EXHIBITION OF ART

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 45, 9 March 1937, Page 6

EXHIBITION OF ART

Miss C. Watkins's Water Colours HISTORICAL SKETCHES People who have an eye for colooir will be charmed with the exMbition of water colours by Miss C. Watkins in the Hawke 's Bay Farmers ' tearooms. Miss Watkins xevels in. colour and is not afraid.to. portray it.-. She. also believes with Ruskin that landscape without water is like the human. face without the eye. The vivid colour , of the rata against. the deep "blues and greens of the sea can only be captured by a real aTtist. * ' Miss Watkins received her first teaching in art at Woodford House, before Miss Hodge took the school to Havelock, arid afterwards ' became a willing and brilliant pupil of her uncle whose - pictriros of JN ew -'Zealand ' bush are eo. well known. Orie has. only to be in the room a few minutes before the atmosphere is eensed in which Miss Watkins lives — -her.intense love of the bush, her sympathy .. with the sea, her response to colour in sky and sea and vegetation. Some, of the sketches are of historic interest:— The First, Lan.ding Place of Captain Cook. — This recalls the story!' of the. landing and the riaming of the place "Boverty Bay," because of the hostility 'of the natives. Cooks Cove. — After his hostile' reception Cook crriised up the coast till he came to this sheltered little cove where he was able to beach his little vessel and iind water at the foot of the cliffs, digging a well with his sword. Keri Keri Homestead. — This is an interesting st'udy of the "oldest wooden house in the Dominion, built in the year 1818 for' Mr. Kemp aDd still oeeupied.by members of the family. It was here, in view of the house, that the Maoris held ; their . cannibal feasts, necessitating the use of shutters to hide the sight of the gruesome horrors. On one occasion Mr. Kemp ■ trade.d a threelegged iron ppt for a slave, the intended victim of the. evening meaL In the Kauri Foiest. — This . picture was evi.dently painted on a misty. morn with the sunliglit ■ filtering through and, no doubt, the air filled with the • sweet ^cents of the bush. The Red Rocks of Porphyry. — This is a picture with an interesting legend of the ancient Maori. It' is said to be thc first landing place of the canoe "Tainui". Th'e occupants, wearing ornaments of red coral, were • so delighted with the' deep red of the pohutukawa blossoms that they sprang out of the canoe and threw down their coral and decorated themselves with the flowers instead. The red coral sank into the rock and there it reinains to this day. The Tree Fern. — This is a truthful study of the light and shade of the bush near the. coast, with pohutukawas in blossom as a contrast to the green of the surroundings. There are iriany sketches .of ■ the scenery on the new highway between Opotiki and Cape Runaway. Sheltered bays fringed with pohutukawas in full bloom are seen and soriie agaiin with the white steam from White Tsland in the; distance. Native Flora.— An outstanding colleetion of native flowers of especial interest 'to botanists is on view4 There must be some 300 paintings of New Zealand flora exquisitely portrayed down to the merest detail and tbe colours true'to nature. This. collection would be worthy of a. place in an art gallery or; museum. We hope we have said enough to stimulate the desire to visit the exhibition which is open until »Satarda.y. We have a critieism to make and that is the prices are too low,