The works of Gisborne artists (from left) Ruth E.Helmling, Marija Cooper, Teressa Matthews, Lanie Wilton, Torri Stewart, and Veronika Lambert make up the exhibition Connected in the Deep opening at Matawhero Art Gallery on Saturday. Photo / Kim Parkinson
The works of Gisborne artists (from left) Ruth E.Helmling, Marija Cooper, Teressa Matthews, Lanie Wilton, Torri Stewart, and Veronika Lambert make up the exhibition Connected in the Deep opening at Matawhero Art Gallery on Saturday. Photo / Kim Parkinson
An exhibition inspired by nature and a love for the ocean opens at Matawhero Art Gallery on Saturday.
Connected in the Deep features a mix of work by six Gisborne artists – prints and sculptures, charcoal drawings and oil paintings.
Four of the artists are members of the Gisborne Printmakersgroup.
Teressa Matthews’ work combines printmaking processes, painting and sculpture.
Torri Stewart used foliage to make these two prints, part of the Connected in the Deep exhibition. Photo / Kim Parkinson
Torri Stewart has a combination of prints and sculptural pieces. Her sculptural works are inspired by the materials she forages, including a cylindrical piece made of woven seaweed covered in palm inflorescence.
Another is made on a structure of driftwood she filled with woven seaweed.
“It changed dramatically as it dried and gave off a wonderful salty smell,” she said.
Former journalist Ruth E. Helmling discovered printmaking in 2021. Having sailed around the world, she has a deep love for the ocean. She has a variety of prints in the exhibition, including three small octopus prints taken from an etching and a larger multi-block woodcut print of Cape Hallett, Antarctica.
“We got the name for the exhibition from a quote by [American psychologist and philosopher] William James,” Helmling said. “‘We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.
“We all agreed it was the perfect name for the exhibition as we all have respect for and share a love of the ocean.”
Marija Cooper is a Gisborne-based artist of Latvian origin who does charcoal drawings and printmaking. In Connected in the Deep, she presents a figurative intaglio piece and abstract monoprints inspired by nature.
Gisborne landscape painter Veronika Lambert has several oil paintings in the exhibition, including two small circular pieces painted on wooden board. Her works evoke a sense of peace, serenity and solitude – one capturing the moody horizon at Wainui Beach, another the crumbling cliff faces of Makorori.
Lanie Wilton uses vibrant layers of colour and expressive detail to capture moments of stillness, wonder and connection with paintings of wildflowers and landscapes.
