Two inspiring and thought provoking exhibitions are to open at the Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford on Friday.
PANZ 'Purely Pastel' National Exhibition is an award-winning selection of approximately 100 works from the National PANZ Convention judged by Australian master pastel artist Grace Paleg. Percy Thomson is the only venueto show the works outside Auckland.
Pastel Artists of New Zealand (Inc) was founded in April 2002 when 30 people attended a meeting in Blenheim called by local pastel artist Walter Scott.
Since then membership has grown to more than 200, encompassing beginners to professionals, and is steadily growing as knowledge of the wonders of pastel spreads. The revival of pastel as a fine art medium is due in no small part to founding president Walter Scott, who was awarded the society's highest honour, that of Fellowship, given in recognition of his efforts to establish Pastel Artists of New Zealand and promote the pastel medium.
A convention and national exhibition is held in a different region each year.
Also opening concurrently in the Accountants on Broadway Gallery is 'Zealandia - Views from the Peak'. Auckland-based photographer Peter Evans undertook an extensive photographic study documenting the current natural gas and oil landscape of New Zealand.
The exhibition is from McNamara Gallery Photography in Wanganui.
