Forest has the Blues is an ecologically themed group project, initiated by Celia Walker.
Last year we exhibited a large scale print installation and accompanying exhibition of works
at the Depot Artspace in Devonport, followed by a smaller installation at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. To view earlier posts click on the "Forest has the Blues" link in the right hand column under "Exhibitions". To specifically view our installation at the Depot Artspace including closeups of our exhibition works click HERE.
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| Forest has the Blues, 2018, Depot Artspace, Auckland. |
This year we are presenting a new version of our "forest" in the Steel Gallery at Franklin Arts Centre, Pukekohe. This time we are going even bigger with 2 large installation components plus an exhibition of individual works by the seven participating artists Celia Walker, Toni Hartill, Elle Anderson, Nicola Ov, Kheang Ov, Esther Hansen and Rachel Schanzer (plus some of Ina Arraoui's installation works from last year as she is currently overseas). This year we are also including 2 groups of senior students, one from Pukekohe High School and the other from Westlake Girls High School. The students are using their involvement to contribute towards credits for their NCEA assessments.
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| NZ Kauri snails, mothplant and misc monoprints by Toni Hartill |
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| NZ Clematis by Toni Hartill |
Aside from a large amount of work I will contribute to the installation, my contribution to the exhibition this year will include quite a substantial body of work I have gathered together over the past year, all again themed on the disappearance of the once mighty Kahikatea forests of New Zealand, particularly of the Northland and Waikato regions. I will be exhibiting a new series of multi-layered works which include lino printing, monoprinting and stitching. These works are similar to ones that I presented at last year's exhibition and which proved to be so popular - a great relief as they are/were of an entirely experimental nature and not the usual way in which printmaking is presented! Thankfully this didn't seem to put people off, in fact all but one of my works from last year sold. One purchaser even went so far as to have one of the large multi-layered panels beautifully framed.
I will also have the opportunity to exhibit some of my artists books, again themed closely to the disappearance of the Kahikatea forests. This is a part of New Zealand's history I never really knew about until I began researching for this exhibition last year and it is now very embedded in my heart as one of the many great tragedies of our natural environment.
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| "Once a Grand & Nobel Forest..." artist book by Toni Hartill |
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| "Imagined Journeys through lost landscapes I, II, III" artists books by Toni Hartill |
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| "A Buttery Demise" artist book by Toni Hartill |
Forest has the Blues
opens at Franklin Arts Centre,
Pukekohe
Saturday 20th July, 10.30am.
Artists' talk:
Participating artists will be doing
an artists' talk in the gallery at 11.15am
to discuss some of the processes
used in creating this enormous body of work.
All welcome!
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by following our facebook page
Thanks for visiting!
