Into Light + Cloud Cuckoo Land
28 November—18 December
This dual exhibition features new work from two of Artis Gallery’s represented artists, Bridget Bidwill and Bronwynne Cornish. Cornish’s work looks at the crossover between animals and people, while Bidwill uses the medium of painting to evoke feeling and thought.
Image: ‘Junction’ by Bridget Bidwill; ‘Owl Jug (Black)’ and ‘Owl Jug (Red)’ by Bronwynne Cornish
Bridget Bidwill—Into Light
Bridget Bidwill studied at the IIam School of Fine Arts at Canterbury University, completing her Diploma of fine Arts in Painting in 1977. Bidwill currently lives and works from her studio in Blenheim.
Bidwill has been represented at ARTIS Gallery since 1997 and has held solo exhibitions, joint exhibitions and presented with ARTIS at the Auckland Art Fair over the past twenty six years.
Bidwill’s sublime use of colour was initially influenced by her years spent in the Renaissance cities of Europe of Europe. Subtle tonalities evoke atmosphere and space, enhanced by the depths of the pastel or transparency of the oil stick.
“One of my primary aims is to use the medium of painting to evoke feeling and thought. Just as instrumental and classical music needs no lyrics to create atmosphere and meaning, an abstract painting does not need to copy reality to prove its intellectual and aesthetic worth.” – Bidwill
Bronwynne Cornish
Born in Wellington in 1945, Bronwynne Cornish has become one of New Zealand’s best known makers of sculptural ceramics throughout a career which spans over forty years.
Cornish’s approach towards her sculpture has earned her recognition and critical acclaim as a highly influential contributor to New Zealand ceramics and art education. Her work has been exhibited throughout the country, where she has had major shows in all the main museums and galleries.
Cornish’s work looks at the crossover between animals and people –placing those characteristics in fine balance and emphasising the “wildness” that we have lost in our lives today.
She notes, “I make work that I hope will create a certain atmosphere, ring a long-lost bell, and help people create their own mythologies.”
