Wanganui artist quick on the draw

Catherine Macdonald is taking her pencil to a very public piece of wall in New Plymouth this week.

The Wanganui artist graduated from the Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic in 1997 and has been making art and furniture - and writing - ever since.

She's now been invited to draw on a wall of the Govett-Brewster Contemporary Art Museum, and started yesterday. It's a wall with a window that faces the street and will be visible 24/7.

Macdonald said she'd rather draw without being watched, but was going to be stoic about it.

"Quite often art-making is a bit of mystery to people, so doing things like that helps demystify it," she said.

She's been going to New Plymouth to make sketches and take photographs, but is not sure yet what she will draw.

"It will be scenes of New Plymouth, but I'm staying away from the cliched mountains and wind wands and things like that."

She'll be finishing the drawing on Sunday, and co-tutoring a drawing workshop that afternoon. People can follow her progress in a pictorial blog at www.catherinemacdonald.co.nz

Macdonald also has a show of drawings in pencil and watercolour, prints and an animated dog fight in Wellington. It's at the Solander Gallery, which sells her work. The show is called A Time & A Place and is up until March 10.

The dog fight animation was done using her drawings and computer technology. The actual fight happened in Campbell St, where Macdonald lives. She said there's been less fighting there since one particular dog has gone.

She's been told the Solander show is being well received.

"It's been a very exciting start to the year," she said.

Also about to have work shown in Wellington is Wanganui potter Paul Maseyk. A set of his pots will be in The Obstinate Object, a sculpture exhibition showing the work of 32 artists. It's at the City Gallery from February 24 to June 10.

Maseyk was taught by Ross Mitchell-Anyon at the former Wanganui polytech. He now lives and works in Putiki Drive, selling mainly to dealer galleries in Auckland and Wellington.

The Obstinate Object works are from the collection of his Wellington friend Simon Manchester.

Maseyk also has a show coming up at Wellington's Avid gallery in May and one of his pieces has been bought by Te Papa.