The art of the Potter family
'Potticelli at Blue Orange' exposes the varied styles of creative interpretation within one family through painting.
With four members of one family in one show the viewer can observe the similarities genetics provides - a nature versus nurture example within the medium of painting.
The Potter family draws inspiration for their art from a combined African and New Zealand cultural background, which is reflected in their striking canvas’s through vibrant use of colour and composition.
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In Tuakau, a small community just south of Auckland, famous for its once being the home of the then beekeeper, Sir Edmond Hillery, one can find Blue Orange contemporary NZ Art Gallery. It is also just north of Hobbiton, once home to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. In a more contemporary context the Blue Orange contemporary NZ Art Gallery is hosting the world premier of a family of NZ contemporary painters : The Potter Family. No relation to Harry of course.
“Never before have so many in one family painted so much for so few,” says Francis Potter, the youngest of the Potter brothers, who is joined in the striking exhibition by Bruce, Bernard and Ireen, the Potter matriarch.
“A matriarch in the chicken world would be big, very strong with lots of feathers, I am more like a Bantam,” says Ireen on her matriarch status. The boys like to think of her as “mum” and say there really isn’t anything foul about her.
All members in the Potter family are creative people, and all the members of the exhibition are practicing artists. Ireen has had a flowering in her painting post menopause, Bruce is most notable for his fantastic career as one of New Zealand’s premier children’s book illustrators and Francis is an Elam graduate with loads of international exhibitions. Bernard practices painting when he can get his head out of biology experiments, but everybody thinks he’s cool, because he’s Bern.
The collective creative achievements of this family are both awesome and varied.
Bruce has illustrated Witi Ihimaera’s “The Whale Rider” and many more popular NZ children’s books. Bruce has also had a fantastic painting career, both in New Zealand and South Africa. Ireen is most notable for creating her strapping sons “the boys”, also a creative career spanning advertising, newspapers, illustration, education, writing books and many exhibitions. All of these spread over many continents. Ireen was also invited by the Governor General to be an Arts Representative for Auckland in 1999.
Francis, who lives in Europe, has had a lively and successful painting career exhibiting in Europe, the UK and New Zealand. Francis is also an MFA Graduate from Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University and a very successful secondary art teacher. Bernard has had exhibitions and representation in New Zealand when he isn’t involved with biological experiments, being cool or going for a surf.
The exhibition exposes the varied styles of creative interpretation within one family through painting and the similarities genetics provides. A nature versus nurture example within the medium of painting. The Potter family draws inspiration for their art from a combined African and New Zealand cultural background, which is reflected in their striking canvas’s through vibrant use of colour and composition.
Potticelli at Blue Orange “The art of the Potter family”
The exhibition opens on Tuesday the 23 February at 18:00 and runs through March. The Potters are quite the family if you get to know them, four artists in one family. No relation to Harry of course.
Blue Orange contemporary NZ Art Gallery, 29 George Street, Taukau
09 2369331
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