Each month a member of our community is invited to browse our online collection and select six of their favourite artworks. Each ‘My Choice’ selection, together with personal responses to the works, will be available to view on the Sarjeant Gallery website for one month at a time. The July 2020 My Choice has been selected by April Pearson, a founding member of the Whanganui Potters Society, and is available to view until 31 July 2020. She writes “I came to New Zealand from England’s North East Coast in 1955 – a long time ago, and certainly all my affiliations now rest with being a Kiwi. I was a Teacher before children came along, then took up pottery, and before long combined the two skills, teaching clay work first in schools and then rest homes, then joined the Ceramics Department Staff at Wanganui Polytechnic at their marvellous facility there. In 1975, I was a founding member of the Whanganui Potters Society, and early this year, 2020, retired from running Community Pottery classes at their studio. Meanwhile I became convenor of Wanganui Repertory play reading group and also recently retired from a long standing volunteership at the Citizens Advice Bureau. I am a life member of all of these organisations. Being a volunteer helper at the Sarjeant Gallery too has introduced me to another magical world of colour and creativity. So, I’ve had a busy and wonderfully satisfying life working alongside interesting, innovative people. What a joy!”
My Choice July 2020: April Pearson, a founding member of the Whanganui Potters Society.
Click on an image to see further details about the work and artist, and view a large version.
Study for Cornish Fisherman – Edith Collier
“My Father spent virtually his whole life on the sea, and I often used to accompany my mother to visit his ships when in port. The river Tyne of my childhood was a busy place, with shipyards, loading docks, fish markets, and great slag heaps of coal. This old, crusty sea dog has many a tale to tell – he’s living the past at this moment.”
Belgian Mother and Child – Frances Hodgkins
“I only ever saw real poverty once – in post war Tyneside docklands. A fireman on my father’s ship had died, and my brother and I took the bus down to the dark, serried rows of houses, with some toys for the children. The woman who opened the door looked just like this woman – her eyes hollow in a wracked face. To me, this painting is also a comment on an age old aspect of Motherhood – self-denial. This fat little chub seems to have leached all its vibrancy out of its mother.”
Drift II – Gretchen Albrecht
“Just look at all this sumptuous vibrancy of colour! The composition speaks to me of sheer joy in laying down each glorious shade as if the artist is reaching up to a radiant sunset, a promise of life’s breath behind a stormy sky.”
Untitled. From the Portfolio, ‘Gone Home’ – Peter Peryer
“What is this woman seeking? There is a touch of anguish in her face. It’s a wild day, with the wind tearing at her hair. What’s happened? Peter Peryer has increased the sense of foreboding with the depth of black in the photograph. It pulls you in to a dark utter hopelessness.”
Horses (black and tan rider and horse) – Philip Trusttum
“My first outing on a horse at a riding school was disastrous! I would have been eleven, and I was too scared to admit never having been on a horse before. We set out, and before long came to a broad, long, flat track. “Aha!” said the horse, and let rip. I clung on for dear life – soon to be joined by the instructor who promptly put me on a leading rein. This picture has all the elements of the thundering lunges I survived.”
Cup and Saucer – Rick Rudd
“We are so lucky to have Rick Rudd and the Quartz Museum of Ceramics here in Whanganui. I am fortunate to have several pieces of his work. It is primarily a celebration of line – of the uninterrupted curve. It is absolutely, deliciously satisfying from every angle – absolute perfection. Ballet Dancers put themselves through endless muscular disciplines to develop the skills to achieve the same faultless contour.”
