The grand studio clear-out sale

SALON DE NO ROOM: Artist Norman Maclean seems to almost disappear under the paintings, drawings and prints in his studio so he will hold a clearance sale at Lysnar House this weekend. Picture by Liam Clayton

A lifetime of painting, drawing and printmaking means artist Norman Maclean’s studio has become a little crowded over the years, so to free some space he is holding a clearance sale.

“I’ve reached the stage where I can’t see the point of having limited space in my own studio as pictures pile up,” he says.

“Rather than see them collecting dust, I’d much rather they hung on other people’s walls.”

His two-day display of artworks at Lysnar House this weekend will include more than 120 works on paper. These range from sketches, preparatory drawings for paintings, mixed media, and illustrative material, some of it used for book illustrations.

About 50 life drawings in a variety of media, also on various papers, that Maclean completed at the life drawing sessions held by the Artists’ Society at Lysnar House will be part of the great studio clear-out sale.

The display is not an exhibition, says Maclean. A great number of loose papers will be spread out on tables while framed prints and paintings will be hung on the walls of the studio or placed on easels. He hopes to find room for a large number of unframed prints made from zinc and solar plates as well as a few lithographs he produced years ago at the Otago School of Art. People will see the artist at work as people come and go over the two days. While at Lysnar House, Maclean will work on print-making, using both zinc and solar plates. If prints catch someone’s eye, he can explain something of the process involved in producing them, he says.

On show too will be more than 40 framed paintings, prints and mixed media works including several larger paintings on both canvas and board. The larger pictures will be priced at rates well below what they went for when previously exhibited, while the loose papers will mostly be open to offers.

After visiting the Farmers’ Market on Saturday and the Strawberry Fair on Sunday, people might feel inclined to wander up to Lysnar House after they have done the rounds of these attractions, says Maclean.

No eftpos facilities are available so sales of works will be by cash or by paying into a bank account.

Norman Maclean’s studio clear-out sale, Lysnar House behind Tairawhiti Museum, Saturday and Sunday, 10am–4pm both days.