Respected art tutor and artist delivers free art talk

New Queenstown art gallery Artbay is staging a free art talk next week with one of the region’s most respected art tutors, established artist Shaun Burdon.

Mr Burdon, currently a senior lecturer with the Otago Polytechnic and living in Bendigo, will deliver the educational talk at Artbay’s ‘industrial New York-style’ gallery space in the new Mountaineer building in central Queenstown.

Held from 5.30pm to 7pm on Monday September 14, Mr Burdon’s first talk, one of a series to be held bi-monthly at the gallery, will be on ‘How Paintings Work’.

“I’ll be talking about why paintings turn out the way they do, how the artists compose them, the thought processes, and the context in which they were executed, bearing in mind the social and historical context,” he said.

Future art talk topics will include an overview of the landscape in New Zealand painting, the Portinari Altarpiece, an extraordinary painting by Hugo van der Goes, Picasso's Guernica and why it is one of the most powerful paintings ever produced, Art and Faith (how artists have expressed the concept of faith in painting and sculpture), and contemporary themes in painting.

Artbay owner Pauline Bianchi said the talks by Mr Burdon, and future exhibitions, art classes, and demonstrations by artists in residence, were all designed to reinforce Artbay’s positioning as an art destination.

“As a gallery, we pride ourselves on showcasing modern, contemporary, uber, beautiful and interesting and artworks, by emerging and established New Zealand artists and sculptors,” she said.

“But as an art destination we see these free talks as a contribution to our community, aimed at giving an insight into the world of art for everyone from young aspiring artists at our schools to locals or visitors who simply want to add another level of understanding to their appreciation of art in all its forms.”

Mr Burdon has worked as an artist and art lecturer for more than 30 years, including time spent painting in Australia, Munich, London and even the Auckland Islands in the sub-Antarctic. Over the years he has won numerous prizes, awards and grants, and staged many solo and group exhibitions. His work also features in collections all around New Zealand.

Although the talk is free, spaces are limited so attendees are asked to book by email to pauline@artbay.co.nz or by calling (03) 442 9090.