Malvina Major
Creative peninsulaArtists living on Otago Peninsula say the environment sparks creativity and closeness to nature.
The results can be seen in "Almost an Island", an exhibition opening at the Macandrew Bay Hall tomorrow.
The exhibition is staged annually by Otago Peninsula Artists (or OpenArts), formed in 2004 by a group of creative people who live on the peninsula and felt the need for mutual support and a community focus for the arts.
The group includes painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, designers, craft makers, musicians and writers.
Nearly 50 artists have each contributed three works for the exhibition, which will be open from 10am to 5.30pm daily until April 11.
For more information, visit www.openarts.co.nz.
Celebration of tree
The oldest macrocarpa trees on Otago Peninsula are perhaps 150 years old, says conservation photographer Rod Morris, introducing an exhibition simply titled "Macrocarpa".
"They are our senior citizens and our neighbours and we largely ignore them."
Morris adds that from the time he first saw one of Rod Eales' paintings, he had wanted to see an exhibition of work celebrating the macrocarpa, which he describes as a significant character in the history of this country.
"The first seeds were brought here by prospectors in the days of the gold rush.
They were propagated in their thousands by school children in the early '30s and the young trees were planted as shelter belts on farms all over New Zealand."
Its dark, twisted branches have creaked and groaned their way into our poetry and literature, held their pose against the wind for our artists and painters, protected and sheltered our livestock and native wildlife, and more prosaically, built our homes and warmed our hearths.
Rod Eales is one of 18 artists with works in "Macrocarpa".
These range from handmade books, stitched works and silk screened T-shirts to woodware, sculptures, photos, paintings, prints and etchings.
The exhibition is on at Bellamys Gallery at Macandrew Bay from April 3 to 30.
Major at Mayfair
Dame Malvina Major's April 15 performance at the Mayfair Theatre in Dunedin will reflect her love of all things musical.
As a young girl, Dame Malvina enjoyed country singing, then taking part in operatic society productions.
Under the tuition of Sister Mary Leo in Auckland, she achieved international success and it was the arias she was introduced to during this time that she will perform in her upcoming South Island recitals.
The two-hour programme will include many well-known arias and other popular favourites, from Ave Maria to Vilia, Danny Boy and Over the Rainbow.
Special guests are young soprano Rachelle Pike, tenor Karl Perigo, cabaret entertainer Vicki Lee and accompanist Kirsten Simpson, who is returning from London for the concerts.
Paintings in relief
"Iconic Imprints" is an exhibition of new paintings by Wanaka artist Robyn Urquhart, showing at Hullabaloo Gallery in the Old Cromwell Township until April 10.
Urquhart describes the paintings as constructed relief works that symbolise the changing nature of shadows on the landscape.
The actual contours and shape of each work illustrate the subject matter, deconstructing the traditional format of a rectangular painting surface.
