The October instalment in the series has been selected by Lesley Stead of Paige’s Book Gallery. Through the Whanganui bookshop Lesley has the opportunity to meet interesting people from all over the world. She is Whanganui born and bred, possesses a powerful sense of adventure and loves to travel – especially to international book fairs. She has a background in teaching and education and now designs black and white books for babies.
Click on an image to see further details about the work and artist, and view a large version.
“Three aspects draw me to this piece: the title, the colours and the stories behind Gretchen Albrecht’s artistic achievements. On first impression the art piece looks like a simplified version of a yacht, but no! It’s a representation of that age-old piece of technology – a sundial. It’s the happiest sundial I have ever seen, and if it was to become 3 dimensional, could nestle into my garden with ease.”
“I distinctly recall the first time I came across this particular Ratana Church, perched on a hill between Raetihi and Ohakune. I found it sensational and truthfully couldn’t believe my eyes, climbing out of my vehicle and gazing for a long period of time. To this day I’m still captivated by the building and its placement on that hill: the architecture, the hill and the sense of isolation.”
“Blue is a colour I love, so how could I not be drawn to this magnificent glass art of Katie’s, with its relaxed and easy – though highly professional – ambience. I’ve been an enthusiast of Katie’s work for a long period of time, and have her lightshades dotted throughout the bookshop. Katie’s work is a feast for the eyes.”
“In my view, this photograph is a beautiful Ans Westra image. I love the manner in which she has captured the child’s expression – there’s a mix of pride, of feeling special and yet a certain shyness permeates. Having the Whanganui Awa in the background adds to the story, as does the title of the work. Ans has visited the bookshop on occasions, and during one visit captured an unassuming (though beautiful) image of a child reading in the shop armchair. Ans is a treasure and I will always love her work.”
“Trees are the life-blood of the earth and I’m an unashamed tree-aholic. Quite natural then that I should find myself searching the Sarjeant’s collection for tree images. This is my favourite. How fortunate it happens to be an Edith Collier. Despite the painting having been completed a long time ago, the simplicity and use of colour creates a contemporary ambience. I would love to have this painting hanging in my home.”
“Stitching has been a life-long pursuit of mine, and I therefore find myself smitten by the manner in which Erica has captured these Gonville arches. As far as I’m aware, Gonville is not normally associated with arches, so the piece has sparked my curiosity. After many years of debate about craft meeting art, it is wonderful to see that the Sarjeant have stitched art work in their fine art collection.”
“Another arch – allow me to explain: the largest children’s bookfair in the world is held annually in Bologne, Italy – a city renowned for its architectural arches. The Bologne Book Fair is the size of dozens of rugby fields – all filled (amazingly) with children’s books. And so this work by Peter Gibson reminds me of Bologne, with the added attraction that Peter has cleverly constructed the arch with books belonging to the Dewey library classification of architecture.”