Official NZ Military Artist Matt Gauldie will be the guest speaker at the Opening of the 2016 Mercury Bay Art Escape and Taste of the Tour Showcase Exhibition at Hot Waves Cafe, Hot Water Beach on Friday 4th March 2016.
On March 7th, Matt will host a workshop titled ‘The figure in art…portraiture and the ace up your sleeve’ which will include discussions about the role of Portraiture in 2D and 3D Art, some practical painting demonstrations and more. It will be held at the Whitianga Art Group Rooms, 20 School Road, Whitianga.
Matt recently completed a bronze sculpture of World War One artist and soldie Sapper Moore-Jones for the Hamilton city council which can be found in Victoria Street. It is located near the site of the Hamilton Hotel, where Sapper Moore-Jones died in 1922 during a fire from which he was rescuing others. The sculpture ‘The Line of Fire’ stands on a seven tonne plinth of granite sourced from the battlefields of Gallipoli where Sapper Moore-Jones served and painted the Private ‘Simpson and his Donkey’, one of the most beloved Anzac paintings completed during Gallipoli.
Gauldie’s role as the official New Zealand Defence Forces artist has led him to countries such as Afghanistan, Antarctica, East Timor and the Solomon Islands where he completes paintings of war action. Matt has been described as a ‘vibrant, enthusiastic member of the art community and has that “number eight wire” quality and combined with a dry sense of humour will make for an entertaining speaker’ by Trust Chairman Stuart Christie.
Tickets to this sell-out public event are available on the Art Escape website. The Art Escape Open Studio Tour weekends on March 5 and 6 and March 12 and 13, 2016 provide an opportunity for locals and visitors to interact with the artists and purchase artworks directly. This is a great chance to observe the artistic talent of approximately 37 local artists from Kouatunu to Tairua in the Eastern Coromandel District. Artworks presented can be found in a variety of media from jewellery to photography.