Watch this I AM TV show feature of my art that aired 10th Dec on TV 2 in New Zealand.

Earlier this year The New Zealand Portrait Gallery commissioned me to do a painting of Dame Joan Metge to be part of their permanent collection and their current exhibition entitled The Makers of Modern New Zealand 1930 – 1990.

The show is on until 12 February 2012 at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Shed 11, Wellington Waterfront, so check it out this summer if you get the chance.

"Dame Joan Metge" by Sofia Minson 85x180cm oil on canvas

Have you heard of Joan Metge? I hadn’t when I was first asked to do her portrait and now I’m so glad to have met her and learnt about her contributions to Maori/Pakeha relations since the 1950s.

Click here for more about Dame Joan Metge and this Portrait

Click here for Wellington exhibition “The Makers of Modern NZ 1930-1990″ and photos of Opening Night

Curator Brian Easton with Minson's painting "Dame Joan Metge"

"Alison Holst" by Freeman White

"Ian Cross" by Harriet Bright

The opening last week of my exhibition of new works at Parnell Gallery was a great success. Click here to view pictures from the exhibition.

Thanks to all of you who’ve seen the show, if you haven’t it runs until December 6th so there’s still time to check it out.

It was a genuinely special moment when Tiki Taane got to see his two large-scale portraits with full-face moko for the first time in the flesh.

Watch this interview with Tiki Taane and I from opening night…

Exhibition Dates: 22 November to 6 December 2011

Gallery Hours: Open seven days
Monday – Friday 9:30am – 5:30pm
Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 11:00am – 4:00pm

Parnell Gallery: 263 Parnell Rd, Auckland

I’d like to invite you all to my exhibition of new oil paintings at Parnell Gallery…

“Connecting Threads”
A joint show with Matt Gauldie and Sofia Minson
Exhibition Dates: 22 November to 6 December 2011
Venue: 263 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland
Check out the details here

Come to the exhibition on opening night to enjoy a glass of wine at 5:30pm on Tuesday 22nd November 2011.

Click here for full story and pictures of my new paintings

See you at the exhibition!

Taster of paintings to be revealed in the show:

"Freedom to Be" by Sofia Minson, 178 x 107 cm, Oil on Canvas

"Toia Mai Te Waka" by Sofia Minson, 150 x 55 cm, Oil on Canvas

"Tiki Taane" by Sofia Minson, 180 x 85 cm, Oil on Canvas

"Korihi Te Manu" by Sofia Minson, 158 x 84 cm, Oil on Canvas

You should click this link to view more information about the exhibition.

Check out the article… Orakei School Art Exhibition and Sale is less than a week away!

Click here for Orakei School Art Exhibition and Sale details

It’s been a total joy collaborating with 8 to 12-year-old kids from Orakei School.  I think we’ve managed to create something uniquely kiwi.

These three artworks entitled Papa, Moana and Tane are individual strips of canvas painted by the children that I have woven and framed with driftwood from Ohope Beach.

The concept of weaving evokes unity, with all of the children’s diverse, vibrant strips of canvas coming together into an indivisible, complete artwork.

The kids’ paintings are inspired by anything that is special to them – Maori and Pacific patterns, their favourite sports teams, video games, friends and family.

The children I had the honour of collaborating with are smart with great senses of humour and even though they come from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds, a sense of unity has been cultivated at the school, a sense of whanau.

Click here to find out about the November 4-6 Orakei School Art Sale, where these three works will be exhibited and auctioned off.

What’s the latest creative activity you’ve done with kids? Share your experience below or email sofia@sofiaminson.com and I’ll add it…

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Darcy Nicholas - Artist, Writer, Curator

Kim Hill interviewed respected Maori painter, sculptor, writer, and curator Darcy Nicholas on Radio NZ National and brought up the concept of the dancing bear in relation to indigenous people creating art out of their traditional culture for a modern audience.

Darcy said “what you have to do is know the difference between the dancing bear and the real bear, because the real bear is going to eat you.”

Anyone know what that means?!

SEE RESPONSE TO THIS POST FROM DARCY NICHOLAS HIMSELF!

“If we liken it back to Maori culture” Darcy continues, “we have to understand the difference between the real thing and the entertainment thing.  And quite often people get confused.”

Sounds fair, but I’ve got to say that being an entertainer (i.e. visual artist) myself, there is noooooooo clear line between what’s ‘real’ and what’s ‘entertainment’.

Kind of like our previous conversation about whether creating something new out of Maori designs is legitimate borrowing or appropriation, all of you had so many different views.

Is Kapa haka real or entertainment?  Are my paintings real or entertainment? Was the beautiful, moving opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup real or entertainment?  It felt like both to me.

So no, I don’t think we’re dancing bears.  When I paint, the spirit in which I create is real because the artwork is an extension of myself.  Plus my art looks good on a wall therefore it’s also entertaining.

What do you think? Please leave a reply below or email sofia@sofiaminson.com…

"Russian Bear" by Sofia Minson, oil on canvas, 850mm high x 1800mm wide

If you have 36 minutes to spare, which may seem like an eternity for some, but not for us painters who spend hours in the studio, you should listen to the interview…Kim Hill interviews Maori artist Darcy Nicholas on Radio NZ

SEE RESPONSE TO THIS POST FROM DARCY NICHOLAS HIMSELF!

Come and say hi and watch my painting process unfold from 10am – midday tomorrow (Wednesday 12th October) at the Gifford Gallery in Mt Eden.

Refreshments are included in the $6 entry fee.

I’ll be demonstrating smooth blending techniques that I’ve developed over the past decade using thin layers of oil paint on canvas and merging with wide brushes.

Come and ask questions and get a sneak peak of new landscape and portrait pieces I’m working on for a November 2011 joint show with Matt Gauldie at Parnell Gallery.

Listen to the great review of the new book Artists’ Impressions of New Zealand on Radio New Zealand National with my paintings being described as ‘haunting’.

Compiled by Denis Robinson, the book features four of my oil paintings as well as landscape and cityscape works by nearly 60 other artists.

The gorgeous coffee table book is an artist’s road trip of sorts – a journey from the top to the bottom of New Zealand.

Order the book online here

Listen to the book review here

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So I’ve had to learn to accept NRL into my life and I’ve come to quite enjoy it… sometimes. It makes more sense to me than rugby union and The Footy Show is funny.

On hubby-to-be’s bucket list was “go to an NRL Grand Final with the Warriors playing” so without hesitation we bought tickets to Sydney when our boys became finalists.

Okay so we didn’t win the game but don’t let those Australians tell you they had little hope of doing so.  I think the Warriors had every chance and ability, especially in those first 20 minutes – their defence was air tight and it could have been either team’s game.

Anyway here is our awesome banner that I painted (see this post is totally art related) of Shaun Johnson about to shear an eagle.  Hmmm the cockiness would really only work if we’d won…

Out will come the banner next year when we play the Manly Sea Eagles again!

By the way, Sydney’s transport to and from the game with 80,000 plus people was amazing – loads of uncrowded buses, trains and a massive car park at the stadium.  Honestly Auckland, just copy a system that already works.