The Village Gallery in Eltham holds new exhibition

Paul Burgham and a cabinet he has made

The Village Gallery in Eltham has a new exhibition.

By Dezine will run from February 11 to March 8 and features art from Paul Burgham from Eltham and Garry Cole from New Plymouth.

When Paul left school he completed an apprenticeship in draughting, then travelled and worked overseas, picking up many skills and techniques on the way. Paul worked restoring historic buildings while in England and Germany. While overseas he purchased his first SLR camera and is proficient in technical and artistic facets of photography.

When he returned to New Zealand, Paul continued restoring and conserving old and historic buildings. This work evolved into joinery, and he has designed and built a wide range of woodwork, from staircases to jewellery boxes.

Paul developed a passion for stained glass windows and then lamps, which he says has occupied him for the last 18 years. The design and construction of lamps is a lengthy process, and he makes, on average, two per year, fitting this around his other creative work, commissions and repair jobs.

The two lamps featured in this exhibition reflect his love of nature, and the influence of art nouveau and art deco in his designs.

In 2017 Paul milled a large elm tree which had grown in his backyard for many years. He has been using his joinery and woodworking skills to produce a series of cabinets and shelves using this timber. A number of these useful and decorative pieces are displayed in this exhibition.

Garry Cole has been making colourful garden sculptures and outdoor art for 12 years. He first decided to make these when he had leftover shingle and cement after creating his home courtyard.

Finding the concrete too heavy to work with, he moved on to experimenting with using a concrete overlaid over a polystyrene core for his sculptures, wall hangings, coffee tables and water features.

His quirky, durable creations are suitable for inside or outside. The colours he uses are chemical stains and liquid oxides and they will not fade or flake off as they are mixed into the concrete layer over the polystyrene. This makes his larger works highly suited to displaying in the garden or courtyard.

Gary often incorporates repurposed objects into his work, believing that it is important to make use of so-called 'waste materials' and avoid sending to landfill items that will enhance and add meaning to his creations.

In some cases, the discarded item itself will inspire the design and become a focal point.

The exhibition features a range of his artworks, including large, free-standing sculptures, smaller wall-hung items, and a variety of small decorative pieces all suitable for the home and garden.

Throughout the year, the Village Gallery has three exhibitions for members and then other exhibitions throughout the year for invited artists.

The first exhibition of the year is the creative clearance which displays work to sell at reasonable prices.