Interconnections of dark and light in Macartney paintings

Marion McCartney has repurposed kauri cupboard doors as both base and frames for some of her paintings. Photo/Bevan Conley

Marion McCartney's paintings lead the viewer into some very dark places but each one has at least one beacon of light.

Her Interconnections show at Gallery 85 in Glasgow St is a collection of her acrylic on board paintings and many are framed with or painted on to pieces of aged wooden furniture.

When asked what inspires her work, the artist says it is her reading material and surprisingly this is psychology books rather than fantasy novels.

"Some are inspired by Joseph Campbell who wrote about comparative myth and religion," she says.

"I am also motivated by my affinity with the natural world and how all life forms are interconnected."

Many of her paintings depict women with glorious hair, that is either beautifully braided or flowing free, their naked bodies luminous against dark backgrounds.

They are vulnerable but bravely exploring their environments and often in the company of animals - especially birds.

Life is But a Dream depicts a woman floating above the ocean and held aloft by a flock of seagulls gripping her hair.

Departing the Dead Zone, painted on a kauri door panel, is a woman in a small boat on a dark sea with a white wolf illuminated by the light of the moon.

Despite the darkness, the paintings are uplifting and Macartney said that is the way she hopes they will be interpreted.

"They are about awakening from old conditioning," she says.

Macartney studied art at UCOL Whanganui and The Learning Connexion in Wellington before taking time out to work as a landscape gardener in the Wairarapa for a few years.

"Since I returned to Whanganui six years ago I have been seriously painting and drawing again."

Interconnections by Marion McCartney is open for viewing at 85 Glasgow Street, Wed-Fri 12pm to 4pm and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays.