Break for Lyttelton artists

Press, 24 April 1979, Page 10

Break for Lyttelton artists

Two Lyttelton artists, David Ashleigh and Jim Roberts, will have an exhibition early next year in one of the most exclusive shops in Australia, Georges, in Melbourne.

Mr Ashleigh, a potter, painter, and sculpter, and Mr Roberts, who carves the pottery and does pen-and-ink drawings, have just returned from Melbourne, where they have been “sizing up” the Australian market for their work. As well as the exhibition at Georges, three other smaller galleries were interested in their work, said Mr Roberts.

Before last Christmas ar Melbourne art collector, Mr i Desmond Hanscombe, and his wife bought two of Mr: Roberts’s pen and ink drawings from the two artists’ . shop at Lyttelton. Impressed by their work, Mr Hanscombe said that he would investigate possible; outlets for their work in Melbourne. Messrs Ashleigh and 1 Roberts admit that they were 1 sceptical and so they were surprised when a letter arrived asking for photographs I of some sculptures. A few weeks later Hr Hanscombe telephoned, said that. some galleries were inter- ■ ested, and asked the artists

■ if they could come to Australia before Easter. They took with them two sculptures, “The Bearded Man” and “Art Nouveau Lady.” They also took three hand-carved pots and a handpainted pof. The offers of exhibitions and sales followed. The two artists have now applied for a grant from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council to support them through the year as they work on the pieces that will be displayed at the exhibition. While in Melbourne Mr Ashleigh found a person who will cast his sculptures in bronze. But that will cost

[about $lOO a statue. Then 'there is the cost of the marble bases that each sculpture will be mounted on and 'the frames for Mr Roberts’s ' drawings. : Mr Ashleigh hopes to coma plete about 30 different sculptures for the exhibition. But only six of each will be cast in bronze: after nine copies of one design, a work is classed as mass produced, he says.

Mr Roberts intends to complete the same number of pen-and-ink drawings and both will work on a similar number of carved pots.

The bronze statues are expected to sell for up to $6OO. Mr Robert has been commissioned to do some drawings for $350 each. The exhibition will be held in a new complex, the Jam Factory, which Georges is opening in September in Toorak Village, a Melbourne version of The Rocks, in Sydney.

Mr Roberts said that people in Melbourne had been very enthusiastic and encouraging and had made it very tempting to shift to Australia. However, they felt there was "some sort of glamour” in selling their work from Lyttelton. Apart from the larger market, attitudes to art were also different in Australia.

Many people there bought heavy bronze pieces for their homes whereas in New Zealand people looked at such works only in a museum.