The November instalment in the series has been selected by Doug Davidson. He states “I am the journalist for the River City Press, an occupation that continues to interest and challenge me, as the job covers virtually everything – well apart from murders, mayhem and scandals. While overseas we have taken the opportunity to visit art galleries, especially in Europe and North America, but some of the art I love the most actually comes from China and includes embroidery art as well as ‘primitive’ art.”
My Choice November 2019: Doug Davidson of River City Press
Click on an image to see further details about the work and artist, and view a large version.
Garden no.11 from the Garden Series – Gretchen Albrecht
“This semi abstract appeals for its rich use of colours, the strong contrasts. It is loose and lovely, spontaneous and vibrant.”
Untitled (Mowhanau Beach) – William Mowbray Barraud
“There are a lot of New Zealand coastal scenes painted but I would rate this one up there. There is the stark outline of the cliff contrasting with the soft sky. It has the feeling of a summer’s day.”
Reflections – Ted Lewis
“This is a bit of a biased choice as Ted Lewis was my father-in-law. Most of his works in the Sarjeant’s collection are detailed pen and ink sketches from when he was in Italy in WW2. I prefer the strong colours in this landscape. The composition appeals with the strong alternating contrasts of light and dark and the strong verticals as in the trees. There is stillness to the painting and lovely reflections in the lake.”
Cockerel Turning Round – Michael Rothenstein
“Roosters make great prints and this lithograph gives the feeling that the rooster is ready to have a go at anyone. You can see it shaking its feathers. There are limited colours but they are skilfully used especially the red.”
W E Hankey – William Rothenstein
“Portraiture has to be one of the most difficult but satisfying forms of art. The pose appeals with the subject gazing beyond the frame – pensive, possibly wistful. There is a subtle use of tones and an interesting use of the canvas with much of it unused, giving it more focus.”
Nga Huia – E. Mervyn Taylor
“My wife Marion has done a lot of lino cuts and lithographs but this is a wood engraving which would be very difficult, especially as it is so detailed, yet bold. The precision and skill level makes it great to observe closely.”
