Ōtautahi Studios

I have a great kōrero with the one and only Delaney Davidson. Most will know Delaney through his music, a well known and loved singer songwriter from Ōhinehou, Lyttelton. We delve into his visual art practice that has been with him since a young age. In recent months Delaney has put his soul into an upcoming exhibition ’101 Paintings’ and he shares how a dark moment in life led him back to the canvas and painting. He shares creative wisdom by himself and a golden nugget by Llew Summers.

In this episode I have a kōrero with my friend and fellow artist Rebecca Harris. We get to delve into her magical world and she shares anecdotes of her childhood experiences growing up in Golden Bay. We learn of her path from the small primary school in Collingwood to Fine Arts at Canterbury University where she developed her ethereal painting technique. Prior to doing her masters Rebecca had mainly made ceramic work and was about to have a show at CoCA when the first big earthquake hit.

I this episode I catch up with with visual artists Katharina Jaeger and Shannon Williamson. They share their individual stories from childhood and their fascinating practice to their art practice. We learn how Katharina went from working at a high end fashion house in Zurich to window dressing in Invercargill. How an art/science residency in Perth made a sleep scientist of Shannon. We also have a kōrero about their collaboration towards their upcoming exhibition at Stoddart Cottage. 

Three friends come together creating a body of work for an Exhibition at Stoddart Cottage in Te Waipapa. They are inspired by the notion that in a throw away society, making do with what we already have is a rebellious act. In this episode Lucy Dolan Kang, Rebecca Smallridge and Tamara Rookes have a kōrero about their work, the current state of the world, about slowing down, the enjoyment and challenges working with recycling materials and that spending time together is a wonderful thing.

My kōrero with Pip Judge and Belinda Currie both teachers in the after 3 program at Hagley college. We learn about their background and how they came to teach art. They share their experiences of teaching and the joy themselves and their students experience being part of after 3. I also have a fantastic kōrero with Alan Cummins who has taught wood sculpture at Risingholme for the past 15 years. Alan’s insight into art and his interest in the spiritual manifestation is a fascinating listen. 

"In this episode I have the absolute pleasure to have an in-depth kōrero with Jonathan Smart. Jonathan has been running his Gallery here in Ōtautahi since 1988. He shares his story about his early days as a young child in Gore and at five coming to Ōtautahi where he received his education and was one of the early MA students at UC. Jonathan shares antidotes of the art scene in the early 80’s and the story behind opening the Gallery. There is a gold nugget at the end of this Kōrero, Enjoy! "

Episode 30 is a ramble between Ri Williamson and myself, our thoughts on the new year, world events, books and the value of trying new things. This is the last episode of the first season as the show takes on a new format in season 2 which airs second Thursday of each month at 9pm through Plains Media

In episode I have an in-depth kōrero with the brilliant Kim Lowe. We learn about her introduction to art at primary school and although she tried other avenues her calling to the Arts led her pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dunedin. After further study at UC and years of teaching, Kim is now embarking on a PhD investigating her artistic path through study, practice, and the intuition of the creative mind. We also learn that the English cottage garden is in fact a multicultural affair.

Liz shares her admiration for Werner Herzog's work in film and writing and gives us some recommendations on the subject.

This was part of our kōrero from episode 28 that I thought was too good not to include, Enjoy!

"In this episode I have an interesting kōrero with the fabulous Liz Boldt from Linwood Arts. This gallery has a strong heart beat, it facilitates more opportunities to engage in creativity than most galleries. Through exhibitions, art classes, workshops, volunteer opportunities this space enables the community to explore art in many different ways and all of them are accessible to the public. This is art for the people brought to us in a thoughtful and considered manifestation."