Insects are not usually welcome in an art gallery because they can cause significant damage to artworks. However, there are some insects that we actively care for within our walls, including some beautiful insect studies by Mary Green.
Born in July 1892 Mary was the eldest daughter of Alice and Henry Charles Green. About 1910 she enrolled at the School of Art at Wellington Technical College, where she attended day classes covering a diverse range of subjects including life drawing, anatomy, plant and animal studies, design and jewellery.
The insect studies held in the collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui were produced by Mary at the age of 18, most likely as a student at the Technical College.
Completed in late 1910 or early 1911, the studies consist of a small watercolour of a stick insect, and pencil sketches of a weta and two beetles. Each drawing shows an interest in capturing not only the form of the insect but also its surface texture.
Other drawings that Mary produced at age 18 also showcase the development of this skill. Among my favourites are a wonderful drawing of two feathers that conveys something of the softness and sheen of the originals and a lovely still life depicting a bottle and apple that explores the relationship between opaque, semi-translucent and reflective surfaces.
In contrast to her time as a student, relatively little is known about Mary's work as an artist following the completion of her studies. From contemporary newspaper cuttings we know she continued to exhibit work in the years immediately after, with some of her drawings, paintings and sculptures included among those displayed at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts annual exhibition in 1916 and 1917.
On December 22, 1917 Mary married fellow artist Vivian Smith (1883-1946) in Wellington In 1932, the family, with daughter Lilian, relocated to Whanganui, where Vivian took up the position of art master at Wanganui Technical College. Upon his death in 1946 Mary took up the role. She died at her home in Oakland Ave in late April, 1977. Mary's artwork, that is today held in the Sarjeant collection, was bequeathed alongside some of Vivian's work by Lilian in 1983.