Winter Salon August 1st

Winter Salon

Winter Salon

1 - 21 August 2017

Our Winter Salon unfolds as a rich tapestry of talent and colour. Against nature’s backdrop of grey skies this outstanding collection is guaranteed to brighten the outlook and lift the spirits. Art inspires, and never-more-so than this year’s Winter Salon . We invite you to view and enjoy over 85 exclusive new works from leading professional artists, both here and abroad.

Recently introduced to the New Zealand market, the work of young Spanish artist Alberto Serrano continues to meet with resounding European success. A graduate of Madrid’s School of Fine Arts, Alberto paints from a fresh perspective coupled with a skill beyond his years. International Art Centre are delighted to have been appointed Alberto Serrano’s Australasian representative.

British sculptor Mike Norris was in Wellington recently to cast long awaited limited editions of the Tui, Saddleback and Kingfisher. A fabulous new series, Illuminations by Assisi based master, Carlo Mirabasso compliment the outstanding work of our leading New Zealand artists. Winter Salon showcases a galaxy of singular works by artists of extraordinary talent.

Frances Davies - Director fran@artcntr.co.nz

Gallery Open 7 Days www.internationalartcentre.co.nz

Unfurling across the canvas with brushstrokes and palette reminiscent of a Degas ballet dancer, Whispering Sweet Nothings celebrates the beauty of the ancient peony rose. Peonies date back to 1,000 B.C. Revered since ancient times, the peony derives its name from the Greek mythological figure of Paeon, physician to the gods.

The exquisite peony flower has long been a favourite of artists and is celebrated not only in paintings but poetry and literature. European artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh sought to capture the peony’s beauty on canvas and long before that, Asian artists adopted it as a motif featured in screen prints and woodblocks. New Zealand born, Vancouver based Gabryel Harrison interprets this classic subject with the spontaneous loose brushstrokes of contemporary art.

Gabryel Harrison - Vancouver

Master Portaitist

Philip Holmes

Alberto Serrano - Madrid

Four large scale works direct from Serrano’s Madrid studio bring much to this year’s Winter Salon. Since graduating from Madrid’s School of Fine Arts, Serrano has worked and exhibited to great acclaim in both Spain and Italy. True to his Spanish heritage, he creates Taurus a contemporary rendition of a powerful, thundering hoofed bull. This masculine portrait is accompanied by two memorable equine works. One of a graceful white horse with mane and tail flying, the other a victorious stallion. Serrano’s verdigris brushstrokes make reference to both the passage of time and historical bronze statues commemorating noble warhorses. The final painting in this quartet of outstanding works pays tribute to the timeless beauty of Venice, where Serrano exhibits and paints.

The small settlement of Port Jackson, nestled on the shores of Coromandel’s Cape Colville peninsula is the subject of this major diptych. New Zealand’s leading regional surrealist, Brian Dahlberg does justice to this sweeping North Island panorama. Distinctive Dahlberg clouds dot a textured sky of ultramarine blue, while on the horizon we see both Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands. Neither the red wool shed or the lone white sail interrupt the stillness of this scene.

Brian Dahlberg - Regional Surrealism

A Rich Tapestry Of Talent

The contemporary large scale florals of Paul Coney transcend the boundaries of beauty. They are spectacular works of art inspired by the finest artist of all, Mother Nature. They are also the culmination of Paul Coney’s 35 years as a professional artist whose works are hung in collections worldwide. Créme Sorbet is both the title and subject of this work. Here Coney paints with absolute perfection the Créme Sorbet peony rose, coupled with a fragrant white lily.

Paul Coney

Talk is an artistic celebration of the seductive powers of floral beauty. This luscious work portrays the rare, pink tinged Pillow Talk peony rose. Not only is the viewer drawn by the allure of perfumed petals, a tiny bee is also seen to hover.

Champagne on Ice is the perfect title for this delectable large scale work. Frothy pink and white petals sprinkled with early morning dew, the champagne of nature, open to a heart of soft apricot. There is both warmth and elegance conveyed by the artist’s mastery of technique and choice of a delicately refined palette. Coney has the gift of breathing life into his subject.

From the windswept golden tussock of Southland to the sheltered moorings of Waiheke Island, Lawrence Leitch paints with unparalleled precision and brilliance. Early success as a skilled watercolourist lead to a demand for large scale works. This in turn prompted Leitch to develop the highly personal technique we see today in these modern day heirlooms of the New Zealand landscape. A special formula of finely applied, diluted acrylic coupled with subtly applied glazes achieves the extraordinary.

Jasmine Middlebrook - Animalia

Carlo Mirabasso - Contemporary Renaissance

Illuminations is the name of grace given to Carlo Mirabasso’s latest outstanding series of works. From his studio close to the spiritual centre of Assisi, Mirabasso takes inspiration from the readily accessible medieval and Renaissance artworks which he has studied since childhood. To this foundation of visual and historical wealth, Mirabasso brings a contemporary and uniquely Italian energy. Gifting the viewer with something simultaneously old and new. It is as if the artist has dipped his paintbrush into the creative realm of past and present.

The passage of seasons is recorded in four finely painted arched panels. Beneath the sun and moon stands nature’s enduring witness, a beautiful tree - strong limbs outspread, embraced by both the warmth of the sun and winter’s confetti of snow.

As with all his work, Mirabasso peoples his world with delightful, re-occurring symbols of fun, beauty and meaning. Rainbow winged angels, colourful bouncing balls cross the canvas in the company of white doves and Tuscan sunflowers.

Oil on panel35 x 10 cm$1,950

35 x 10 cm -

Mike Norris

- Bronze Sculptures

British born Mike Norris casts his work in Wellington’s leading foundry using the traditional lost-wax method. Mike’s earlier solo exhibition, Worlds Apart was a sellout. The works themselves are uniquely appealing. They capture the individual personality of each subject, be it a creature of prey such as the Falcon or New Zealand’s smallest bird, the Rifleman. Each work is hand-polished and enhanced with a unique patina of varying hues adding interest and beauty.

Bronze edition of 12

Bronze edition of 12 28 x 15 cm $5,900

Bronze edition of 12 28 x 15 cm $5,500

ParkinFigurative Beauty

Three little friends wait expectantly in the sun-dappled courtyard of their local cafe as their human companions enjoy coffee. Russian born artist, Eugenea, who has lived in Wellington for many years, trained at Moscow’s leading Surikov Academy. In a scene reminiscent of Norman Rockwell, Eugenea captures the moment with affection and perfection.

EugeneaArtiste Extraordinaire

Kasey SealyImpressionist

Henryk Szydlowski - Fantasy Surrealism

Henryk Szydlowski - Blue Night Over The Moonstalkers - Oil on canvas - 65 x 85 cm - $13,800

Since last year’s highly successful exhibition in Sydney’s Double Bay, Szydlowski has been working on this latest collection of paintings. Direct from the artist’s Perth studio, Blue Night Over the Moonstalkers embodies the skillfully balanced, high voltage visual energy created by a Szydlowski original. In these latest works we enjoy the familiar symbols of the Szydlowski code, which includes his reference to New Zealand’s native Ponga tree, along with a heightened vibrancy and glamour.

Contacts

Frances Davies - Director 027 4936 360 / 09 366 6045 fran@artcntr.co.nz

Richard Thomson - Director 027 4751 071 / 09 379 4010 richard@artcntr.co.nz

James Watkins Trish Young james@artcntr.co.nz trish@artcntr.co.nz + 64 9 366 6045

202 Parnell Road Parnell Auckland New Zealand + 64 9 366 6045 fran@artcntr.co.nz www.internationalartcentre.co.nz