Dunedin based artist and Diploma of Art and Creativity (Honours) student Pete Keane is going animal.  ‘Pete Goes Animal’ is the name of one of his upcoming exhibitions planned for May/June this year at South Seas Gallery, Brighton, on the coast just south of Dunedin.

If you want a sneak preview of Pete Keane’s work then he has a group exhibition coming sooner, at Cafe Rue – ‘South Seas Gallery Comes To Cafe Rue’ starts on May 4th until May 30 with works by Janet Weir, Olly Crooks and Peter Keane. Another exhibition ‘Can We Come to the Policeman’s Ball?’ is planned for late in the year. Whew! Pete is a busy man.

No animals will be injured or harmed in any way in preparing for the animal show but some may be embarrassed if they see themselves the way Pete does. 
He has completed half of the 15 paintings and says he’s excited about ‘exposing’ himself to people of the south. Pete has returned to the South after 38 years living in the North Island.

Maadonna

We asked Pete some questions about his exhibitions, his artwork and his creative journey:

What have you got in store for us at your exhibitions?

A good question. Well I like to have fun and paint with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek so you can expect to be amused, you can expect to ask questions about what you see and you can expect to see unique and original work.

Mitre10

What inspired the animal exhibition? How did you set it up?

Poverty inspired me. I have been recovering from an illness and an injury which have left me with few options other than re-invent myself as an artist. Through an association with my good friend and mentor Janet Weir at South Seas Gallery in Brighton, Dunedin, the idea of my own exhibition took shape. Janet suggested at least 15 works would be required. I will fund the advertising and spend two weeks promoting the exhibition. The gallery is a wonderful space to exhibit art.

The Whanau

Is exhibiting a new experience for you?

No. Perhaps I have always been an exhibitionist, although I would describe myself as an introverted extrovert. I understand that people like to be informed and entertained. I have had work displayed and sold at a number of North Island galleries as well as selling my work through the Affordable Art Show.

The Three Amigos

Could you tell us a little bit about your creative process? How are you creating the work?

I always have ideas but not all are suitable for painting for a number of reasons. Just because an idea is great the actual depiction of the idea – translating it into pigment on a surface can be difficult. I draw my ideas and narrate the images in a visual diary. I sit in Strictly Coffee, a Dunedin café, and work away in a corner usually in ink pen whilst the staff keep me topped up with caffeine.

I first have a theme. In this case, ‘Pete Goes Animal’, and then develop a series of drawings around the theme. I enjoy painting most things but I seem to be able to paint animals easily.  I take the drawings and enlarge them on my copier and then use them as a guide to the work. A Resene paint swatch helps me to decide colours in the drawing stages and I mix paint accordingly when painting.

Biodiversity

How has studying helped with getting your creative juices flowing?

TLC’s holistic approach to developing the creative process is fabulous. I decided to finish my diploma to give myself a huge kick up the backside, you know to ‘walk the talk’ so to speak. And through the mentorship of Kat who is firm but gentle (ha) I have travelled towards my goal. I reckon if you don’t draw and paint most days then you are just poking this whole thing with a stick really.

Pete’s work will be on show at the South Sea Gallery from May 4th.
1088 Brighton Road, Brighton, Dunedin.
The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays 1 until 5pm.

Last term’s music video block class, tutored by Kate Logan, brought together a team of students with one goal -- to make a music video.

Students worked with a music track and concept by Wellington musician Little Bark. Each student took on a role in the crew, from directing to gaffing to art direction. After a day’s planning and a day’s shooting students began editing. Each student edited a scene and at the end they put everything together into a single video. This was quite an achievement for a weeks’ work. Many students hadn’t edited on a computer before, some hadn’t even made a video.

We’ve popped the final music video up on YouTube to share it with you all, enjoy!

You can find out more about TLC’s video classes here.

Puppetry in action

Planning the shots

Alan production managing

Lunch!!!

Just a reminder that applications for the NZ Art Show are drawing to a close – SAW applications close next week, April 30th. Applications for the General Exhibition close May 15th.

If you have applied for the show via our website but you have not received confirmation from us, please contact us immediately - registration@artshow.co.nz or 04 387 4370.

We have been having a few issues with our on-line registrations and want to ensure that all applications have been correctly received.

Attached is an application pack – it might be easier for you to print it out and post it to us.

Please visit our website for more details about this year’s show – www.artshow.co.nz

PO Box 11679
Wellington

July 30th – August 1st, 2010    TSB Bank Arena, Queens Wharf, WELLINGTON

Formerly The New Zealand Affordable Art Show, the Tustees have decided that the show will now be called THE NEW ZEALAND ART SHOW for future years. The concept will remain the same and the objectives of the Trust are unchanged.

This Thursday at 12.30 in the Certificate room on the ground floor.

TLC Campus, 182 Eastern Hutt Road, Taita, Hutt City.

Jude Nye will be coming to talk to staff and students about the Artists Alliance tertiary membership, and to share tips and ideas for life after TLC. Spread the word amongst TLC students.

http://www.artistsalliance.org.nz/

http://www.pinholeday.org/

By Desiree Phillipps

This Stones in the Sea is an outside installation work  whose primary appreciation was timetravel. The travelling didn’t involve a fancy machine just the giant slowness of geographical changes in the land. I wanted to make a whole lot of stones with the date on them and maybe my name and take a journey on the ferry to toss them in the channel between the north and south islands. I found it exciting that someone may find them and puzzle over their origin just like I would puzzle over the finders. We would be apart but together connected by a little piece of stone with some symbols stamped in them. I grandly thought it could have significance in their time like the Rosetta stone.

Then I decided that it would be fun to be contacted within my lifetime and I threw a whole bunch of stones into Lyall Bay with the name of Lyall Bay, the project name Stones in the Sea and the word facebook. I then set up a page on facebook when people could upload photos of their stones and write about it. I got a reply and the audience was excited. The next project occurred when my friend nearly died and during the time of recovery in hospital I made the stones and stamped desiree loves warren. These I then threw in Lyall Bay. The next project was to deposit 20 stones in the 20 bays around wellington. Then Stones in the Sea proudly got a commission to commerate the death of a loved one.

Stones in the sea has many applications: time travelling, remembrance, advertising, spiritual, expression of grief and archaeological hookum. May you find some in the bays around Wellington harbour.

See the comments from people who have found stones and become a facebook fan of ‘Stones in the Sea’ here.

Sophia Elise is planning an art exhibition and silent auction to raise funds for a local charity The Lonely Miaow- (www.lonelymiaow.co.nz) which rescues stray cats and kittens in Auckland and finds adoptive homes for them.

There are a lot of stray, dumped and badly neglected cats and kittens in this city and it would be great to do something to help this charity which struggles to keep up – I think this event could raise a few thousand dollars for them.

It will be on at the Depot Artspace in April, with the opening on the 17th at 2pm.

So if you feel like donating work to help this fabulous charity, or can help in some other way, Let her know!

Ypu can get in touch with her via Facebook.

Erika Gajdocsi (formerly Sefton) is an emerging artist. She completed an Advanced Diploma in Art & Creativity (Level 7) at The Learning Connexion in Wellington. Erika enjoys exploring process and materiality. In this series of work, the colour white is being investigated together with the round and rectangular shapes. Connection is made between the shapes by colourful pins enhancing the purity and cleanliness of white. Simplicity is the key element. By keeping this series pure and simple, the viewer should feel balanced and connected and may realise that simplicity is calming and powerful at the same time.

Lake House Art Centre            4—22 May 2010

37 Fred Thomas Drive, Barry’s Point Reserve

Takapuna, North Shore City

Tuesday – Friday 10.00 – 4.00

Saturday & Sunday 10.00 – 3.00

Jim Yellowhawk is a Lakota artist and performer who has been recognised internationally. He works in a variety of media, often using found objects in combination with painted and drawn images of his relatives and family. He celebrates the place of Native People and also questions issues from the past. His wife Ruth Yellowhawk is Wyandot/German. She is a writer, audio producer and co-director of the Indigenous Issues Forums, which works to help families and communities work through complex issues, using art to unify.

Along with their son Gabe, they are spending six months in New Zealand, paying respects to the land and meeting new friends. The Learning Connexion was privileged to have Jim and Gabe Yellowhawk perform at our Festival of Art and Creativity on Saturday the 6th of March, 2010. TLC interviewed them on camera and found out about their stories and background.

For more about the Yellowhawk family click here