Sunrise over Alexandra

This was the view from my balcony yesterday morning.
It only lasted a few minutes but it did remind me of how
lucky I am to be living in such a striking landscape.

Last week there was a dusting of snow on these hills.

Butterfly

Today I was in the storage department of a little museum here in Alexandra, Central Otago, called 'Central Stories'. The director is an entomologist
so the butterfly collection is strong.


Here are some Red Admirals, in Maori, Kahu Kura meaning red cloak.

The butterflies in the top photo are White Butterlies, commonly called Cabbage Whites because of their predilection for eating cabbages. They were acccidentally introduced into New Zealand about 1930.

Most moving of all were these specimens collected by a soldier fighting in the Solomon Islands in World War Two, still, through careful storage, in remarkably good condition.

Stations of the Cross

Recently I was invited to take part in an exhibition based on the Stations of the Cross.
Surprisingly perhaps I said yes. I was brought up a Catholic but am no longer a Christian.

The exhibition will be on at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Shortland Street in Auckland.

Fourteen artists have been invited to take part in this show. I was given station number 12, the Death of Christ. I know that in this photo, Trinity, I have interpreted it rather liberally.

This image will soon be printed up in an edition of 15. Any enquiries about this can be addressed to Paul McNamara.

Meanwhile, this image, Whitebait, which I posted a couple of weeks ago, is now about 2 weeks from being available, again in an edition of 15. 4 prints have now gone.

Tecomanthe in Christchurch

Tecomanthe is the name of the flower in this photo, a photo from a couple of years ago. The actual print that I made, in an edition of 15, is not very large, a large hand would cover it.

Tecomanthe, the plant has an interesting history. It was discovered in 1946 on Three Kings island off the northern tip of New Zealand. A rambling climber, the botanists on the expedition found only one specimen. The island's vegetation had been badly knocked around by goats that had been released there as food for future shipwrecked sailors. They have been exterminated.

I have heard reports that the original plant is now not in great health, ironically, suffering from the shade of the regenerating forest. Fortunately the plant has now become popular in gardens in the warmer parts of New Zealand.

In conjunction with the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth and the Parks Department there, last year we had this large version of Tecomanthe made and put up on a wall in the main street.


Recently, after several months, it was taken down. Now another one has gone up in the foyer of the Christchurch Art Gallery.

This Sunday at 2 pm, at the Christchurch Art Gallery, I will be giving a talk about my recent work.

Travel Tales

A snap I took on the journey south. The ferry sailing was 'cancelled owing to technical difficulties'. Handy phrase I thought. (A friend says that he uses it with his girlfriends) I decided to be philosophical about the delay, after all it gave me extra time in Wellington.

There were further travel surprises in store for me though, half way across the Haast Pass, in what must be one of the most remote parts of New Zealand the automatic transmission in my car started to falter, second gear failing to engage. Heart in mouth I managed to make Lake Hawea, limped on to Wanaka, then Cromwell and eventually to Alexandra. Since then my car has been in a garage that specialises in transmissions. Hopefully tomorrow I will have it back but I'm not too confident. To go to Invercargill I had to rent a car for the weekend.

On Friday I bought a good secondhand mountain bike. This is a popular area for mountain biking and it seems a shame not to take advantage of that. I haven't had a bike for decades, certainly not a modern one like this which has something like 27 gears. From memory my last bike didn't have any gears, I remember when bikes with 3 gears came in. These new gear systems take some getting used to. At present I've only got as far as wobbling my way around the 3 and a half acres of this property but I am about to hit the beautiful river trail to Clyde which runs alongside this house.

A Day at the Races

Last Saturday I drove the two and a half hour trip south to Invercargill where, last year, I was artist-in-residence for 4 months. I had to go there because it was a good friend's 50th birthday party, I had to pack up some of my belongings and hand over the keys of the William Hodges residency where until the end of November I had been living, and on Sunday I hoped to go for a flight in an historic aircraft before returning to Central Otago. The wild weather prevented this last option.

The birthday was held in the Fantasy Room at the racecourse, a room directly over the birdcage and the finish line. The Fantasy was a famous Southland racehorse so don't get the wrong idea. The party started at 12.30 pm. I was there shortly after. I am always punctual, although I tell people that it is because I don't like to miss out on anything.

First surprise was the woodchopping competition taking place near the carpark. Here are some women competing for the underhand chop. I was impressed. Slamming a razor sharp axe hard down between your feet is not for the fainthearted.

Inside, in the first race that I saw a magnificent beast, ironically called Ultimate High, crossing the finish line, with one of its four legs all awry, sort of flapping. Soon after an ambulance pulled up in front of him (?) and it wasn't long before with the help of a vet, his inert body, covered with tarpaulins or some modern version, lay over his body, except for the offending leg sticking out.

Four or five races into the afternoon, during one of the breaks, there was a lingerie parade! So sorry that I didn't take any photos of this guys. I was too busy looking perhaps.

So, wine, death, sex. I felt as if I was a Roman at the Colliseum.

Cromwell

The local shops. This really is semidesert here. It would not surprise me to see a stagecoach go by with whooping Indians in pursuit. This is like the landscape of the American movies that I was brought up on every Saturday night at Ohaeawai Hall, in deepest postwar Northland. This scenery and architecture feels so familiar.

Hung out my washing this morning, sat down, flicked through the Sunday Star Times, did some much needed tidying up, and helped by the dry 32 degree wind, was able to bring my washing in, not only dry but sort of stiff and crunchy.

Settling in here is progressing, although of course there are always problems associated with travel. It takes time and patience to settle in to a new home.

Alexandra Again

Yesterday I made a posting about the views from my new home.

Here are some more details. Firstly, a rather rough image from a book published about my work published in Germany about 10 years ago. I laid this book on the concrete outside the kitchen door. This image is of the Alexandra Clock and I took it in 1988. Don't particularly like the word 'took'.

Below is a picture of the Laurence Aberhart photo that I mentioned. It is cropped. The right and left hand sides have been shaved off.

A View from the House

Here is a view from my balcony over the township and the new bridge in Alexandra.
On the hill in the background, tiny and rather indistinct is their famous clock. I'll photograph this again I'm sure, and put it on this site.

Just visible is the Clutha, one of the biggest rivers in New Zealand, reaching the sea at Balclutha on the east coast, just below Dunedin.

Behind and under the new 1958 bridge is a pylon from the original one built in 1882. Laurence Aberhart photographed this, in fact it's on the cover of the latest Auckland Art Gallery publication, On Show.

Below is a photograph of the architect of this house, taken about 3 years before he came to Alexandra by bus to undertake this commission.

This is a catalogue from a Plischke exhibition at the City Gallery in Wellington
in 2004.

Henderson House, Alexandra

This is my home for the next year. It's a house designed by Austrian architect Ernst Plischke, in 1950. A couple from Alexandra, here in Central Otago, Russell & Barbara Henderson, commissioned him to design them this home on some land over the river, the mighty Clutha, overlooking the town.

Russell Henderson died in 1998 and Barbara Henderson is now in a rest home nearby. Every Tuesday she visits her studio that she maintains in a separate building on the three acres that this house sits on.

Philanthropists, they set up a trust so that this house can be used by artists who would like to come to live here for a specified period of time. There are no limits on media. The first resident was Vincent O'Sulllivan, writer. I am the second.

This residency cannot be applied for. It is offered along with a generous allowance.

Plischke lived in New Zealand from 1939 until 1963 when he returned to Austria. He died in 1992.

The house is made from stone that was cut from the site. The louvres visible in the photo help with ventilation, very necessary in Central Otago which has the highest (and the lowest) temperatures in New Zealand.

Antlers

On the West Coast, near Franz Josef Glacier I came across this impressive
arch made of deer antlers. It spanned some gates.

Below are some drawings showing different sorts of antlers. Whenever I am in
Fiordland, which has been quite often over the last few months, I
hope that it is true that there are still some survivors of the 10 Canadian moose that were released there in 1910. Recent dna analysis of hair found caught in branches in 2002 looks promising. A moose cow was shot by a hunter in 1951. He was subsequently remorseful.

Southern Studies

Today I was in Invercargill, at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery.
It was quite a big moment for me because I have an exhibition of 31 photos there at present. I hadn't seen the show before and there was no opening. The show began on Jan 8th and is on until March 2nd.

I've had minimal contact with the gallery lately, largely because the four staff members who I usually dealt with have all recently left, nothing to do with me I hasten to add. I hadn't seen any installation shots so I was rather apprehensive when I walked in. In fact I had to take a friend. The last time I saw the show was when it was laid out on the floor of my New Plymouth studio.

The room had a number of visitors who seemed to be quite absorbed in looking at the photos which I took to be a good sign however I was worried that I would overhear some derogatory remarks so I had to force myself to stay as long as I did. I don't find it easy being so exposed to the public, in that way I'm in the wrong job.

Eventually I did lose my nerve and just before bolting I grabbed this image as quickly as I could before I got out of there. Unfortunately I must, in my haste, have moved the camera. I can see camera shake.

I'd love to be able to direct you to their website but it is only half a page long and alas, makes no mention of my show at all!

Inadequate websites are not uncommon among galleries in New Zealand but most surprising example is the Govett-Brewster in New Plymouth. Even though they claim to be a contemporary art gallery, in fact the 'leading contemporary museum in the country' and liberally use words like 'groundbreaking' they have a site that is bordering on being woefully unpleasant to navigate. Try it for yourself.

Te Papa

At present it is Te Papa's 10th birthday. While leaving Wellington
on a ferry a few days ago I saw this view of it. I realised that
I hadn't seen any photos of it from the sea for a long time, maybe 10
years. Now I see why. (click on the image to see a larger view)

While I have heard the front view described as that of a 'Russian polytech' this view
reminded of my backyard. Sydney Opera House it is not.

Ten Minutes from Home

Last Sunday I left New Plymouth heading for the ferry to cross Cook Strait.

Ten minutes south I stopped at a technology museum to photograph
this classic roller. It was raining hence the fuzz.

Another 20 or so minutes south, at Stratford I had to stop again to photograph the fire engine, sitting on top of a toy museum. I did u turns for both of them. Still, I thought that I was on a roll. It seemed a good sign.

I saw two more photos between New Plymouth and Wellington but both times the traffic was fierce and I was on the wrong side of the road. I didn't turn around on those occasions because I was concerned about getting to the ferry on time. Still I've made a mental note of their whereabouts.

Southward Bound

Today I drove from Greymouth to Alexandra in Central Otago. Including a couple of
stops for fuel and food, plus 3 times when I took my camera out, it took me 9 hours.

The last time that I went over the Haast Pass, as I did today, was about 20 years ago. I also took a photograph of this scene on that occasion but I was using a square format Rolleiflex that did not have a telephoto lens. I prefer the version that I took today.

If I was to print this up for my wall I would increase the contrast slightly.

Exhibition at Southland Museum & Art Gallery

Until March 2nd I have an exhibition of 31 photos that I took during
the 4 months that I was the William Hodges Fellow in Invercargill.

None of the photos have yet been printed up in editions and made available for sale.
However, Whitebait, the one above will be printed soon. Any enquiries about it
can be directed to Paul McNamara. It will be a silver gelatin print, about 300 mm square, in an edition of 15 one of which has been sold. (9/02/08)

I have been asked how took this photo. I went whitebaiting and these unfortunate creatures were emptied into a plastic bucket. The bottom of the bucket formed the circle in the photo. The light on the bottom right was a result of the sun striking the outside of the bucket at that point.

On the Road Again

At last I am nearly ready to take to the road. On Sunday I leave New Plymouth and on Monday I will be on the ferry crossing Cook Strait. I even got a discount because I am now a pensioner!

From now on I hope to be making postings more regularly. This 2 months back in New Plymouth has been a strange time. I have been very distracted and have barely picked up a camera. It is in such contrast to the previous 4 months when I was was in Invercargill and which turned out to be one of the most fruitful photographic periods of my life.

I ask myself what happened when I returned because it is important that I understand. Firstly I arrived back with a bad flu which seemed to carry on right into December, through all this I struggled to get together 31 prints that I needed for a show at the Southland Museum & Art Gallery, opening right at the beginning of January. This was not my choice of a date but I decided to go with it because it wanted to get that project behind me. These 31 were photos that I took while artist in residence there. I desperately wanted to go into the New Year without too much drag from unfinished projects.

I was also very busy with getting together my choice of 80 photos to use as the core of a book to be published in September. Orchestrating these was a big task but a very important one. No sooner was I getting on top of that than I developed a bad case of blood poisoning. I am still on antibiotics and they make me feel a bit strange in the head.

Another major task over this month has been making the switch from PC to Mac. In September I bought my first Mac, a 13 inch screened Macbook. Three weeks ago I bought a 24 inch iMac as well. I want to become a power user. In the past I have been operating my PC in rather a basic way and it has been costing me a lot of time not to say psychic wear and tear.

Every day I have been spending time learning how to operate a Mac. They are very different machines. There are marvelous online tutorials, some of them in video form.

I have an iPod as well and am now learning how to operate that in a way that gives me maximum benefit eg by downloading books for me to listen to when I am travelling which I'm mostly doing on my own.

So there we have it. Flu, show, book, Mac, blood poisoning. That will be some explanation as to why I've not been photographing or blogging. I've been rather weary as well, still had no holiday for a very long time.

There may be other reasons however. Invercargill is as far away from the art scene in New Zealand as is possible to get unless I travelled another 20 minutes and moved to Bluff. I think that this helped my work to be on the fringe. In many ways the art world is a distraction for me, certainly on many occasions an aggravation. It doesn't seem to a source of nourishment alas. I hope that this may change.

Alexandre Hogue 1898-1994

There is quite a bit of publicity about Rita Angus at present because this year, being the centenary of her birth, Te Papa are publishing a biography and staging a large exhibition with a substantial catalogue.

Once I owned a Rita Angus landscape painting, although it was one which it seemed she had gone back to at some later stage and made some alterations, to the detriment of the work. There was definitely an area along the bottom that looked different.

Subsequently, I sold the painting to help subsidise my own work. I don't know where it is now.

It was a surprise to me many years later when, at the National Museum of American Art, in Washington DC, I walked into a room and there were walls covered with paintings that bore a close resemblance to hers. They had been painted by Alexandre Hogue, at the time, still alive and living in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I had not realised until that moment just how much her approach was part of an international style. It was an education for me.

South Island Bound

I am quite busy because I'm getting ready to move back to the South Island
for a year.

Here is a recently restored engine on the site of what was the New Plymouth railway
station. The carriages were very full.