saw these sheep. They reminded me of Canterbury Landscape, a photo that I took in 2004.
Stoney is often spelt Stony, even on the island. I prefer the look of Stoney. I need Max Cryer!
Batter I have looked up in my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Shorter meaning two big volumes with lots of detail.
Often over the last few years in art galleries we have seen video works on display. Until the advent of sites such as YouTube and Googlevideo on the internet, apart from art galleries, there weren’t many venues to display any videos that were not completely mainstream. Television stations rarely allowed room in their programming.
Now however, everything has quite suddenly changed. Now we have the internet providing venues for all sorts of video material, some taken by camphones.
Here is a cheery Japanese example, which while it is of rather low resolution, does remind me of works that have been showing in art galleries for some time. I don’t know any background to who did this work, except that I’m fairly sure that I saw an earlier version some months ago. I enjoy its lighthearted approach, a sort of fun day at the office.
Pine
Anyone interested in purchasing a framed Pine, please phone me at 021669879. Delivery this week could be overnight.
Tamarin
There is a successful breeding colony of these tiny monkeys here in a zoo in New Plymouth.
It is possible for humans to enter their tree-filled cage so that there is nothing between the tamarin and the human observer. I’m interested in doing a serious portrait of one, but so far this is as good as I have been able to manage. I’ve been back many times with my camera but still have not managed to improve on this. The zoo is a few minutes walk from my home, and it’s a council run, free entry zoo so I will keep trying. There are some photos eg portraits of tadpoles, that I have been working on for many years. I would also like to do a portrait of a slug.
de Havilland Vampire
In New Plymouth we are lucky because there are two of these jets in flying condition and often in fine weather only of course , they are to be seen swooping through the sky. I am doubly lucky because I know a pilot who flies them and he has introduced me to the man who owns both aircraft. The second one he recently picked up in Switzerland. It’s ex-Swiss Airforce.
These planes mean a great deal to me, not only because they were part of my boyhood when the RNZAF flew some, but because I always get a thrill out of seeing elegant engineering. When there is such a pure blend of form and function, of such clarity of design, I feel in the presence of sculpture.
So reliable were these planes, and so smooth to fly, that the RNZAF never lost a single one. There were about 4,400 built of which more than 80 are still flying. Anyone visiting the Ohakea Airforce Museum can see a slightly dissected one. Two things are surprising. How little they are, and how much of the body is made of laminated wood.
You can view my current exhibition at the McNamara Gallery or you can listen to my recent interview on Radio NZ.
After my interview on Radio NZ, David Eggleton talked about his new book Into The Light; a History of New Zealand Photography.
Wanganui Opening.
Don’t recognise who this group is on the left, apart from seeing the corner of my head.The trio on the the right are however, Paula Frost, Jan Bieringa and Peter Simpson.
Wanganui exhibition.
I returned Sunday afternoon from an exhibition at the McNamara Gallery in Wanganui. Here are three snaps taken by Luit Bieringa, who very kindly sent them on to me last night. Personally I felt that it was the crispest exhibition that I’ve ever had.
There was a lovely group of people there, thirty at the most, but several drove the two hours from New Plymouth, one flew from Auckland, and others came by car from Wellington.