Anne Hudson explores the work of Christchurch’s own Ben Reid, one of New Zealand’s most prominent printmakers. The New Zealand environment and its beauty is a source of national pride. It is our tūrangawaewae – place to stand. Accordingly, there is an awareness of the vulnerability of that landscape. New Zealand was, for much of […]
Art
The Art of the Sublime
Inspired by local landscapes, painter Simon Edwards creates artworks that overwhelm the senses. Words: Anne Hudson Simon Edwards is a regular contributor to Art in A Garden and it is there that I first saw his beautiful paintings. They stand out in their execution of an atmospheric landscape, familiar to most New Zealanders even if unable […]
Shaped by the Environment
Take a moment to appreciate and enjoy one of the world’s oldest art forms, and see how married artists Trevor and Lorraine Polglase can produce entirely separate work from the same material and environment. Words: Anne Hudson From the dawn of time, humans have formed shapes from stone; carved artefacts have been discovered that predate […]
Love your Lawn
Landscape architect Craig Wilson looks at the options and benefits of artificial lawns. Landscaping projects can generally be broken down into two distinct components: the ‘hardscape’ and the ‘softscape’. A key element of the ‘softscape’ in Canterbury residential gardens is the humble lawn. Our childhood memories of backyard cricket, making daisy chains and backyard summer […]
The Art of a Garden
Can gardening be defined as art? Anne Hudson explores this concept and takes us on a tour of Flaxmere, Penny Zino’s garden in North Canterbury. Penny Zino had a vision. She wanted to create something of beauty that complimented the surrounding landscape, blending in with the form of the North Canterbury hills, river and terraces. […]
Dancing Queen
The world-renowned St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre is performing Swan Lake in Christchurch late December. Christine de Felice speaks to principal dancer Irina Kolesnikova, about her life as a professional ballerina. The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) was founded by Russian entrepreneur Konstantin Tachkin in 1994 and is recognised as one of the world’s leading classical […]
John Parker: Ceramic Artist, Craftsman & Artist
Anne Hudson explores the fantastic art installation of New Zealand’s contemporary artist John Parker. John Parker, one of New Zealand’s leading ceramic artists, has been making pottery for 50 years. A theatre set designer, too, he often stages his exhibitions theatrically. Te Uru Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, recently held an impressive retrospective of his work […]
How to upcycle your furniture
As seen on StyleTV You will need: • Piece of furniture • Paint • Fabric • Standard matt finish mod-podge • Paint brush • Baking paper • Scissors • Rubber roller • Hard Finish Mod-Podge or hard wearing varnish Method: 1. Remove knobs, handles and hardware from your furniture. Prepare your piece of furniture by […]
Kate Calder captures the beauty of NZ
Anne Hudson explores how artist Kate Calder expresses the beauty of the country. Kate Calder delights us with detailed drawings inspired by the beautiful countryside in which she lives. Be it a bird’s nest filled with eggs, a hare, a bee or dragonfly, her drawings are exquisite. Through detailed observation of her subject and careful […]