With plenty of rainy days to come, here’s a good way to escape, courtesy of BayBuzz columnist Roy Dunningham.
Go look at some great art amongst HB’s many excellent galleries. And to extend the pleasure, take your wallet.
In this article, Wheelers and Dealers of Art, Roy gives his take on the galleries he finds most interesting and what you can expect to find in them.
Tom Belford
We are indeed fortunate to have an wonderful range of artists in the region. Some of my favourites, in addition to those Roy reviewed are the following.
Red Peach Gallery at Bridge Street and Waghorn Street, Ahuriri, which is owned by Elaine Thompson. Elaine shows a wide range of Hawkes Bay and also other New Zealand artists, and the work is continually changing. Many of Elaine's artists are landscape painters and they have produce a great range of styles.
For the names of artists she has exhibited see her web site http://www.redpeachgallery.com
John Staniford is a painter with a wide range of work, his earlier work being realistic landscapes of Hawkes Bay. He is now working with some different themes so he has variety in his paintings. Visit John at his hime/studio which is in Norman's Lane, Napier. John has a good selection of paintings in the studio and he was the Cranford Hospice Wine Auction artist last year.
To get an idea of the style of his paintings look at his web site http://www.johnstaniford.co.nz
For something diferent visit Maggie Pots in Parkhill Road Haumoana. For those who have a garden, love birds, or just have a sense of fun and humour then you should know Maggies work. Maggies web site is
http://www.mtpotts.co.nz
Whenever we have visitors from Wellington or elsewhere we take them on the art trail, and they just love it. Get a copy of the Art Guide from your local i site and get to know our local artists. A great balance to the other more mundane aspects of life.
Finally a big congratulations to the Hastings City Art Gallery for their recent exhibit of Len Castle's "Mountain to the Sea" pottery. Len must be New Zealand's leading potter and it was a great opportunity to see his work displayed in Hastings which would normally only be seen in the big cities. It was a chance of a lifetime. This exhibit has unfortunately just closed, but to see his work there are excellent photographic books titled Len Castle Potter and Making the Molecules Dance.
So thank you Hastings City for this outstanding showing. The upcoming closure of the Napier Museum now gives the Hastings Gallery an opportunity to step up and show a greater range of art for visitors to Hawkes Bay.
So go for it Hastings and give our artists a greater profile, as well as giving visitors another reason to spend time visiting Hawkes Bay's art community.
http://www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz