Ann Robinson's 'BRIM' Heads in New Directions

 

I was really lucky to be in Auckland this week so I could see Ann Robinson's amazing exhibition BRIM at FHE Galleries. Ann is renowned for her exploration of the bowl form and yet here she takes it in a completely new direction. These are distinctly and recognisably Ann Robinson bowls and yet they represent a totally new body of work. She describes in the poem that accompanies the exhibition the process, intellectual, technical and physical that led to these works. 

I won't try to explain that here, that is for Ann to do, which she does most eloquently of course through the bowls themselves. This is an exhibition that you really must try to get to see for yourself. The photographs by Kieran Scott reproduced here from the FHE exhibition brochure are great, but you need to see the bowls themselves.

The exhibition is on at FHE Galleries in Kitchener Street, Auckland until 29 June 2013.

Whanganui Plans a Great Festival in September 2013

I've had a couple of pleasing responses to my blogs recently. Chuck and Indiah Simpson's daughter, Whitney-Leigh emailed, expressing appreciation of my words and photos of her parents' work from Inglewood in the 1980s. And the latest Newsletter of the Wanganui Glass Group says "Stuart’s Blog is very well researched and is a great starting point for all of us with an interest in, and appreciation for NZ Glass." It's great when those I write about are interested to read what I write!

The Newsletter also brings preliminary news of the events that are being planned for the Wanganui Festival of Glass, to be held in Whanganui from 7 - 15 September this year. Whanganui is a city that its proud of its glass artists, and the annual Festival showcases the best of their work.  The Festival provides a wide range of opportunities to see glass exhibitions, visit artists in their studios, watch visiting glass experts as they give master classes, admire the work of the up and coming among the students at the Whanganui Glass School, and, of course, to acquire glass. It looks like a very full programme, with many of the best features from past year's events as well as some new ones. I'm certainly hoping to be able to get to Whanganui during that week to take part.



The flyer for the Festival pictured at left features the distinctive work of Whanganui glass artist Carmen Simmonds. Herself a graduate of UCOL Whanganui, and a Ranamok finalist, Carmen has a studio in the countryside outside Whanganui.



The Glass Group Newsletter advises that one of David Traub's beautiful platters (at right) will feature on the poster, the billboards and the event guide for the Festival. David is a former Head of the Glass School, whose involvement in making glass goes back to 1973.

I am delighted to have in my own collection an early example of David's platters, which he made in 2002.