use of shellac as it gives such a nice rich glossy texture.

My Big Experimental 3D FAILURE...

Then I had a real BIG fail!  I was getting annoyed  with my inability in producing a preconceived expectation (I think it was only after the first day lol!) Marci suggested I try using a 3D surface as a change like a rock. So I went found one, applied some wax, some leaves, some more wax and went outside to fuse it. Well, the lant materials caught a light and burned away until this was just a big black blob *sigh* I stared at it for a while, quite a long while and then thought: oh well, I just some things "just burn" and surprised myself, by being ok about the outcome!

Photo inspiration "Evening Sunset"

Above: Encaustic wax medium, colour pigments, pink dye, black permanent marker, unfused shellac 

On the final day Marci demonstrated use of collage and photo transfer with encaustic wax medium. 

This is an area I'm very interested in exploring further and though my image transfer wasn't 100% successful I a happy with the outcome of the collaging with printed mulberry.

Encaustic Wax Workshop 24 hours

Photo editing/blogging 8 hours