Whanganui art students bring lockdown experiences to life in exhibition

UCOL Whanganui visual arts students have managed to complete assignments despite having their studies interrupted by a pandemic.

Lecturer Lorraine Webb has made some slight modifications to the requirements for her first-year Bachelor of Design and Arts students.

"These large works would normally have four painted panels but these students have been asked to complete three," she said.

"They have done extremely well to complete them."

The Lockdown exhibition, which opens at the Whanganui Community Arts Centre front gallery today , showcases six large paintings which have mostly been completed during the past three weeks.

"We came back at the end of the level 3 stage and were able to safe-distance," student Jacob Gay said.

His work, which features on the poster for the exhibition, directly addresses the pandemic threat, depicting humanoid figures set against a bleak grey sky and stormy sea.

Gay and fellow student Cassidy Martell live in Palmerston North and did as much preparatory work as they could during the Covid-19 level 4 stage.

"Because of mail delays, we didn't get our papers until the day before we came back," Martell said.

Her work depicts an April landscape captured during the lockdown with her autumnal-coloured cat Lily in the foreground.

As an essential worker, Bowen Boswell put in extra hours at a rest home kitchen due to staff shortages during lockdown.

Finding time for artwork hasn't been easy but he has painted a portrait of late American jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius, set against a brightly-coloured background.

"I really admire his work and the colours are about how I feel when I listen to him," Boswell said.

Mt Ruapehu towers over a hazy, sunset-coloured foreground in Summer Ruissen-Hohaia's painting.

"I live in a house with children who were noisy and arguing a lot during the lockdown so I painted something tranquil," she said.

Webb said third-year visual art students will combine with Glass Arts diploma students to exhibit their work at the Edith Gallery.

"That one opens on Thursday and will be running throughout the term break," she said.

"The Lockdown exhibition is only on for a week so it will be great if a lot of people would like to visit."

Lockdown: Whanganui Community Arts Centre Gallery, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm and Saturday, 10am to 1pm. Closes at 4pm on Tuesday, June 30.

Liz Wylie
Whanganui Chronicle 24/6/20