TEAL retro travel posters





TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) retro travel posters depict a time when air travel was a luxurious treat. Flying in the luxury solent flying boats was glamourous with passengers dressed in their Sunday best - women dressed in furs and hats, men snappily dressed in suits and ties. Today it's a very different story. Now the only remaining Solent IV in the world is located at MOTAT. I got the chance to have a look inside some years ago. The presentation was elegant travel with silver service, table linen and a chef that cooked to order.

The TEAL travel posters are really something. The posters designed by Arthur Thompson are my favourites. I love his use of bright contrasting colours and unusual abstract style. Eyecatching and very memorable!

At my primary school we had these posters on the walls. I'd imagine travelling on a Solent on the "Coral route". By the end of the school year, the posters were tatty and ended up in the rubbish bin. Wish I'd kept one.

chalk picture

an early Mothers day present from Miss 5



goodbye john poynton

                        

last year I blogged here about meeting John Poynton, a well known artist in Samoa. Today I heard the sad news that John had passed away earlier this month. Warm thoughts for a truly talented gentleman. Goodbye for now John...

european masters

(Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Fernande Olivier, 1909)

European Masters, is coming to New Zealand. It's a rare chance for us downunder to see 98 stunning works by 70 artists including Matisse, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Monet and Manetare. The collection comes from the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt, Germany and focuses on the 19th century and early 20th century period of European art. I'm particularly interested in viewing Picasso's "very significant" Portrait of Fernande Olivier, which signalled the start of Cubism.

The paintings will only be exhibited at Te Papa, Wellington from 6 November 2010 to 27 February 2011.  So I have to go! Now, it's working out when. I'm so excited!

john poynton

one of the highlights of my Samoa trip was meeting John Poynton, well known artist in Samoa. I met him completely by chance at a local cafe and I got the opportunity to view his portfolio of current work. I bought 3 works: 2 watercolours and a pen drawing and got them framed as soon as I got back home. Here they are on display.

wearable art

without giving away too much, here's a peek at what my daughter is working on for her wearable art entry in the College competitions. My job has been to cut out a gazillion pieces of fabric and other things for her to work with. It's got to be finished by the weekend, so I'd better get back to work.

nz artist, chris barry

I met artist, Chris Barry recently and I was immediately impressed by her work, especially her blue & white crockery paintings (as I'm a keen blue willow collector.) Chris is a really lovely person and paints with a considered and thoughtful eye. I love discovering and sharing about fellow NZers craft & art endeavours. You can contact Chris: chriscardbarry@yahoo.com.au

monet & the impressionists

Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment

Claude Monet


the exhibition was well worth the trip to Wellington with dear hubby and 3 children in tow. There were 27 Monet paintings to view including Meadow with poplars, Camille Monet and a child in the artist's garden in Argenteuil as well as works from his Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series. The exhibition was structured into 7 parts:

Monet's early career
Sources of inspiration
Monet and early Impressionism
Monet and the triumph of Impressionism: the 1880s
Monet and Japanese art
Monet's series
Monet and Impressionism after 1900

Monet's impressive works were displayed alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Cezanne, Boudin, Millet, Corot, Courbet, Jongkind, Manet, Rousseau, Toulmache & Troyou.

I also viewed 'Impressions of France: French prints 1850–1900' featuring etchings, lithographs & woodcuts from Impressionist & Post Impressionist movements as well as from members of the Barbizon School including Toulouse Lautrec, Manet, Corot, Renoir and others.

I was thrilled by all that I saw. I studied art history years ago and fell in love with the impressionists paintings, with Monet being my all time favourite painter. There's nothing quite like seeing the paintings in person. Prints and photos just don't do the artworks enough justice. I went back and looked at the paintings from different angles and distances and noted new details in light, colour even brushwork detail that I hadn't seen before.

Apart from viewing the exhibition, I did some shopping, saw some great crafty stuff (I'll post about that later) and did a lot of walking. I love Wellington!

Impressionists are coming

Just opened up my latest 'NZ House and Garden' magazine and read that the largest collection of over 55 Impressionists paintings held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is coming to New Zealand. It's a rare chance for us downunder to see stunning works from Claude Monet’s Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series, alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Degas, and others. I'm so excited!

The paintings will only be exhibited at Te Papa, Wellington. It's a once in a lifetime chance for me to see these amazing works in person. I have to go! I don't think that I'll ever get this chance again. Now, it's working out when to go and booking the flights etc. Dear hubby suggests that we drive down and enjoy the countryside. I'm resisting the idea of 9 hour long drive, as I want to spend every available minute enjoying all the artwork.

Back from Wellington

I'm back from Wellington, feeling recharged with inspiration and creativity. I went to Te Papa to see the Rita Angus art exhibition. I've always loved Rita's works and to be able to view 200 of her works in person was something quite special.

There wasn't any time for fabric shopping. However I did manage to buy 2 really great books: Rita Angus art prints book and Thrift to Fantasy by Rosemary Macleod. Looking forward to reading both books cover to cover.