That Weekend in Kaponga

Over two years ago, I helped put together a catalogue for a "Complete Dispersal" cow sale (A Cattle-Og). When completed, I was invited to the event. It was in a very small town in South Taranaki. Several generations of award-winning breeding came to an end and was to be sold off entirely. It was way busier than expected and was broadcast live to the food barn and the internet for international bidders. 

It was actually quite a big deal and we spent the weekend down there sketching the sale and the town. Instead of posting them online as usual, I put them aside. In 2020, I put them all together and digitally painted (coloured) the cow sale sketches. The final piece was 1x1 metre and was entered into the 'Homework' art show at the New Plymouth museum, Puke Ariki. It was chosen and is still there until the 8th of February. 

After the Covid lockdown in New Zealand, I think that lots of people forgot that they can go out to see art shows and stuff like that again. If you're in New Plymouth over the holiday period, you should check it out.

Palestine Protest

 Protest at the Landing today raising awareness about the annexation of Palestine.

Kākāpō

In Puke Ariki museum again; this time drawing a Kākāpō. It's a New Zealand flightless parrot and as of today, there's only 142 left. Click here to find out more or to donate to their recovery!

Pre Dinosaur - Permian Period

Pre-Dinosaur - Permian Period 260 million years ago - Puke Ariki Exhibition

Permian Period

Permian Period creatures - Puke Ariki

Sketched by Patricia

Summer's Closed

We've been having such great summer days that it's hard to find time to see the indoor exhibitions at Puke Ariki museum. We went to the show, "At the Beach: 100 years of summer fashion in New Zealand" on the last weekend before it closed and was refreshed by a new exhibit. The next day, we got tons of rain, here in New Plymouth, from a front of a cyclone. The day after that, we lost power for four hours due to strong winds. So... can we have an extension on the show and get our summer back?

At the Beach

1960's At the Beach display at Puke Ariki

Richmond Cottage & Te Henui

23rd September 2017. Richmond Cottage.

The mission last Saturday was to sketch Richmond cottage. It has a new roof. Twenty thousand cedar roof tiles applied by specialist roofers, (I think from Canada). Unfortunately I was the only sketcher to show up, but I did my bit for the team! It was a nice day, but a bit cold, so I finished this one at home.

Here is my sketch:

Pen, wash and watercolour.
I liked the juxtaposition of the old, Richmond Cottage, against the new, Puke Ariki air Bridge, with this one.

Rainy Day Sketching

It was a rainy Saturday yesterday so we went to Puke Ariki to see the Homework exhibition. This exhibition is open to all Taranaki Artists in any media; established or emerging artists. Three of our sketch group have work in this exhibition.

After that we all split up to sketch. I went up to the Air Bridge and sketched the view looking up Ariki Street.

Here is my sketch:

Pen, Wash and Watercolour.

Half done.

BUGS! Our backyard heroes.

Today we attempted to sketch a new sculpture on the foreshore walkway, but there was a bitter wind which was very unseasonable for January. We gave up and went elsewhere. I went to Puke Ariki where there is currently an exhibition called:

"BUGS! Our backyard heroes."

This exhibition includes a massive collection of bugs which has been donated to Puke Ariki. Some pretty, some not so pretty but very interesting to look at. It also has a few live specimens as well, including American Cockroaches. I didn't sketch them as they made me feel ill!

I chose to sketch a couple of the pretty ones. I decided to use pencil and watercolour pencil.

Here they are:

Morpho rhetener. From South America. This one is male and kept changing colour depending which angle you looked at it from.

Ornithoptera urvillianus. From Papua New Guinea. This one is female.

Here's a few more photos, there's lots more to see. I may well go back again.

Perepere and Paepae

Carving in front of a storehouse.  Found in a swamp.  Items in Puke Ariki museum.  This carving surprisingly has ears.

Paepae dug up from a local swamp in 1904.  The main speakers sit on these carved front benches at the threshold of a meeting house.

The Third Eye

Tuatara means 'peaks on the back',  It's ancestors are 200 million years old. They can grow up to 80cm in length. They have a pronounced photoreceptive eye - the so-called third eye.

It is unique in having two sets of upper teeth which overlap one set of lower teeth.  They are able to hear but have no external ear.  They typically live 60 years but can be well over 100. 

Giant White

An afternoon sketching at Puke Ariki Museum , New Plymouth. This massive model of a giant white shark  ( Carcharodon Megalodon),  which hangs high above the main entrance ,  is  an ancient relative of the current great white and is popular with the kids  and adults who can view it at eye level.  MLB

Maori Artifacts

 World Wide Sketch Crawl day today - our local theme was Maori and Colonial.

Hei Tiki - Hei means to suspend and tiki is human form.  Often made from an old adze its shape tended to be tomahawk shaped.  Made of Pounamu traded up from the west coast of the South Island it was considered treasured.  Taonga - treasures tended to gain their value/ mana from who had owned them previously.

Patu - whalebone mere.  Note that even the little figure inscribed is  also holding a mere.  More used as a stabbing hand to hand weapon.

Putorino flute often made from two pieces of Mati (black pine) lashed together.

Paepae - carving likely from a bench in front of a meeting house.  In local style with pointy heads and pungawerewere (spiderweb) decoration.

Maori Arifacts

Drawn by Patricia - Puke Ariki

Hard Helmet Diving Suit

New Zealand's had a lot of rain last weekend with quite a few places becoming flooded. Even with the rising levels of the Huatoki Stream beside it, one of the most dry places in Taranaki for sketching was in the museum in New Plymouth. I started to draw this 1950's hard helmet diving suit since I found it interesting and I was amazed that it was still used until the late 1960's. When I finished this drawing, I wondered if the staff might have to use it soon. It's supposed to rain again this weekend.

Puke Ariki

From Alan's garden

Puke Ariki

Sketched by Patricia

Urban Sketching by Brian Gnyp.

Today was Brian's talk for the Homework Exhibition at Puke Ariki. He had a very good turn out, and everyone was very keen and interested.

I turned up early in the morning to sketch along with Brian and Scott. I had another try at Puke Ariki. I sat outside The Landing Cafe and looked across Ariki Street this time.

I'm still not happy. No doubt I will try again another day!

Then in the afternoon with everyone else I sat and sketched on Puke Ariki Landing. I was quite taken with this girl in a long black coat. When standing and walking she looked a lot like a Victorian Lady with a corseted waist, long flowing skirts and heavy boots for walking in the dirty streets or mud.
In fact I don't think that was her intention at all. She was a Goth. The child however was dressed in modern clothing and looked mismatched.