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| Blue Beach and Bush - M04124 |
| Acrylic on 40mm box canvas New Zealand paua is the local version of abalone, but has a dark meat which, when removed, reveals a shell interior with spectacular metallic blues and greens. This painting is a stylized version of paua shell, with metallic greens, purples and blues. The stone sections are a direct reflection of living on Poranui Beach (Birdlings Flat) which is renowned for its expanse of colored stones. In my latest series of works I have experimented with varying themes on paua shells, stone masses, unfurling fern fronds, flax growth patterns etc, in an effort to more deeply explore the relationships early Maori must have had expressing naturally occurring themes and images when creating their art works, and how this developed into the art forms and styles we recognize as Maori traditional art and design today. I like sectioning off my paintings so I am able to create different relationships between the elements of color, pattern and design, bearing in mind that the whole motivation of original Maori design was focused on decoration. This particular painting contains elements of Aotearoa`s (New Zealand) terrain. The beach with its introduced `gorse` driftwood, and native flora above. I have included a panel of generic Maori symbols (not localized tribal designs) that form a contemporary border, which I originally designed for the National Maori Speech Competitions, held in Christchurch in 1994. |
Matariki Gallery - Maori Art
