Portrait of the artist, and the artist, and the artist

11 October 2012

Portrait of the artist, and the artist, and the artist

Visitors to the opening of an exhibition of work by eight talented Wellington artists may think they are seeing double – because the show features portraits of every one of the exhibitors.

Artist Sally Edmonds, one of the 8Cre8 group, whose work will be on show at the Thistle Hall from October 16-21, has painted full length portraits of all eight members of the 8cre8 art group – plus their “inspirational tutor” Roberto Paulet.

Sally originally studied art and design at the then Wellington Polytechnic before switching courses and going to Victoria University. She worked in research and analysis in the public service for many years before returning to painting six years ago through the Inverlochy Art School. She is now winning commissions for her striking portraits.

The exhibition by the 8Cre8 art group also includes pop art-style paintings of super heroes brought into a Wellington setting by Tina Smith, and striking large-scale as well as smaller horse paintings by Diana Bidwill.

The paintings of Fredericka Walker-Murray demonstrate a “magic realism” while those of Bridget Lydon portray the inherent vulnerability of people as patients.

Jeanie Carson’s work for the exhibition aims to channel the work of European grand masters on to the intimacy of very small canvases, while Mary McIntyre has created landscape abstractions describing places she has had a strong emotional connection with since childhood.

Glynn Woodbury, the only male member of the group, has studied the paintings of Richard Diebenkorn and Mark Rothko and their work has influenced his entries in the current exhibition.

The exhibition will be open at the Thistle Hall on Cuba Street from 12 noon - 6pm on Tuesday October 16, 10am-6pm from Wednesday - Saturday and 10am-2pm on Sunday.

Diana Bidwill lives in Mount Victoria. She studied graphic design and fashion at Auckland and Wellington design schools. Having worked in the design industry for some time, she started painting with tutor Roberto Paulet, together with Bridget Lydon (who is in the class exhibiting at Thistle Hall). Over the past five years at Inverlochy the group has looked at the painting history from early Renaissance egg tempera through to Anselm Kiefer and Gerhard Richter. Her interest in horses, their shape, movement and training, has influenced her choice of subject.

Fredericka Walker-Murray lives and paints in Lowry Bay when not overseas. She was born, raised and schooled in Canterbury, and delighted in painting and drawing from a young age. Dissuaded from following art as a career, she gained degrees in science but cherished her passion to paint. She studied the Art of Painting at Sotheby’s in London, and studied under a maestro, M. Jean-Pierre Mello, in Geneva for two years, sketching and painting at every opportunity. Her style is somewhat expressionist, post-contemporary and demonstrates “magic realism”. It is characterised by spontaneity and an individual perception.

Jeanie Carson, a mother of two from Wadestown, has been painting off and on for the past five-10 years, studying in both Paris and in New Zealand. She has begun exhibiting only in the past two-three years. Her interest in painting “coalesced” with the opportunity to study under the tutelage of Roberto Paulet. She enjoys working in acrylics and oils. Past subject matter has included portraits, landscapes etc. More recently she has become keen to experiment with slightly more abstract images - overtones of the European artists, such as Richter and Kiefer who tutor Roberto has tuned the group in to. The challenge for this exhibition has been to channel these “grand masters” onto the intimacy of very small canvases, with more prosaic/local subject matter.

Tina Smith grew up on a Queensland cattle station but has lived in New Zealand since the age of 16. She currently lives in Belmont and has been painting for six or more years at Inverlochy Art School and also with the Hutt Art Society. Under the tutelage of Roberto Paulet she has explored a variety of subjects and has developed a particular love of seascapes. Her focus in this exhibition, however, is on super heroes who she has brought into a Wellington setting. This has been a result of her study of pop art and her interest in applying the skills and techniques amassed over her time at Inverlochy.

Mary McIntyre lives in Te Aro with her family. She is relatively new to painting and was formerly (and is still occasionally) a graphic designer of 30 years experience. Her strong design sense and appreciation of colour permeates her painting. The works she is including in this exhibition are landscape abstractions, describing places with which she has had a strong emotional connection since childhood.

Glynn Woodbury has the distinction of being the only male in the group of eight. He has been painting at Inverlochy for several years and exhibited with the group last year. He has studied the paintings of Richard Diebenkorn and Mark Rothko and the work of these two artists has influenced his entries in this current exhibition. He is a semi-retired accountant and finds the freedom of painting a welcome change from numbers. He is currently travelling in Europe with his wife, Eva, and will unfortunately not be at the exhibition.

Bridget Lydon has studied with Roberto Paulet for three years and has enjoyed the fascinating development and evolution of art through the early Renaissance to current modern artists. Much of her work explores the human form in movement and at rest. Through her work she has developed an interest in the various treatments and paraphernalia involved in maintaining patient health. Her paintings in this exhibition are an exploration of the inherent fragility and vulnerability of people as patients. She hopes to depict the pathos of their situation.

Sally Edmonds lives and works in Thorndon. She briefly studied art and design at the then Wellington Polytechnic before changing course and going to Victoria University. She exchanged the disciplines of research and analysis in the public service for the freedom and self expression of painting six or so years ago. During this time she has worked with various tutors at Inverlochy Art School, most notably with Roberto Paulet, under whose tutelage she explored the evolution of Western art. Her strong attraction to portraiture is evident in this exhibition, where she shows painting of herself and fellow exhibitors. Tutor Roberto also features in this series of paintings.

Roberto Paulet was born in Romania in 1975. He attended the Gheorghe Apostu specialist High School of Art in Bacau, and from there studied painting under Cezar Atodiresei at 0the National University of Fine Arts in Bucharest. He graduated in 2002 with a Licentiate in Fine Arts, with Distinction, and a Diploma in the Pedagogy of Art.

In 2003 he emigrated to New Zealand, but returned to Europe (Poland) in 2007 for three years before resuming life in New Zealand.

He has been teaching art for 10 years, and is currently Head of the Art Department at Heretaunga College in Upper Hutt, a position he has held since 2011.

This year, as well as completing his Master of Fine Arts degree at Massey University Wellington, he takes adult students for night classes twice a week. When he first arrived in Wellington he joined Inverlochy Art School as a tutor, and designed and ran evening courses for adults and Years 12-13/pre-university extension classes. Since his return from Poland he has not taken on new students, but continues with those adult students whom he has known for a number of years.

Roberto is regarded by these students as an inspirational teacher.

ENDS

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