VIERNES, EL VEINTITRES DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ

"...Sometimes, when our Prebendary was tired of painting, he would ask the student
who assisted him for the chisels, the mallet, and other tools to work on some sculpture,
saying that he wanted to rest a while. The youth would laugh at this
and tell him, "that's a fine way to rest, master, putting down a little brush
and picking up a mallet!" To which the Prebendary would respond,
"You are a big fool! Don't you know that it is more work to give form and
volume to that which has neither that to give form
to that which has volume?"..."

FROM PALOMINO'S
LIFE OF ALFONSO CANO

JUEVES, EL VEINTIDOS DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DEIZ
Below is part of an article written by Roy Dunningham about the Creative Hawke's Bay Invitational in The BayBuzz. He has some kind words to say about my work in the exhibition. To read the full article, click here.

Creative Hawke’s Bay Invitational, Hastings City Art Gallery – April 10-June 27 2010

It has taken awhile, but Creative Hawke’s Bay has got the formula right for this year’s Invitationals exhibition.

The old Hawke’s Bay Review had been in decline and was replaced by the Invitationals which revived standards and artist participation. A stand-down policy provided opportunities for fresh talent to emerge. It worked well but one problem remained. Last year one or two artists were less than rigorous in monitoring the qualities of the work they submitted. To address this a selector has been engaged this year in the person of curator Tim Walker.

Selecting in art can be problematic but, done well, it gives an exhibition form and a point of view. In the past this had been highlighted by the fascinating “Salon des Refusés” of work rejected from the old Hawke’s Bay Reviews held at Wine Country Gallery in Havelock North. Certainly, the resulting Invitationals show this year is one of the most consistent in quality that I can recall...

...The most original work in the exhibition is from Matt Couper. He employs quasi-mystical texts and symbols taken from a range of religious and philosophical orders over the ages. The symbols were of doubtful effectiveness in their original context, but they can tell us a lot about the way the human mind deals with hopes and fears and tries to explain the inexplicable. The presentation of these ideas is wonderfully pungent, painterly and idiosyncratic....

...There are too many good things in this show to cover in this review. Go and see it for yourself.

Selector Tim Walker has given us an exhibition that truly looks at Hawke’s Bay in its many aspects. This is not the “colourful at all costs” Hawke’s Bay of tourist promotions but is darker and deeper. And a lot more interesting.

MIERCOLES, EL VEINTIUNO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
The photo on the left was taken on the 22nd of April, 2007, several months before I had my Tylee Cottage residency show at the Sarjeant Gallery. The stitched-together photo on the right was taken yesterday, almost three years later. I thought this might be of interest as we will be moving out of this studio soon.

MARTES, EL VEINTE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
A newspaper article by Laurel Stowell of the Whanganui Chronicle. It was in last Wednesday's paper, but I only got to see it yesterday, since I've been down in Wellington.
If you click on the image below, it will enlarge so you can read the text.

LUNES, EL DIECINUEVE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
I've had a few enquiries and comments on the frames I choose for my works. The frames I use are in keeping with the Spanish/Mexican Colonial period and I hand-make them myself. This is so the frame is on the same level as the work. In keeping with tradition, I want the object to be a whole thing, not just a painting with a box around it I paint the painting myself, so I make the frame myself.
It was a while before I saw antique hand-made frames from this period, so I've done a bit of research in looking at the difference in design from different periods and locations. With retablo painting, the work was often framed by a nicho - a decorative flat-sided frame made of thin tin with pressed and punched-in designs. I prefer wooden frames as they provide strength to the painting on metal. I source the frame designs from different places. My painting on the top right, presently on exhibition at Paper-Works in Napier, is based on a carved wooden example that frames a stunning 19th Century Crucifixion owned by a friend up in Auckland. The other painting, bottom-right, presently on display at Mark Hutchins Gallery in Wellington, is based on a simple wooden construction framing a San Camilo de Lelis retablo, bottom-left, courtesy of Historia Antiques in Santa Monica, USA.

DOMINGO, EL DIECIOCHO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ

Installation Photographs of my recent exhibition at Rayner Brothers Gallery in Whanganui.

VIERNES, EL DIECISEIS DE ABRIL, VIENTE-DIEZ
Installation Photographs of recent exhibition at Mark Hutchins Gallery in Wellington.

MARTES, EL TRECE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
One of the eight new works that will be on display at Mark Hutchins Gallery from this Thursday to Sunday. The oil and collage on canvas painting is 1680mm high by 1280mm wide and is titled 'Half and Half'. It relates to a smaller painting that was worked on at the same time as this one below, but this one slipped through the net at the time - that was October 2008. It has since been three other paintings, a whole new painting painted on the back and now finally finished, ready to be stretched over a wooden frame for display.
You can view all the works in the exhibition here on my website.

LUNES, EL DOCE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Below, left is a painting by Salomon de Bray of Samson with the Jawbone (1636, oil on canvas, 622mm x 508mm).
I first saw this painting at the Getty Museum, terribly jet-lagged, in Los Angeles in 2004 and it grabbed my attention once more in 2008. First, I was interested in the facial structure, isometrically distorted, similar to Da Vinci's lost painting Madonna of the Yarnwinder (circa 1501). Second, the liquid coming out of the jawbone. Here's the reason for this symbolism (taken from the Getty Website):
Holding the jawbone as his attribute, Samson looks upward, perhaps to God. The great strongman slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass (Judges 15:19). Overcome by thirst, he then drank from the rock at Lechi, a name that also means "jawbone" in Hebrew. Due to a mistaken translation in the Dutch Bible, some artists depicted Samson with a jawbone, rather than the rock, issuing water.
I've used this symbol in my painting on the right, called Measured Sadness, as this for me, reinforces the multiplicity of meanings in the symbolism of historical art and the signifiers I use in my paintings to re-interpret my historical interests, while still trying to push forward. Everything means something, yet it can still act like mercury - reforming itself constantly. I'm not so much interested in the posterity of my work, but from the other direction - time often changes meaning.

DOMINGO, EL ONCE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Hello All,

You are invited to attend the opening of 'Culturally Baroque' and 'Antiquarius', a new selection of my paintings exhibited next to classical antiquities from the Mediterranean dated 3000BC - 500AD.

The exhibition opens Thursday night, 5.30pm - 7.30pm, 15th of April, 2010 and will continue through to 5pm, Sunday 18th of April, 2010.

**Please note that this exhibition only runs for FOUR DAYS ONLY and this will be my last showing in Wellington while still living in NZ before my wife and I move to the USA in June**

I will be exhibiting selection of new retablo-sized oil paintings on metal, two larger colonial-style framed oils on metal and one large oil painting on canvas.

You will be able to view all the work in the exhibition at this link Tuesday the 13th of April and any enquiries can be directed to Mark Hutchins Gallery at mark@mhgallery.co.nz, 216a Upper Willis Street, Wellington.

SABATO, EL DIEZ DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Photos from the opening of the Creative Hawke's Bay Invitational by J.K. Russ.
Clockwise from top, left: braziers outside the Hastings City Art Gallery; my work, Reloj De La Recesion (poliptico) on the plinth with Helen Kerridge's Not A Bad Drop on the wall; another view of Reloj De La Recesion and Rectangulo De Tiempos Del Final on the wall; another view with Martin Selman's marble Self-Portrait, Reworked and Revisited. You can view images of my paintings here.

VIERNES, EL NUEVE DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Tonight is the opening of the Creative Hawke's Bay Invitational. Two works of mine from 2009 were selected to be displayed.

JUEVES, EL OCHO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
A Lego policeman made by my nephew Tom, with a little bit of help from me. The policeman sports an open mouth, moustache and rifle.

MARTES, EL SEIS DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
A photo of Benedict Quilter by J.K. Russ at the opening and book-launch of Blue-Eyed Son at Manky Chops, Cuba Street, Wellington. The book Blue-Eyed Son, a limited edition, hardback, full-colour, 44-paged book is available to purchase from Manky Chops at $100 each.

DOMINGO, EL CUATRO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
6pm this Monday, Blue-Eyed Son, a book launch and exhibition of featured artworks of Kurt Cobain, is opening at Manky Chops in Wellington.
Monday is the 16th anniversary of Cobain's Death.
The limited-edition, hardback book features writing by its author and editor, Benedict Quilter and artworks by forty artists responding to Kurt Cobain. I've included my image on the right - a pencil drawing of a short-haired Cobain, sporting a Daniel Johnston 'Hi, How Are You? The Unfinished Album' Tee-shirt. In the original photograph, Cobain is standing with Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
More details about the booklaunch are on the base of the poster on the left - just click on the image below.

SABATO, EL TRES DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Studio photograph taken today. The work on the walls will be exhibited at Mark Hutchins Gallery in mid-April.

VIERNES, EL DOS DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
Happy Easter

JUEVES, EL UNO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-DIEZ
FELIZ SANTA SEMANA!
A sera una vista asombrosa para ver Nazarenos el recorrer abajo de la calle principal de Whanganui?...aunque, no piense Michael Laws lo quisiera.

MARTES, EL TREINTA DE MARZO, VEINTE-DIEZ

Hello All,

You are invited to 'Malfunction Baroque', a new selection of ceramics and paintings.

The exhibition opens this Thursday night, 5.30pm, 1st of April, 2010 and will continue through to the 15th of May.

Fifteen new functional ceramic works, four glazed plates and three new monochromatic retablo paintings on metal will be exhibited.

You will be able to view the work in the exhibition on my website from this Thursday. Any enquiries can be directed to Paul or Mark Rayner at Rayner Brothers Gallery, 52 Guyton Street, Whanganui.

Hasta pronto

Matthew Couper

LUNES, EL VEINTINUEVE DE MARZO, VEINTE-DIEZ
This Thursday, my exhibition, Malfunction Baroque opens at the Rayner Brothers Gallery, Whanganui.
Here's one of the functional works, a salt and pepper set called Sailor's Pride Devotional Condiment Set.
I'll post details about the show tomorrow.