ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JON JEET

Step inside the warm glow of the Brush-n-Palette store on Thursday night and become part of the artwork in Jon Jeet's project Quick Draw. Amongst the vibrant paint tubes, brushes and easels there will be a whole lot of making going on as Jon (and friends) draw people as they come into the store.  Go on, venture in and be delighted.

  Jon Jeet, 2012

 

Jon Jeet, 2012

In Quick Draw, Christchurch-based artist Jon Jeet will be doing what he loves - drawing people.  Jon is a recent painting graduate from the Masters programme at the University of Canterbury.

Look out for Jon inside the window of Brush-n-Palette - artists supplies, opposite The Colombo, on Colombo Street.

Read more about Jon, in this profile from the University website

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AuthorAudrey Baldwin
CategoriesArtists, Businesses, Live
TagsDrawing, Jon Jeet, Brush-n-Palette, Warem, Window, Portraits
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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JULIA HOLDEN

Come to The Beer Library at THE COLOMBO next First Thursdays and meet The Philosopher. You will be mesmerised by her.

Artist Julia Holden’s animated portrait is spellbinding. Stay a while and soak it in, see what evolves.

  From The Philosopher

 

From The Philosopher

Julia Holden’s stop motion animated portraits are a series of individual paintings made into video. Some of these series are made up of over 700 individual painted portraits – for The Philosopher, Julia hand painted 776 canvases. Julia says that her work blends her favourite modes of working – film, painting and photography – and this creates something entirely new, evolving into a final work that does more than a singular image could ever do. This arrival point excites her through its expansive discovery of nuances that makes the portrait reveal so much more about the subject and contemporary life on a deep reflective level. Julia says that choosing just one moment, one nuance to paint as a portrait is not enough to discover a sense of fullness, a sense of complete observation based on the fact that human life is about being constantly in motion.

Julia has an impressive CV that includes being a finalist in The Churchie (2011), The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2011), and The Wallace Arts Award (2013). Recent work made upon arriving in Christchurch to live in 2012 includes her Christchurch portraits, Wish You Were Here, Then Present Tense that precipitated her five large billboards (from Wish You Were Here) that toured Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Its Like Now as an ‘incomplete portrait of some of Christchurch's arts community’ and the exhibition that has just shown recently at The Tin Palace in Lyttelton, Through the Glass Ceiling, works showcasing five women from Lyttelton through different generations who have advanced the cause of democracy and women’s rights.

Website

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AuthorAudrey Baldwin
CategoriesArtists, Businesses, Exhibitions, Installation
TagsArt, Julia Holden, The Philosopher, The Beer Library, Projection, Painting, June, First Thursdays Chch
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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TARA DOUGLAS

Annah Stretton at THE COLOMBO may gain a new Muse this First Thursdays – her name is Tara Douglas. Look into Annah Stretton's window to find Tara’s new provocative sculptural studies in paper, claiming her own unique response to fashion – something unusual, something colourful, something stimulating and unexpected. The haptic visual presence of shape, the glow and aura of the unpredictable link that Tara can make so positively – a theme of creative play energising time and space through the strength of material form and colour.

Tara completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Canterbury in early 2014 and this year has been another busy one so far. From Shield, a project designed for the Rear Window Project Space at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery to her upcoming show and her largest work to date, Midnight Blooms,  which will form part of the exhibition lineup for the official opening of the new Ashburton Art Gallery, 23 May 1-4pm. 

As with all her projects, Tara will again transform the window space for First Thursdays with her labour intensive, hand made sculptural practice that uses paper to create immersive installations.


Having travelled and lived in Japan in 2011, where she was able to make studies into traditional paper making, origami, ikebana and the Japanese Kawaii cute culture, Tara has been translating and re-positioning the context of paper within New Zealand art ever since.  In August Tara will again head to Japan to take up a six week artist residency in Onishi, about 2 hours from Tokyo. 

Showing what can be achieved with such humble materials like paper is offering something akin to alchemy and the transformation of a base metal into gold. Precious. Transformative.  See how this can relate to both the fashion design within Annah Stretton and the window space of a store display.

The Kawaii cute culture with its overabundance of positivity founded on the concept of cuteness and its affect on social construct, works in a very interesting and symbolic way to register ideas around the possibilities that can arise out of what seems a mundane reality. Within the post-earthquake zone of Christchurch, Tara has been working her own brand of positivity and inquiry through the tactile forms she creates, (such as Japanese cherry blossoms or the smooth shield fern), and the tensions they form within the spaces she takes them to. Look into the window to see a stimulating new possibility of the way that paper can form ideas and create new dimensions.

You can find out more about Tara Douglas at:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tdouglasart

Blog- https://tdouglasphotography.blogspot.co.nz

Website- https://www.taradouglasart.com

For First Thursdays Tara is offering a Make A Brooch workshop from 6.30 – 7.30pm at THE COLOMBO. Come along and find your own expression through paper with Tara Douglas.

http://www.annahstretton.co.nz/

http://thecolombo.co.nz/

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AuthorAudrey Baldwin
CategoriesArtists, Businesses, Exhibitions
TagsArt, Tara Douglas, Annah Strettton, The Colombo, Installation, Flowers, Paper, Fashion, June, Workshop
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FUSION AT THE ASIATIQUE - Rolling your way to a new taste sensation!

Another stimulating, sensation expanding, creatively energised constellation of experiences is about to unfold, starting with taste!

Feed your visual explorations with the internal delights of fresh, clear, clean and crisp tastes that come from the unfettered creativity of Asian fusion food from The Asiatique, 50 Wordsworth Street, Sydenham. The unique taste experiences are possible from combining ingredients and techniques from various countries, including Japan, Malaysia and Thailand and is a creative platform open for exploration at First Thursdays Christchurch – The Asiatique way.

Focusing on producing foods that are enhanced with fresh exotic herbs and spices yet without too much heat = taste sensation! For first timers this is an opportunity to investigate something different, to become aware of the creativity of food that can be brought out through innovation and an awareness of flavours. For those of you lucky enough to know The Asiatique already, here is another chance to indulge. Bring your friends along and share an experience with them that will be something new, different and fresh.

Not only does The Asiatique expand the sense of taste but they also care about their environmental impact. Which we at First Thursdays love! The Asiatique works on a principle of avoiding the use of plastics with their food. Banana leaf is used in many ways to store and protect food and flavours. They also use tiffin carriers for takeaways, these retain the heat and texture of the food without losing anything in terms of quality of taste and presentation. The Asiatique also uses gluten free fish, oyster and soya sauces.

Just for First Thursdays, The Asiatique are offering a cooking demonstration from 5-6pm, which will revolve around the making and eating of gyoza - Japanese/Chinese style dumplings. There are vegetarian versions available as well so that everyone is catered for and can indulge. Limited tickets available – so phone The Asiatique now to book your place on 03 3650163.  The cost is $15 per person (includes making and eating).

Following this, their wonderful dinner menu starts from 6pm. Bookings strongly advised 03 3650163.

When it comes to art nothing should be anticipated but everything should be available to explore. Let your sense of taste take the lead with one of these options from The Asiatique on First Thursdays: Paper, Scissors, Rock n’ Roll, 4 June – a sensory compliment to the unfolding events of the evening.

5-6pm: Gyoza (Dumplings) Demonstration (making and eating) $15

Limited Tickets. Bookings Essential. 03 365 0163

6pm onwards: Dinner Menu. Bookings strongly advised 03 365 0163

50 Wordsworth St. Sydenham

http://www.asiatique.co.nz/

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AuthorAudrey Baldwin
CategoriesFood, Businesses
TagsFirst Thursdays Chch, Sydenham businesses, The Asiatique, Food
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