Little Tawa and the Godwits

  In 1865 there was working in the Tauranga court-house, a short little clerk named Gilbert Mair. He could speak Maori fluently and so was also the local interpreter.  He was a cobby athletic type, a skilled bush-man, and a keen observer of the birds of the forest and the shore.

     On one of his days off, Gilbert took his fowling-piece (shotgun) and went up to the local cemetery which was on a hill overlooking the estuary.  It was high-tide and all the godwits and other waders were massed in their thousands on the small amounts of sand-bar still exposed.  Quietly he slipped down to the water nearby,  stripped off and gathering an amount of kelp around him, slowly, slowly moved out into the water, wading as near as he could to where the birds were dozing and preening, awaiting the receding of the tide.  He knew he would only get one shot as the noise would scatter all the birds far and wide across the harbour.  But one shot was enough:  "BLAAAAMM!!" The sound would have echoed across the water and clear to the extinct volcano the local Maori called 'Mauao'.  When the smoke cleared there were 98 godwits either dead or fluttering helplessly in the water, ready for him to gather up.

  

In the Downtown Studio, Kate is currently working on this art work about the above story. 

It is hard to miss, at 1.5 metres x 1 metre, and she is using acrylic on stretched canvas.  

Some extra information:  'Tawa' is the name that the Maori gave to Gilbert Mair.  He went on to be one of the most colourful characters in New Zealand history.

You can read more about Gilbert Mair here - things of which he was probably a lot more proud.

Number through the door today:  106 (!)

Wendy's Eyes

Here are close-ups of some of the eyes Wendy's been painting on her mannequin.  They vary in size, and now there are a reasonable number of them, the whole effect is beginning to look quite striking.  

There were fewer people through the doors today, Christmas Eve, because those that are in town are mostly looking rather harassed!  I suppose they have to find those last-minute presents and have no time to linger.  But among the 40 or so, we did meet a sign-writer/ artist, a teacher and her very imaginative little son; and a man who was very interested in seeing Kate's upcoming "Godwit Series" exhibition.

Oil painting commissions

        
Kate is especially happy today because she has finished a tricky little oil-painting.  It is a commission, along with another, for her dear German family who recently visited New Zealand.  They didn't manage to see much of the Coromandel Peninsula, and so wanted paintings of that kind of scenery to tempt them to come back.

The painting was tricky because the subject is back-lit, and so the edges of the pohutukawa trees near the direction of the sun, are an odd colour.  The road sign as a focal point is an idea she says she has the courage to use because of an example of another artist; James Gurney on his blog.  (By the way, you should check this guy out - he is very generous with tips and information).

Here is a view of the same general area.  Each of these are quite small - about 30 cm x 20 cm. (12 ins x 8 ins), and she used oils.  When they are completely dry (2 - 3 months) she will varnish them and send them off.

Get an Eye-full at the Downtown Studio.

Wendy's mannequin is attracting a lot of attention as the number of eyes she has painted continues to grow and spread across its body.  Children are especially fascinated and one group of visitors spent some time trying to identify each animal.  They did quite well, and even managed to pick out the long-lashed horse's eye.  

Today she added a wrinkly olive-green crocodile eye to the side of the head. 

Visitor count today : 85 

Week two

Well, it's the beginning of another week at the downtown open studio.  We are still having such a great time and meeting such a lot of wonderful people!  

When Wendy and I accepted Creative Tauranga's invitation to occupy this space, we didn't really know what to expect, but figured that at the very least we'd have the chance to have a studio away from the distractions of home, and would get some painting and art-making done.  We had no idea that we'd be having a constant stream of visitors come in to look at our work, ask us questions and generally engage us in art-y ideas and concerns.  It really has been marvelous and a very valuable opportunity for us to make contacts, be immersed in, and learn about the art world.

On the first day, a week ago, we had about twenty-five come through the door.  This number has been steadily increasing until today we counted 74 over the threshold!  We've enjoyed chewing the fat with fellow artists, both student and established, shy and forthcoming.  We have met a lady who is a member of a local Art Investment group, and a local town councillor called in today.  We have been honoured with a visit from a well-known art collector, and lots of people passing just call in to take a break from the hot noisy streets and the bustle of their Christmas shopping.  

Today Wendy placed her amazing funky 'egg' near the front door, and that literally stopped people in their tracks.  Children and adults alike found it fascinating to touch and examine the tiny mother-board (computer) tiles that cover this large egg.

Opening Day

Well, what a great day today was! Our first day in the downtown studio.  We had lots of visitors; fellow artists, local retailers introducing themselves, curious passers-by, and all kinds of people who just saw us working and popped in to find out what we were doing.  Even some unusual people we'd never have met otherwise, like the Italian man who had just nipped over to NZ for three days after visiting his son on the 'GoldaCosta' and told us all about his little village south of Milano and called us 'due pittori' (two lady painters).  Fantastic.  Lots of good art talk!

The time just flew by and by 6 pm, it only seemed two hours, not seven.  I even got a small painting (a rooster, done in an 'art nouveau' stye) done from start to finish and Wendy, as usual full of surprises, was painting wonderful animal eyes on a fashion mannequin.

And tomorrow we can go back and do it all over again.  Yay!

Working Studio opens soon

Wendy (left) and Kate.

On Monday 13th December at 11am the doors open on a new idea for Tauranga.

On Willow Street, next to Creative Tauranga, we begin work in our new art studio space.
We will be painting and assembling, exploring and sketching, mixing paints and washing brushes and generally doing those sort of art-y things that artists usually do behind closed studio doors.

We invite the public to come and visit us to watch and talk.
We welcome questions and comments,  discussions and opinions, and hope you'll call in soon.
There may be completed art works for you to look at too.

We will be open from 11am to 6pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays inclusive.
Sundays and Mondays we will be closed.

Kate Steeds
Wendy Pedersen.
 

Next post:  A bit about what we do and how we work.