The Otago Art Society Demo Days is a week where a bunch of us artists set up and work in the gallery. Some artists will do a couple of days, others the full week. It’s such a beautiful gallery setting in Dunedin’s iconic railway building and there were lots of visitors coming along to see how we make our art. Organized this year by myself and good friend Lorna Allen, it went off beautifully. No mean feat trying to organize over 20 artists! (a bit like herding cats)-sorry artists, very friendly cats!

It’s quite a change working alongside a bunch of other artists, a very social time with loads of laughs, a sharing of ideas and nice having a decent amount of time to get to know each other. A refreshing change from working alone at home. Big days though, with no distraction (walks, washing to put out, procrastination to do) just like a real job where you actually have to show up and do something!

The Hope gallery at the Otago Art Society

It was a delight coming in each morning with the gallery abuzz and alive with artists and chatter. Cheese puffs, muffins, scones, bikkies and pikelets with jam and cream were all devoured with delight, which was a good thing because I forgot to take lunch most days.

I’m always fascinated with how other artists work, the materials, techniques and approaches. Everyone is so different even within one genre like landscape painting one artist will spend a couple of months finishing a painting in acrylics another an afternoon in watercolour. The artist talks were fascinating, giving a real insight into work and work practices.

A mask above, and a drawing from a few years ago.

I had an artist’s talk about how I moved into making mixed media sculpture. When sifting through my past artworks I found one of my pencil pieces. I still have a love for making this style of work, it’s really an extended doodle. I start in much the same way as my sculptures, with a rough idea in my head that I build on as I go. I have a love of drawing on really nice paper, there’s something about how a smooth hot press heavy paper takes a pencil……

I really liked how the shadows from the mask above fell onto the paper.

It’s great practice in explaining how and why you do your art in an artist talk. I find it helps me clarify things better in my own head when I have to define things for others. As always, a lot of questions come up about how I make things and the clays I use. I feel I should almost be getting sponsored by Nara clay, I’m so enthusiastic about its properties that over the course of the week there’s been quite a few people rushing off to buy some.

Well, in between the laughing and chatting I thought I should also get some work done! I made a couple of small things then started on a bigger piece. I’d had this idea of a house on chicken legs in my head for a while so decided it was time to get busy. I’m not usually a ‘house’ person but I figured an animalistic sort of house would be right up my alley.

The house was loosely based on Baba Yaga’s house. Baba Yaga is a figure in Slavic folklore who lives in a house on chicken legs, but really just an excuse to make a crazy house on chicken legs. I wanted it to be a tower-like structure and see where I could take the idea.

My setup including the house in progress

Once I had the base coat on, I started building up colour. I did like how sinister it looked all black but not quite what I was after. There’s a bit more thinking to go into it yet.

Someone mentioned the house needed horns, so horns it now has!

The week is a good reminder of how important art communities are for artists with the sharing of ideas and support. When working alone a lot it’s nice to be reminded of the world outside your studio, other artists can suggest new ideas and tips from a technical ‘I didn’t know my phone could do that!’ to a ‘red would look good there’. I came home tired but very happy.

As for the house… I’ll keep you posted.

Demo Days

A big mask