Review – The Clapperton Diaries by John Clapperton with Crispin Caldicott

A charming story right from the beginning, The Clapperton Diaries is at once gentle, good-humoured, and quintessentially New Zealand. Written virtually as a monologue with judicious editing by Crispin Caldicott, the well-paced story starts with a transcription of the original journal of John (Jack) Clapperton’s grandfather, William Nicol Clapperton. Eloquent, witty, observant, and an excellent […]

Chris Talbot Wilkie – Loss and Redemption

Chris Talbot Wilkie is respected for his oil paintings and drawings which frequently deal with New Zealandness – landscapes infused with lost species and ghostly ancestry – but it was producing immense murals which initially distinguished him. His art is also the story of a small town New Zealand boy whose interests became powerful statements […]

Jo Hardy – Dragon Driven Artist

  Interviews at Maungakaramea with Theresa Sjoquist  1994/2014/2016 Youth “I’m a messy worker,” said Jo Hardy in 1994. “Cigarette butts, apple cores, old mouldy coffee cups, lids off all the tubes and lost. From out of my chaos come excessively ordered images. Sharpened edges tidied obsessively are something I cannot resist. I’ve given up trying. […]

Reyburn House Art Gallery – Fascinating History – Whangarei, New Zealand

  The History of Reyburn House Art gallery opens in 1840 with William Carruth, Whangarei’s first European settler. Carruth made a point of recording his experiences. “When we arrived at Whangarei, I found that a large raupo whare, but made of bulrushes, had been erected for me, so taking possession, I was duly installed as […]

A Review and New Information on Yvonne Rust, QSM

This combination of a review and an offering of information on the life and times of Yvonne Rust, recently recieved from John Ball, speaks for itself. The image shows detail of a large statue designed and created by Yvonne Rust with help in the construction from others, which stands at the entrance to the Quarry […]