Open Studios: Same family, yet disparate styles

Artistic talent flows through the family, looking at the work of Aaron Gash and his mother, Carol Gash.
Mother and son share a clear talent, though their works, on display at their home studio on Young St, are vastly different.
A lifelong student of the paintbrush, Aaron is a 26-year-old graduate of the UCOL Fine Art programme who works primarily in oils, though he is equally competent with a pencil, pen or a stick of charcoal.
Aaron's fastidiously worked, hyper-realistic paintings belie his relaxed, jovial character, and display the conflicting facets of his personality.
His paintings and drawings deal with homely subject matter that is personal, and communicate a narrative only accessible to the painter and his subjects; who for the most part are close friends.
He says his working process is organic.
He prefers to capture the spontaneous, recording moments of intimate sociability between him and the subject, rather than dictating a model's pose.
"More often than not it is just me snapping away with the camera while we hang out.
"Our roles aren't really defined, so there is no posing as such," he says.
"I might give them a prop to play with, that helps to bring out their inner character, but really it's off the cuff, transient moments of reality that I am trying to capture."
He says there is an inherent humour to his work, derived from directions he might give his subject such as "to pick their nose or pull a face, for example".
"I like the conflict between the flippancy of the images I depict and the serious technicality of my painting technique."
In this sense he says he is almost mocking the traditional painting techniques he uses.
"It's a way of releasing all that tension involved in being a perfectionist; fastidiously representing moments of comedy."
It is obvious where Aaron's talent originates, Mrs Gash is self-taught and has been creating artworks since her youth.
Mrs Gash exhibits a variety of works in several media, including a series of paintings, a series of glass prints, pencil works, textile collage and sculpture.
She works figuratively and with abstract images, cross-pollinating painting, print and drawing in vibrant works of mixed media that cover such ground it is surprising to learn the work belongs to just one artist.
Mrs Gash spends most of her free time working on pieces in her studio in between teaching art to inmates at Kaitoke prison, where Aaron says she thrives in the role of artistic mentor.
"It's great for mum to be involved in the professional art world.
"She's spent her life creating, she's so inspired, it's great she can pass that energy on and benefit from the rewards," Aaron said.
For the first time, she is exhibiting and selling her own wares at the Gash Studio, 7 Young St.
Kindred talent
- Aaron Gash and Carol Gash, mother-and-son studios.
- 7 Young Street, Wanganui East (off Anzac Parade). Knock at the front door.
- Figurative oil painting, charcoal and pencil sketches by Aaron Gash.
- Acrylic paintings, glass prints, textile collage and pencil drawings by Carol Gash.