Michael Haggie's Classical Remains exhibition showing at Space Gallery combines his passions for classic beauty and the ultra-modern.
"These classical art pieces are revered in an intimate way as I, myself, revered them as a young art student on visits to Italy and Greece. I am also revisiting my own past here," says the artist.
All the works depict classical images from Greek and Roman history with fashionable young people standing or lying beside them.
"I love fashion magazines and I find the combination of those attractive modern young people contrast so nicely with the classical beauty.
"The photography in those magazines is sensational."
The media of this exhibition is solely colour pencil on Fabriano paper.
Haggie says he likes to collect beautiful colour pencils and he uses them freely to layer colour.
"I use them in a very painterly way and I enjoy the textures I can create with hair next to the pale skin.
"I can achieve both linear and three-dimensional definition."
Haggie says he likes to retain the idea of luxury from striking fashion advertisements and incorporate it into his classical concepts.
"These classical remains are still very potent and even magical.
"They stimulate me to put them into a very contemporary frame."
All the works in the exhibition are unframed and Haggie says he wants the works to be affordable and purchasers can choose their own frames.
"It not only gives freedom of choice but also the freedom to buy the work and add the frame when it becomes affordable," he says.
Classical Remains opened last week to an enthusiastic group which included Haggie's family member from Wellington and some of his former students.
"I have taught a number of community education classes here in Whanganui and it was really nice to have some of my students at the opening."
The artist is now working on an exhibition that he plans to show in his former hometown Dunedin.