Exhibitions

TOP IMAGE: ARISAEMA CANDIDISSIMUM, SUE WICKISON, WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER.

TOP IMAGE: TOO HOT TO HANDLE (CHILLIS), SUE WICKISON, WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER.

Wellington artist Ashley Wicks is best known for his detailed drawings of some of our most cherished birds in their natural environment. Ashley says he has pursued many different subjects in his journey to becoming an artist, but the one constant has always been birds. Working in polychromos and prismacolour pencils with graphite on quality drawing paper, the detail and range of colour in Ashley’s birds is incredible.

Now Mitchell Studios is privileged to host Ashley Wicks’ first solo exhibition. GROUNDED is a collection of artworks from Ashley’s first year working full-time as an artist. The exquisite native birds are accompanied by a series of authentic “Kiwi Cowboy” studies, all inspired by his childhood spent in the beautiful Eastern North Island countryside of Tiniroto.

TOP IMAGE: LONG DAY, ASHLEY WICKS, GRAPHITE & BLACK PRISMACOLOUR PENCILS ON BRISTOL PAPER.

19 JULY TO 24 AUGUST 2019

Detail, Tuileries, Paris, oil on canvas by Gaston De Vel

Mitchell Studios is delighted to host an exhibition in collaboration with former art dealer Suzanne Beer.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE NGAIO FINE ARTS REVISITED CATALOGUE.

This Exhibition is a result of over 30 years in art circles. My father, Max Beer, and I owned the Lewis-Paape Gallery in Lower Hutt for about 25 years. After that I opened up my small gallery in Ngaio - Ngaio Fine Arts.

I have accumulated many works of art over the years and have now moved into a small house with minimal storage so reluctantly it’s time to part with some of them. This exhibition is a collection of these works and I have invited some of my best selling artists from past years to join me - Colette Cheyne, Eugenea, Ian Hamlin, Phillip Waddington and Colin Wynn.

Also on display is a private collection by one of my favourite customers who has now herself got to downsize dramatically. All these works were originally bought from me through Lewis-Paape or Ngaio Fine Arts.

A very special addition is the first work to be displayed in a Gallery by Eugenea’s son (Peter Lubomudrov). He has a promising future as you can see.

Suzanne Beer

10 MAY TO 15 JUNE 2019

Detail, Granny Nga, oil on canvas by Phillip Waddington

A man of many talents, Phillip Waddington is an artist, an art restorer, a conservationist, an inventor and a drummer. This exhibition is a celebration of his Influences.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE INFLUENCES CATALOGUE.

Growing up in Petone, enjoying a typical New Zealand lifestyle of spending time in the local native forest and at the beach, Phillip developed an early appreciation of nature, in particular birds which he kept from an early age. He was further influenced by an association with the Animal Ecology Division of the Department of Science and Research, and participation in extensive field trips with these experts reinforced his drive to promote and protect our endangered bird species. He is deeply concerned over the plight of many native bird species that are under threat of extinction.

Proceeds from the sales of Phillip’s artworks in the 1990s went towards the protection of 57 acres of pre-European forest located in Stokes Valley, Wellington. His aim was to save it from development housing and he was then faced with the huge task of caring for this land (kaitiaki) and controlling the predators of the native wildlife within. Most important to Phillip was to avoid using deadly toxins on the land so that the ecosystem was not disrupted, so he used his design and problem solving skills to develop humane predator traps. From trialling these very basic prototypes, hundreds of thousands have been made and are used to protect Kiwi and other endangered wildlife.

Although the unique flora and fauna of New Zealand are of special interest, Phillip is equally skilled in portraiture. Perhaps the portraits he is most well known for are those of the last of the Māori women with the traditional facial tattoo (moko) whom he met during his travels through the Ureweras as a young man. Subjects for paintings often come from Phillip's observations of people in everyday life. He built a lasting rapport with several of these (and more recent) portrait subjects. He has developed a painting style influenced by two great masters, Rembrandt and C F Goldie, and has also continued in the footsteps of Goldie by recording through his art, engaging and important visual records of the Māori moko tradition. His Māori oil portraits justifiably earned Phillip the nickname The Living Goldie.

Phillip finds inspiration for painting everywhere. As a keen observer of nature, people and the places occupied by both, he has created a body of work using a variety of techniques and materials. He has the ability to capture the essence of the subject and reflect this back to the viewer in a very engaging way. Aside from his stunning portrayals of New Zealand native fauna, his time as artist in residence at Wellington Zoo provided a great opportunity to observe and create compelling and sympathetic images some of the Zoo’s non-native residents.

Influences is Phillip's first major exhibition in over 30 years and Mitchell Studios is delighted to be hosting his wonderful artworks.

Learn more about Phillip through his website.

50 ARTWORKS FROM MID-CENTURY NEW ZEALAND

We are proud to present a new exhibition showcasing the work of New Zealand artist Leonard Victor Mitchell, including his original designs for the Lower Hutt War Memorial Library murals. Don't miss the chance to see artworks on display and available for the first time since the 1950s. This exhibition also includes 4 new limited edition prints.

Scroll down for a sneak peek at some of the works on display!