Moved and ready to get going again!

So we have moved and finally settled in and done the christmas, new year dash and now it is time to get back to work.

I have started by preparing a few prints of my work for my mum to sell at the Merrylands Waitangi Day celebrations this weekend.  I am excited as I have not sold prints before, but figure, why be precious about my work and keep it to myself!

So exploring new territory now!

Temporary absence!

So we are just moving house and will be back on blogging as soon as I set up my new studio! I have a few projects to do before christmas.....so busy, busy, busy!

Maori Art Exhibition at Manly Library, NSW.

Thanks to Julie O'Grady and all the organisers in Manly, we have a Maori Art Exhibition at the Manly Library currently showing until next Tuesday.  The opening was wonderful, with a performance by the local hapu and the artworks an amazing array of carving, painting, drawing and other media.

Thanks to Julie, I had the opportunity to exhibit my lastest works, based on the Pitau a Manaia pattern.  I enjoyed the process immensely, using the design in various ways.  I painted a huge design (about 180cm by 120cm) on canvas, and cut it away from the frame to form various smaller pieces!

Here are the Pitau a Manaia  pieces showing at the exhibition.

Greeting cards

Ron decided to make some greeting cards with my art on them.  I love the strip he put around them with my name and a big "H" on it (my nickname).  I love my older style art, with its vibrant colours and contemporary images.   Some of the art I am not too fond of, but some advice from a very good mentor at the moment, Louise Piromalli, was " it doesn't matter what you like or don't like, you are not selling art that pleases you, but others."  She sells her husband's amazing art at the Blue Palm Tree markets......check it out.......theartsideofdreams.com.

I put the cards in a palm seed pod that Ron had made a while ago.  A beautiful elongated type pod that we use as a centre piece on our dining table with paper balls (which my son Rain enjoys throwing all over the place).  Well........I was approached on Saturday at the markets regarding the pod and whether I wanted to sell it.......and sold it for $20.00!  You never know what you will sell!!

Maori Art by Augustus Hamilton

After extensive searching, I found and purchased my "diamond" book!!! Maori Art by Augustus Hamilton is an outstanding work, first published in 1901 and deals with all aspects of Maori material, culture and life.

I found it in New York, had it shipped over and have found it to be the most comprehensive information I have read on Maori humanity at that time. The pictures are beautiful, true to life images of people, art, artefacts etc.  

I have many books on the art of the Maori, but only this one deals with everything else....amusements, burial customs, canoes, carving, ceremonial, communal, fortifications, games, garments, geneological, houses, hunting, implements, music, adornment, social, utensils, war and weapons of war. Oh, and don't ask to borrow it.......my response may be offensive!!!! Hahaha!!

Pitau a Manaia

I am gradually increasing the size of my paintings and enjoying the challenge.  This piece is "Pitau a Manaia" and relates to the manaia image used a lot in maori carving (whakairo).  The manaia is a spiritual guardian.  I have only used a part of the pattern and the description of it is "the embroynic state in the womb, represented by the circular shapes or "kape" at the top of the pattern.

It is 60.9cm by 121.8cm.

Art space

My favourite colours.......rusty, earthy orange/brown.

Closeup!

Very cluttered, untidy and well used.....!!!  Sometimes cold too.....this is our garage/studio!