Paintings 'for love' on show

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 602, 5 September 1995, Page 1

Paintings 'for love' on show

Paintings enteredin the Ohakune Art Awards may be the memory for future generations of what life today is like, awards judge Bill McCormack told those

gathered at the exhibition premier on Sunday. He said public art galleries often only showed work that was at the cutting edge of art, only politically correct, or from overseas and

that they often don't show work such as that seen at Ohakune. "This art is authentic because it comes out of the lives of the people who are doing it for love," he said,

"it is a reflection of our lives today." He explained that judging art gets down to personal preference — that comparing a watercolour to an oil painting for example

was like comparing a daffodil to a peach. He said the works he chose all had an emotional impact though all in a different way. Elizabeth Baigent Me-

morial Preimier Award winner, Stanislaw Mancewicz' s Opposite Worlds had "strength of idea treated

with tenderness and strength". The painting by the 8 1 -year-old Hawera artTurn to Page 2

Paintings 'for love' on show

FROMPAGEl ist depicts a scene of a mother and baby in front of pastoral Taranaki with Egmont/Taranaki in the background, as well as an industrial, polluting scene with a missile being launched to one side. The two scenes each have small flags in the comers, one the French flag and the other the New Zealand flag. David Squires' Moment of Truth — a picture of a pack of hunting dogs and a cornered pig — had a ring of truth, he explained. This painting won the Ruapehu District award for the Ra-etihi-based artist. Erin Kilmartin of Raetihi

won the B arnes Y oung Artist Award for her painting Mt Ruapehu from Raetihi. Mr McCormack said he could see a painting of the same original bold statement hanging in a gallery with a famous name on it. Erin has been taught to paint by district award winner David Squires and the work was her second painting. MaureenThurtle of Wanganui won the life study award for Reunion and open award winners were Merv Turner for View of National Parkfrom Mt Pihanga', Jane Mitchell from Waverley for A Time to Love; and Pam Dohig from New Plymouth for Geraniums.

While not a record, there were 94 artists represented in the L7th annual awards which is up on recent years and the third-highest since the awards began. The biggest year was 1989, when 117 entries were received. The 159 paintings entered is a similar number to last year.