WNZ Newsletter September 2012

Artist Profile - Alan Collins ....................................................... p 2Brush Strokes - Ben Woollcombe................... p 3Drive the dream! - Shirley Sutton and Dana Jackson ............ p 4DIAMOND JUBILEE ‘SPLASH’ ............................................... p 5 - HRH Prince of Wales, Plein Air Painter....................................p 5Edward Wesson - An English Watercolourist...........................p 6What’s been happening?.......................................................... p 6 - Brian Millard’s Workshop........................................................... p 6 - Alfred Memelink at Wgtn East Girls’ College.......................... p 7 - Exhibition at Parliament............................................................. p 7Courses and workshops coming up..................................... p 7 - Jeanne Macaskill’s Workshop...................................................p 7 - Stan Chan’s Workshop..............................................................p 7What’s ahead?..............................................................................p 8 - Monthly Painting Groups and XMAS PARTY ....................... p 8

Sun 2 Sep Kapiti MPG, at ParemataMon 3 Sept Exhibition at Parliament, See page 7Sun 30 Sept Wgtn MPG, Clyde Quay Boat HarbourSun 7 Oct Kapiti MPG, Otaihanga Domain13-21 Oct Diamond Jubilee ‘Splash’Sat 20 Oct Untutored MPG 10am-12 noon

Wellington Wharves close to ‘Splash’ ExhibitionSun 21 Oct Wgtn MPG, Lady Norwood Rose GdnSun 4 Nov Kapiti MPG, Karehana Bay, PlimmertonSun 25 Nov Wgtn MPG, Karori Wildlife SanctuarySun 2 Dec Kapiti MPG, Queen Elizabeth ParkSun 9 Dec Christmas Party & painting,

Wareham House - details back page

Dates for the Diary...

Newsletter 149

September - November 2012

I want to tell you about a recent trip to Aratoi, the museum andart Gallery in Masterton. Quite by chance, there was theopportunity to view British Watercolours painted between 1790and 1860. This collection is owned by Te Papa. The exhibitionhad an excellence about it. It was beautifully documented. Mygeneral routine, when viewing an exhibition, is to have a lookat each painting, and then I become quite overwhelmed, andneed to settle for a choice painting and look at how the artisthas captured the mood and controlled tone.

Works included the well-known artists, Turner, Constable,Gainsborough and Ruskin. Much of the work was of amazingintricacy. It was a wonderful insight into the romantic landscapeand cityscape and the daily life of people of those times:townspeople doing business, people gathering seaweed on thecoast, views of the Welsh and Lake district. By this time, thereexisted pre-mixed paints and new roadways meant people couldbegin to travel.

And so to a contrast - the Dunedin Art Gallery provided this;recent acquisitions of Frances Hodgkins and contemporarypaintings with a favourite abstract watercolour by Colin McCahon.Time had no meaning and all too soon, one had to move onwards.

But back to reality -We are gearing up for our major exhibition ‘Diamond Jubilee‘Splash’, 13 - 21 October at the Academy Galleries. Our GrandOpening is to be held on Friday night 12 October. His Excellency,Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, GNZM, QSO Governor-General of New Zealand will open the exhibition. Saturday is acelebratory day also, and Sunday offers the opportunity of takingJeanne Macask i l l ’ s con tempora ry workshop .Further details on pages 5 and 7.

My grateful thanks go to Judy Langham who is editor andmanager of our newsletter this time, in Sue Wild's absence. Mythanks also go to a number of members who are preparing andhave prepared material for our newsletter.Sharing of experiences endorses our vision.

Helen Wilson

The committee of WNZ is in urgent need of aSECRETARY and a WEB MASTER

Please contact Helen Wilson on 479 [email protected]

DanaJacksonpainting inMonet’sGarden.

See ‘Drivethe Dream!’page 4

From the President... In this issue...

Urgent positions to fill...

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Academy. The quality of the paintings filled me with inspiration.”Alan wrote out a cheque there and then.

He painted in a variety of media but once Alan retired and startedtravelling overseas with his wife Sally, he began concentrating onwatercolour and has stuck with it ever since. Alan describes himselfas “a paint-on-the-spot person” and found watercolours much moreportable than oils.

Alan’s watercolour hero was Nugent Welch, a painting companionof his uncle, W.S. Wauchop. He is the proud owner of three NugentWelch originals and one of his most prized pieces of memorabiliais Nugent Welch’s paper stretcher. Alan is also partial to collectingwatercolour boxes, “the way Imelda Marcos collects shoes.”He believes in painting on location rather than in the studio. Alandisapproves of painting from photographs and gleefully relates howhe upset his friend Peter McIntyre at an exhibition of his paintingsof Antarctica by telling him “Peter, thank God you’ve left Kodachromealone and gone over to Ektachrome!” Nevertheless, Alan admiredMcIntyre’s work tremendously “They were more than paintings, theywere knockouts.”

Alan uses Arches 640gsm paper because it doesn’t need stretching.He dispenses with an easel or a board, holding the paper with onehand and painting with the other. Plein air painters must be able todraw well, he believes. They must also be able to cope with limitedtime, inclement conditions and Alan’s pet hate, “damned spectators.”He recalls how his painting pal, the late Peter Read, used to keepthen at bay by flicking a large mop brush loaded with Winsor orcerulean blue.When he’s painting outdoors, Alan first makes a careful, accuratedrawing. Mindful that the light is changing, he tries to anticipate whatwill happen. If he feels the painting isn’t working, he abandons it.Watercolour painting can be a nerve-wracking business. If thepainting is going well, Alan tells himself, “Thank God, now don’tmuck it up.” Sometimes, when the painting is nearing completion,he gets almost scared to do any more for fear of ruining his workand thinks “come on, get a hold of yourself!” The great watercolouristJohn Singer Sargent, himself a confirmed plein air painter, calledpainting a watercolour “making the best of an emergency.” Paintingon location is not for the faint-hearted.Alan stresses the importance of careful observation of the subject.His favourite tip for the aspiring artist is “Draw or paint what yousee, not what you think you know.” He has been painting watercolourssince 1930 but still regards it as a great challenge: “To haul off agood watercolour is one of the most exciting things I know.”Alan concedes that his style hasn’t changed much over the years:“When I start painting abstracts, I shall have someone put me down!”

Summer Outing - Lake Wakatipu

When interviewed by WNZ recently, John Rundleattributed any success he has had as an artistto a one hour lesson from Alan Collins. Alan, whohas been painting watercolours for over 80 years,says “Watercolour now to me has a much greaterchallenge because having done so many for solong, I’m almost beginning to know how to controlthe damn thing. It’s a fickle medium.” Alan is anentertaining raconteur who admits he likes toreminisce. John Toft interviewed him at his Eastbourne home as partof WNZ’s oral history project.

Alan began drawing and painting before he could write his ownname. Everything he saw, he drew or painted: “Nobody taught mehow to draw or paint. It was there and I did it.” Writing proved moreof a problem, however. At Muritai School, he was thrashed everyday by the headmaster because of an inability to spell. Alan laterdiscovered he was dyslexic. On the positive side, his class teachershowed him how to lay a watercolour wash and arranged for himto attend Saturday morning painting classes at Wellington TechnicalCollege taught by Reg Waghorn, “a great watercolourist”. This wasAlan’s first formal art training.

His father eventually moved Alan to Thorndon School. “There myeducation began and the painting I did was appreciated.” At the start of World War II, Alan went to Wellington TechnicalCollege School of Art, “a marvellous school”. In 1943, he wasawarded an art scholarship but the following year his father suggestedhe try to get an art job rather than wait and have to compete witha flood of returning ex-servicemen. Alan’s father was an importerof wine and spirits. One of his customers was in charge of thephotographic and art section of National Publicity Studios. Alan hadhis job and eventually worked his way up to become Director.Initially, he worked alongside Marcus King, “a brilliant artist”. To thisday, Alan uses the colours King recommended: cadmium yellow,cadmium red, alizarin crimson, Winsor blue, ultramarine, cobaltblue, viridian, yellow ochre and burnt sienna. Any other colours aresuperfluous, he says.

Alan’s grandfather used to take him to Academy exhibitions at avery early age, which he feels gave him an appreciation of painting.In time, Alan became an elected artist member. He fondly recallsthe glory days when the NZAFA spring show was the social calendarevent of the year. Initially, Alan put off joining Watercolour NewZealand but was bowled over when he attended an opening nightat Shed 11. “I had never been to such a crowded place whereeveryone was so enthusiastic since the Buckle Street days of the

A salute to the Capital

Alan Collins By John Toft

Artist Profile...

Ben Woollcombe on subject, colour and compositionAs a kid, growing up in Port Gore in theMarlborough Sounds, Ben would huntthrough his Correspondence Schoolpackages for lessons that involved drawing- maps, biological sketches, as well asartwork. He now lives in Peel Forest in theCanterbury hill country. Watercolour isBen’s preferred medium because he lovesplein air painting .“I don’t have a studio. Ialways paint outdoors and you can findwater anywhere, though I did knock mycontainer over on the top of a mountain

and had trouble finding water there!”

“Why watercolouras a medium?” I'moften asked.“Isn'tthat somethingused last century?”I'm still attracted to

this medium as it is suchan elusive, subtle, andalltogether challengingone. If I could get to gripswith it and have it behaveas I'd like, my interestwould long be lost.

Subtlety, I think it one of the great charms of this most mesmerizingof mediums. The way in which pigments are transported by wateracross luminous handmade cotton surfaces is nothing short ofspellbinding every time I witness it.

Since Austen Deans's passing last year, I realize how muchencouragement can be shared having an enthusiastic paintingcompanion. Onthose marginallypaintable dayswhen the coldbites deep, it'sgreat to get anudge from afellow painter andhead out to bravethe elements. Asoften as not, inspite of inclementconditions, or perhaps because of them, an interesting work will

emerge between hotsoup, coffee andblether.

Inspiration seems tobe the great driverbehind our creativepursuits and and asWendy Masterssuggested in our lastnewsletter, focus ona subject you love

and have a great affinity for, as this will help you greatly in portrayingthe true essence of the person, place or thing. You will already havegleaned joy from observing this subject and it will reflect in theoutcome in spite of your technical abilities. It is, after all, inspirationthat will lead us to exercise our creative pursuits, which is the onlyway of honing our skills and will add greatly to our own, and others’enchantment.

Subject andc o l o u r a r edistant cousinsin my book, tocomposi t ion.Composition, itis this that leadsyou to takeanother look atthe painting youjust passed by at a bulging at the seams exhibition, viewed duringyour only visit to town in 6 months. Those areas of greatest contrastplaced in fortunate areas of the painting somehow catch the viewer’sattention and can make the blandest of subjects an object offascination. Art lives long beyond the moment of its creation.

As I don't have a studio, I work outside and find it stimulating in spiteof the challenges of insects, weather, and talkative passers-by. Whatthe eye sees and the hand delivers - a somewhat curioustransformation seems to take place between the two. It's a bit likethe picture you see in your minds eye and what manifests on thepage. Outcomes tend to be divergent from intentions, adding thatdelicious twist to reality that enriches our work and intrigues theviewer.

Up for repairs

Languedoc village, France

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Mt Peel

Rangitata Valley

Brush strokes-wisdom on watercolour

Dana Jackson and Shirley Sutton in Europe By Dana Jacksonbasket of freshly picked sun-warmed figs. This time I was delightedto win cash as the next prize awarded was a bright red ceramicItalian dinner set!In France you can expect special treatment as an artist too. AtMonet’s home, Giverny, just outside of Paris, only artists and gardeners

are admitted on Mondays. By6pm the other 6 visitors hadgone home, trusting us to closethe doors behind us. So afterfinishing painting, it was a joyto wander along the rows ofirises to Monet's Japanesegarden with just birds and asquirrel as company. Normallyit ís as busy as the Vatican!

We fluked an invitation from theCount to paint at the in the LoireValley. We were so engrossedin our work, we had no idea thatthe grounds had been closedfor the night, so we were lockedin behind huge iron gates.

Fortunately the cleaners turned up and we made a hasty escape.Onecold and blustery day in Bruges, the Venice of the north, we werepainting enthusiastically when a gust of wind swept my canvas bagholding my brushesinto the canalmetres below. Localartist Johan haileda passing water taxiand after muchhand waving andlaughter, they fishedthe brushes up andreturned them. Wehave painted withsome wonderfulpeople!

There can be hairy scary moments. Many lanes are fractionally widerthan Victory. Impossible to turn back once committed with overhangingbalconies inching ever closer and closer. Once we were rescued bya handsome fellow on a Vespa gesturing us to follow him througha labyrinth with 20 point corners and huge interaction from the Italians.We finally popped out, totally flustered. It turned out our ‘guide’ wasa magician! Needless to say we travelled by coach and boat on thenotorious Amalfi Coast.As for the urban legend of motorhomes being stolen, it does happen.Walking out of a supermarket in southern Italy we discovered Victoryhad been taken, never to be returned. But from that catastrophecame wonderful experiences. We returned to the fairytale town ofAlberobello to stay in a cute round ìtrulloî house with slate roof andwalls a foot thick. We worked there for a month preparing for anexhibition. That helped us to recapture our sanity and gear as weonly had the clothes we were standing in and our backpacks. It wasgreat fun enjoying all the cultural and gastronomic partying of highsummer with the generous and warm Italians there. We moved onto a charming castle in Belgium, rediscovered Prague and Bohemiaand then flitte d back to sunny Corfu and the not so sunny UK.

If you would like further information about campervan travelin Europe just contact me at - [email protected]

Drop two Kiwi girls keen on art into a motorhome called ’Victory’ inthe heart of Europe and voila the perfect scenario for fun, happyconnections and lots of sumptuous painting. Totally self contained,Shirley Sutton and I had great freedom with somewhere to have ac u p p a i f t h eweather turnedfou l . And a r td isso lved anyb a r r i e r s o flanguage, age orculture.O u r a r t w o r k sstarted in cafes andrestaurants, atartists' days orsimply when wecame upon astunning scene forcing us to pull up on the roadside to set up easels.Once it was at a craftsman’s ‘parapluie’ workshop swapping ourwork for beautiful umbrellas.

The subjects areendless - imposingc a s t l e soverlooking riverv a l l e y s a n dvi l lages, half-timbered houses,quaint cottages,funky modernarchitecture, fieldsh e a v y w i t hsunflowers, linesof lavenders ,haphazard poppies, strictly regimented rows of grape vines, gnarledancient olive trees, nosey cows and goats, fluffy geese unaware oftheir fate, cats and dogs with attitude and people with flair in fashionand food plus some of the best art museums in the world forinspiration.

Cafes are ideal places to opensketch books and freeze themoment. No pressure on theContinent to drink and run. In factthe curious waiters offer encouragingwords. Patrons or tourists often wantto buy your work. What betterexcuse to reward yourself with arestaurant meal afterwards?

Artist days provide a greatopportunity to meet locals. You turnup in the morning with a blankcanvas or piece of paper, which isduly stamped. Then off you go topaint furiously, returning late

afternoon for judging and often sale of the works. Kiwis are certainlya novelty. Shirl won art gear and a kiss from the local Mayor at oneevent on the Normandy Coast.

At another spot in northern Tuscany we were settled under a shadytree, painting the charming vista of terracotta roofs and churchsteeples with soft mauve hills beyond. A local charmed us with a

An artists’ day in Tuscany

By Lake Trasimeno, Italy

Shirley on the edge, Venice

After a hard day on the road

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The Chateau d’Usse, Loire, France

Drive the dream!

Although his paintings are never sold, a small number of lithographsare sometimes made from the originals and sold to raise money for

The Prince’s Charities Foundation.

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HRH Prince of Wales, Plein Air Painter By John ToftThe British Royal Family has a tradition of painting and drawing. QueenVictoria and Prince Albert both enjoyed drawing, painting and etching.When she withdrew from public life after the death of her husband,Queen Victoria found watercolour painting a sourceof relaxation. She commanded Winsor and Newtonto produce some special watercolour brushes in size7 with handles of ivory, ferrules of silver and hair ofthe finest kolinsky sable. These brushes, without thesilver ferrules and ivory handles, became Winsor andNewton’s top-of-the-line Series 7, which probablyexplains why they cost the proverbial king’s ransom.Prince Philip, also, is a keen oil painter. Prince Charlescontinues this royal tradition, having painted inwatercolours for most of his adult life.In his excellent foreword to Jean Goodman’s book“Edward Seago: The Other Side of the Canvas”,Prince Charles relates how he sought Seago’s assistance after his earlyattempts at watercolour drove him mad with frustration because hecould never achieve the effect he wanted:“In the end I wrote to the expert himself and asked if I could come overto visit him from Sandringham and pick up a few useful hints. The resultwas even more frustrating because, in the same way that my father

discovered, I felt exactly as though I were riding a bicycle extremelybadly on the ground while the painter was on another on a high wireabove. Ted Seago never gave lessons, but he agreed to ‘talk me

through’ a painting. He simply sat down and, talkingas he painted, he produced within a very short timea beautiful watercolour of a pair of Thames bargeson a Norfolk broad. Watching the picture grow outof the paper was one of the most impressivedemonstrations of sheer creativity that I have everseen. I asked how he managed, with just a fewstrokes of his brush, to convey the impression ofa cow in the distance, or a stormy sky or a ploughedfield. His answer was most revealing. He told methat it was simply because he had spent such along time observing things.”Prince Charles is a plein air painter and paints

whenever his official duties allow. His favourite locations includeBalmoral and Sandringham. He often paints during skiing holidaysand on overseas tours. Examples of his watercolours can be viewedon his official website, www.princeofwales.gov.uk.

Royal correspondenceHer Majesty the Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales havegraciously sent greetings to members of Watercolour New Zealandand have wished us well with the Diamond Jubilee ‘Splash’exhibition. The letter from Her Majesty will be on display.

Governor-General to open Diamond Jubilee‘Splash’Watercolour New Zealand is honoured that His Excellency,Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, GNZM, QSO theGovernor-General of New Zealand has agreed to open theDiamond Jubilee‚ ‘Splash’ Exhibition. All members and guestsare asked to arrive promptly at 5.30pm. The Governor- Generalwill arrive at 5.45pm and open the event at 6pm. Please bringyour invitation as the event is Invitation only. Dress attire isbusiness suit for men and a day dress for ladies.

Guests artists and The Highgrove FlorilegiumGuest artists Nancy Tichborne, Sue Wickison and Susan Worthingtonare currently preparing some breathtaking artworks for the exhibition.The Highgrove Florilegium will be on to view on two occasions atthe Opening on October 12, and during a floor talk by SusanWorthington on Saturday October 13. The Highgrove Florilegiumcomprises two volumes of 124 watercolour paintings of the plantsand trees growing in the garden of HRH The Prince of Wales atHighrove.

Volunteers neededWe need volunteers to join teams: hanging paintings onWednesday 10 October with training given before the exhibition;light work preparing finger food on Friday afternoon 12 Octoberwhile chatting with other members; making scones and cucumbersandwiches for Saturday 13 October; Minders during the exhibition;and willing helpers on Collection Day October 21 to help cleanand pack up. Please contact Dianne Taylor ph: 04 934 2358email: [email protected]

Key DatesPre-Registration Friday 14 September:Please include photos of artworks if possible.Receiving Day:Tuesday 9 Oct 9am-12 noon.

Opening Function:Friday 12 October 5.30pm-7.30pm. Governor-General opensthe exhibition. Meet the guest artists. Entertainment by CityJazz. Sales desk opens 5.30pm.Opening weekend:Saturday 13 October 10am-12 noon Royal High Tea withscones and jam; 11am The Highrove Florilegium Floor talk bySusan Worthington; and 12 noon Floor talk by Nancy Tichborne.Sunday 14 October Raku firing by Wellington Potter’sAssociation from 10am-4pm.Daily:Demonstration of watercolour painting between 12noon-2pm.

Closing weekend:Saturday 20 October 10am-12 noon en plein air painting onthe Wellington Wharves.Sunday 21 October MPG en plein air 9.45am-12.30pm withSusan Worthington demonstrating botanical painting at the LadyNorwood Rose Garden as part of Wellington’s Spring Festival.All members and guests welcome to participate in en plein airpainting.Collection Day:Sunday 21 October 2pm-4pm at the exhibition.

Diamond Jubilee Royal VisitThe dates of the Diamond Jubilee Royal Visit to New Zealandby HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arenot yet confirmed. Please check the WNZ websitewww.watercolournewzealand.co.nz for updates.

Diamond Jubilee ‘Splash’ News Exhibitions and events

Edward Wesson on Watercolour by John ToftEdward Wesson (1910-1983) was one of thebest-known English watercolourists of thetwentieth century. Gregarious by nature, he wasa popular and inspiring teacher. He wrote thathe had been blessed with a clowning mentalitywhich allowed him to make a kind of “music hallact” of his teaching.

Wesson believed the aspiring watercolouristneeded to see the teacher at work; thatsomething would rub off on the student from

observing the teacher demonstrate. Although he painted bothwatercolours and oils, he maintained that “when it comes off, there’snothing like a good watercolour”.

A self-taught painter, Wesson wrote “A good watercolour, in my opinion,i s a h a p p ymarriage betweenpaper and colour.It’s only when wefind we have tot i nke r abou tafterwards addinga bit here and abit there, and int h e p r o c e s sg r a d u a l l yobliterating theloveliness of thepaper that we will all know we’ve failed.”

Interestingly, Wesson’s favourite paper was Bockingford, a papermany watercolourists turn up their noses at. It was Wesson who

Brian Millard’s workshop by Wendy ButcherI admired Brian’s work which featured in the publication New Zealandin Watercolour by Dennis Robinson. I hoped a workshop would beoffered that I could attend to learn the skills on how to approach alarge painting. Using large natural hair brushes we were to paintone watercolour sheet (300gsm rough), of the picturesque LakeHayes, near Arrowtown. The approach to achieving this was byseparating and practising each stage. Following Brian’s detaileddemonstrations of the landscape features painted onto scraps ofwatercolour paper before commencing the major work.Having transferred the outline of the sketch onto the watercoloursheet, applying masking fluid to reserve the highlights on the mountainand poplars, it was time to put paint to paper. For the sky, wettingthe paper and dropping in each colour separately, with thought towhere you wanted to place this. Tilting the board gently to allow thecolour to run and merge naturally giving lovely atmospheric transitions.The geographical features of the mountains were defined by theglazing of wet on dry with soft-toned washes. To shape the hill wepre-mixed different value tones of marmite strength colour that,when painted, would define the strata and form of the hill, workingfrom the lighter side into its shadowed area.

The point of interest, the poplars with their distinctive vertical shapeswhich feature at the lake edge are highlighted in their vibrant autumncolours of yellows and gold. The colour was softened on their foliageaway from the focal point. We painted in the rich dark green of thetrees against the hill, accentuating and giving depth to the scene.

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popularised theF r e n c hp o l i s h e r ’ ssquirrel mop forw a t e r c o l o u rpainting. Todaythese brushesare widely used.

W e s s o nbe l ieved inusing a limited number of colours. He maintained that this resulted intheir possibilities being more quickly understood. His palette consistedof Winsor blue, ultramarine, cobalt blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna,raw sienna, light red and warm Winsor yellow.

Above all, Wesson felt that the primary quality of watercolour, itsfreshness and transparency, was destroyed by overworking: “In orderto get over the problem, we need to simplify the subject in front of usso that there won’t be the necessity for any overworking or fiddling.A range of hills in the distance must be captured in one brush stroke.Clumps of trees must be treated as masses and put down in theirrespective correct tones. Of course, some definition will have to beadded so that the mass will have meaning, but these additions will notbe so much painting as drawing with the brush....We must make gooduse of the paper itself and try to lay our washes on it only once, whichmakes for luminosity.”

Wesson himself had to learn these lessons the hard way. A book onhis work contains one of his early paintings, which is overworked,muddy and clumsily executed. What a contrast with his later work!Seeing the early efforts of some of the masters of watercolour givesus hope that one day we too will master this elusive medium.

For the lakereflections, aftermasking out thefine lines wherethe light reflectsoff the water,colour was placedinto this wettedarea to reflect theimages of thepoplars and landscape above.Brian impressed on us the ability to work to a strategy in the paintingof a large picture, which is an impression of shapes, and to simplifythese shapes, giving entertainment within the shape. He stressedthat our painting would benefit if thought is given to the design. Thankyou Brian, this was an instructive and enjoyable workshop, whichproduced the loveliest of paintings.

• Wayne Kelsall • Helen Morrah • Margaret Knight• Claudia J. Mercer • Mary Thomson • Betty Oakes

• Ian Hulston • Debbie Hulston • Brian Baxter• Chantel Delannay-Viallis • Margaret Wickens

• Rob King • Anne Stark • Sue Wickison

Blythborough Church Suffolk

Walberswick

Welcome to new members..

An English Watercolourist...

What’s been happening...

the Spring Festival in Wellington. This exhibition, which is beinghosted by Charles Chauvel, will dovetail with our Diamond Jubilee‘Splash’ at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, and give usmore publicity.

Viewing: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday between 10am - 3pmor by appointment with Michelle Janse.

Jeanne Macaskill’s 1 Day Workshop“Understanding Some Aspects of Contemporary Art” - $70

Sunday, 14 October, 9.30am - 4pmFor the curious-minded this will be a simple workshop about differentaspects of picture making in a more modern style and how worksdone in a contemporary approach can be evaluated. Simple exerciseswill be done throughout the day to help students understand variouschanges that have happened in the 20th century and to come to gripswith some sometimes puzzling questions. The day will finish withsome useful means of evaluating different and unusual work.Bring workbooks or exercisebooks and some small roughbits of paper to experiment on;also three primary colours ofpaint as well as black andwhite and a few brushes. Thistutor loves questions andideas from students and willadapt the course according topeople’s interests. It shouldbe an interesting and funworkshop!

The WNZ committee has an initiative to introduce watercolour toyoung people. The initiative has commenced with Alfred Memelinkconducting a class at Wellington East Girls’ college. He writes...

“I am happy to report back about the first WNZ initiative of introducingwatercolour in schools. My first class, a very good one, took place atWellington East Girls’ College on Wednesday 20th June and consistedof 16 budding artists. They were all very enthusiastic and displayedlots of promising watercolour talent amongst them. Thank you toAndrew Glennie for arranging the sponsorship of the paper throughGordon Harris, the class were very appreciative when they heard this.I handed them all a student discount card and a bundle of spare cardsto the teacher. There was quite a bit of interest in the beginners’watercolour set when I showed the sample so please be prepared forsome enquiries for these.They all thought it was very reasonablypriced. I also introduced them to Watercolour New Zealand andmentioned that this was a WNZ initiative and handed them all a WNZcard to check out the website.

Stan Chan’s 2 Day Workshop“Chinese Brush Painting” - $140.

NEW DATE - Saturday, 17 - 18 November, 9 am - 5 pm• All levels of ability. • Bring your own materials

(list available from Stan Chan or contact Helen Wilson)

All students proudly left with a completed painting and were enthusedto carry on. There were enquiries about ongoing beginner watercolourclasses and they will keep an eye on the WNZ website for this.Hopefully - some up and coming watercolour artists for New Zealandcoming up!”

Feedback from art teacher, Hayley Carlton...“Alfred Memelink offered an introductory watercolour lesson to 16students at Wellington East Girls' College. The course gave studentsan opportunity to learn watercolour techniques in a small and relaxedclass environment. The girls responded well to Alfred's demonstrationand were impressed with his high level of skill. All students wereengaged (you could have heard a pin drop) and they worked hardto listen to Alfred's supportive feedback. The girls were pleased withthe work that they produced and said they thoroughly enjoyed theclass. We were extremely appreciative of the time Alfred spent withus and would love to have him back again in the near future.”

Alfred Memelink at Wellington East Girls’ College

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An opportunity existed for selected artists of Watercolour New Zealandto exhibit in the Bowen Galleries from Monday, 3 September to Friday,5 October.

The Art Coordinator of Parliament, Michelle Janse, requested thatthe theme be gardens and flowers and will occur at the same time as

What’s been happening cont.

Parliament exhibition at Bowen Galleries

Courses and workshops coming up...

Contact Helen Wilson on 479 6882 [email protected]

Both courses - Wellington Art Club, 27 Chelsea Street, Miramar

NB:Check the forecast to decidewhether you need a woolly scarfor a sun hat!

MPG - Monthly Painting GroupCome out on a Sunday morning each month and enjoy outdoor painting inthe good company of our members. A tutor demonstrates at theWellington sessions.

The Wellington group meets at 9.45am and Kapiti meets at 10am. TheWellington session will start with an approx 45min demo, followed by generalpainting, under guidance if required. The sessions arefollowed with lunch at a nearby cafe at approx 12.30pm.

Contact the coordinator Martin Jenkins on 04 4797608/ 027- 6047329 if you are unsure about the weather orlocation. Take Martin’s cell phone number with you touse if you can’t find us. In Wellington look for the standupWatercolour New Zealand flag.

The Kapiti coordinator is Grahame Harris on04 905 1688 or 027 756 8545

Jackie Pearsontutors at Island Bay

on a beautifulSunday

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Phil Dickson tutors atCentral Park on notsuch a beautifulSunday!

KAPITI GROUPTIME: 10 am -12.30 pm, followed by coffee/tea at a cafeCoordinator Grahame Harris, 04 905 1688 or 027 7568545

2nd SeptemberLOCATION: Paremata estuary, north side of bridge,eastlocation. CAFE: Kiosk on the beach.

7th OctoberLOCATION: Otaihanga Domain, meet at boatsheds.CAFE: 180 Degrees

4th NovemberLOCATION: Karehana Bay Plimmerton, meet at carparkat end of road.CAFE: Main Rd, Plimmerton

2nd DecemberLOCATION: Queen Elizabeth Park, meet at the end of theroad, close to beach.Cafe: Lambas Cafe, Raumati South village.

February:LOCATION: Maungakotukutuku Scenic Reserve, meet atthe turn off to the above reserve, east side of Valley Road.(clearly signposted)

WELLINGTON GROUPTIME: 9.45 am -12.30 pm, followed by coffee/tea at a cafe

30th SeptemberLOCATION: Clyde Quay Boat Harbour(Port Nicholson Yacht Club), Oriental ParadeTUTOR: Jacky PearsonCAFE: The Vista

Saturday 20th October from 10am-12 noonLOCATION: Wellington Wharves close to the DiamondJubilee ‘Splash’ Exhibition. UNTUTORED

21st October(note: date chosen to coincide with the last day of theexhibition - therefore not the last Sunday of the month)LOCATION: Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Botanical Gardens,Glenmore Street.TUTOR: Susan Worthington. Subject 'botanical painting'CAFE: Begonia House

25th NovemberLOCATION: ' Zealandia ' (The Karori Sanctuary Experience),Waiapu Road, KaroriTUTOR: Shirley SuttonCAFE: Cafe at Zealandia

What’ s Ahead...