Michael Smither talks about Taranaki painting "Rocks with Mountain"

New Zealand Geographic magazine recently published an issue (number 67) focusing on the Taranaki region - and one of the most famous images of Mount Taranaki is the one with the stones and a rock pool in the foreground and a small red tractor on the horizon. This is a painting called Rocks with Mountain by Michael Smither.

I was surprised to read the rather sombre symbolism the artist saw in this painting, Smither is quoted in New Zealand Geographic "I was painting this at the time of the Czech revolution. Looking up, I saw the red tractor, the mountain, and the pool in the foreground with pink coralline on the rocks - and it struck me as being like the blood of martyrs, squeezed out and trickling down into these waters".

I'm not sure that this reading of such a well-known painting has ever been written about before - it certainly isn't an obvious interpretation of what appears today as straightforward representational painting (albeit with a radical viewpoint and interesting composition). Artist Photo Credit: Tom Turner/Art New Zealand

Print editions about to sell out this week

Added to our endangered prints gallery today are the last four prints of a very popular view of Rangitoto, Auckland by Ingrid Banwell (shown here), the last print of Eglinton Valley by Blair Greig, last print of an Avon Fine Prints Barraud print of Lake Taupo numbered 749/750 and a very romantic print by Vettriano which is now the last copy in New Zealand due the artists dispute with his publisher.

Painter Diana Adams - her art prints inspiration

At a recent exhibition of paintings Diana Adams explored the reasons why her artwork resonates so strongly with her emotional response to the New Zealand environment.  In the promotional material for Adams' show her artistic practice was described as a having an "interest [that] lies primarily in the challenges that arise when attempting to express an emotional content in painterly form, a realm in which she excels".

A full-time painter since 2001 Adams' training critically includes a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Lincoln University - an education she claims led and inspired her to becoming a painter of New Zealand's natural environment. Adams’ background as a landscape architect has played a significant role in the shaping of her current style which is delineated by clean precise lines and a close attention to composition. Many of her prints also clearly demonstrate her understanding of the native New Zealand flora which inhabits the landscapes she paints - nikau palms, pohutukawa and cabbage trees feature as key elements in her compositions.

We agree with the sentiments of the curator of her recent exhibition when they write "Reflecting the artist's development into a painter of some maturity and complexity, the latest series of works investigate a range of emotions, including the darker aspects of the landscape and the often disquieting feelings evoked by the solitude and loneliness which may be found in the isolated landscapes that she depicts. All pieces possess atmospheric qualities which reference the prevalent weather conditions and resultant light effects over the landscape - approaching storms and moody skies signaling changeability and the presence of an overwhelming, oppressive power rendering humanity insignificant in the face of natural forces. This can be seen to move Diana’s work past a simple representation of the obvious beauty of the New Zealand landscape and on to a thematic exploration of the moods and emotions which can be experienced through interaction with the environment."

This increasing complexity can be seen in the latest additions to Diana Adams series of prints on fine art paper and canvas - prints of paintings like River's Journey and Sole Survivor.

Artist Tony Ogle returns to Matapouri Bay with new print

Tony Ogle (1959- ) is almost certainly New Zealand's favourite contemporary printmaker.  This morning I am delighted to announce the release of Tony's latest print - a superb edition that is in my view quite simply the quintessential Tony Ogle print.  It's an original handmade screenprint titled "Midday Matapouri" - a sun drenched image of a bach and caravan overlooking this beautiful sandy Northland beach.  In this print Tony is returning to the roots of his artistic practice - just after completing his Graphic Design Diploma at Auckland Institute of Technology Ogle and fellow print-maker Tom Burnett established one of New Zealand's earliest fine art screenprinting workshops in Matapouri Bay.

With well over two decades of printmaking experience Tony Ogle's prints are extremely confident and fluid in their depiction of what Tony sees as the very essence of the New Zealand landscape. There's a great quote from Tony on his page in our catalogue "Screen-printing allows me to express my love of the New Zealand landscape and ocean environment with strong colours in a direct and graphic manner".

Technical Information: Matapouri Bay is a handmade original screenprint. Edition of 180 printed, signed and numbered by Tony Ogle. Image size 400 x 260 millimetres.

Record price for Robin White prints at auction

Harbour Cone & Oystercatcher 

Auckland auction house Art & Object reported recently that there had been "a string of [auction] results which we feel deserve special mention and which highlight the strength of an area of the market which is frequently overlooked and neglected: prints and multiples."

We had watched with interest the consignment of a superb private collection of 31 original New Zealand prints that included six prints by Robin White. Robin White has painted many of this country's most iconic images such as Sam Hunt at the Portobello Pub (1978), yet White was also a dedicated print maker.  The three stand out prints of the auction were White's works  Florence and Harbour Cone, Mangaweka and White Oystercatcher at Harbour Cone all of which were editions of 50.  These editions reached unprecedented prices of $13 500, $10 406 and $14 906 respectively.  According to Art & Object "As with the photography market, it seems at long last that collectors are now willing to pay five figure prices for iconic images irregardless of their multiple nature, if the condition is top notch." 

We wonder what the highest price paid for a New Zealand print is? These prices for the Robin White works are a great result but our money would be on Gordon Walters.  We'll have a dig through the auction records.