Flavell swaps studio for San Francisco

The woman who has been at the helm of New Pacific Studio, Mt Bruce, for 12 years is in her final days as its director.

Dr Kay Flavell finishes in the role on April 30 and will fly to the United States on a "one-way ticket" to San Francisco.

Despite relocating to the US, where she has previously worked and lived for long periods, Dr Flavell is reluctant to sever all ties with this country, saying only she has "no fixed date to return to New Zealand".

Her new focus will be on running a studio known as NPS Vallejo and with "spending more time with my lovely California-based grandchildren".

Dr Flavell said the artist-in-residency programme at New Pacific Studio (NPS), Mt Bruce, will carry on "I hope without a blip" under the guidance of the NPS board.

Maelyn Charlton, of Eketahuna, will be acting director for May and June.

She is an artist and the partner of artist Bernard Winkels.

Meanwhile, it is business as usual at Mt Bruce, with two artists in the house.

Anita DeSoto of Dunedin is the annual Friends of Aratoi Fellow and is spending a month working on a series of oil paintings in the Cottage Studio.

In the Garage Studio, musician Kedron Parker of Wellington is recording local birdsong and river song in preparation for a public art project in central Wellington.

Dr Flavell said Parker had made some "early morning excursions" throughout Wairarapa in search of a dawn chorus.

While she is sad to be leaving Mt Bruce, Dr Flavell said she is hopeful the studio is poised to "sail into a new era with dynamic new leadership".

She said perhaps NPS can now provide a base for regular workshops across a wide band such as fibre arts, documentary scriptwriting and music, as well as residencies.

But to move to stage two, which would include expansion by moving a former village hall and a small cottage on to the property, new sponsors and co-owners would be needed.

Artists, either newly arrived or booked to arrive at NPS, include Peruvian Raquel Esquives, who will take up a two-month residency, Anzac Bridge Fellow Lucy Jerram Moore and visual artist and story collector Laura Amtower, from Michigan in the US.