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!

New art!

I like this triptych........it has a kind of "vertigris" look to it!

In preparation for the markets tomorrow, I have been putting finishing touches on my art....framing tape to neaten the back and d-hooks for hanging.  I was also able to produce a rusty "Ngutu Kura" piece which I am very happy with, as the other pieces were very dark and I wanted a lighter, earth tone colour in this series.  I also got my delivery from Queensland........my huge canvases and my 12 pots of medium.  Finally!  

Rons work.....my wonderful business cards

The first business cards were for the Blue Palm tree markets and included a card for both  Jodiene Tovia and I (Feijoa Arts).  Jodiene sold homewares that complimented my work, assisting those who wanted art work, but didn't know how to incorporate it into their homes.  Hence, she provided candles, baskets, lamps, vases and other items to bring everything together.

The last two cards are the current cards, which include my latest art on them.  He also designed a pamphlet to be attached to the paintings, with description and my statement included in it.  So I have my new camera and still trying to get the hang of it......so the photos have the "fish eye lens."  I don't know how that was put on!!!