An invitation to our first exhibition opening of the New Year.

“ONE – An Exhibition” features the work of Angela M. Sefton with an Opening night on Monday 7th January at 5.30pm.

Read more about Angela below and see what inspires this insightful artist

My name is Angela Sefton. I am a Taranaki based artist.

Photography allows me to document things I find beautiful, compelling and challenging. I love old buildings. I love their faded elegance, their stoic charm, their promise now neglected and abandoned. I wonder what stories they hold. I love trees and like to notice beauty in unlikely places.

I paint primarily abstract paintings using colour, texture, layering, mixing and scraping to make my images. I mostly use my hands rather than brushes or traditional painting tools. My paintings are always an emotional response to something and I tend to let things evolve organically, only starting with a concept, an emotion, a word, a specific colour or just an instinct or feeling.

I draw inspiration from old buildings, neglected bridges, nature, history, travel, poems and stories, city streets, beaches, patterns, symbols, a wide assortment of found papers and images, photos, books and magazines, old finds and new things, seeking beauty in the discarded and unnoticed.

I also create mixed media art pieces and enjoy journaling and writing. I write a blog (an online journal/art-space) where I share creative ideas and thoughts with 200 followers (fellow artists/bloggers) from all around the world and I have sold my work both internationally and locally. The blog is central to my art – it is my global community of supporters, peers (fellow artists) and customers .

I wanted to take the concept of a “virtual” thing like my blog and make it a “real” thing to see, enjoy and/or consider. The pieces are all connected through my blog and they all have a story. Images are varied but all share a commonality of high contrast, a sense of drama, a lot of colour and texture, use of symbols and text, and finding beauty in unexpected places. The photography is almost all taken around Taranaki and south Taranaki coast.

This is my first exhibition as a full time artist. What people can expect is a real mix of Taranaki photography, some mixed media pieces, abstract paintings and some blog entries presented (which are essentially stories with images).

Looking forward to seeing you on the 7th Jan 2013 5.30pm

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season and thank you for your support of our iconic Real Tart Gallery

This was a mail out “invitation” from the Real Tart Gallery, to friends of the Gallery, which I extend to you also.

angela sefton exhibition (2)

Unfinished Business has ended.

Here is my latest painting, finished finally. I noticed my last blog about it was called Unfinished business and the name seems to have stuck for some reason. I think it can be interpreted quite a few ways. It is already now for the exhibition and it is large, heavily textured, quite dramatic, and I am relieved it is finished. It seems a long way from my original intention of a light and bright image (I had felt my previous works were too dark looking), but they always seem to almost take on their own life. Almost all the white is now layered underneath blues, purples and blacks.

I have about 12 paintings now ready for the exhibition. A couple I feel especially attached too, and if they sell, I think I will be quietly quite sad but also thrilled. Along with the paintings I have about 30 framed photographs ready, 10 “picture stories” (blog musings and meanderings with images) and a few other surprises…I am feeling pretty organised now, finally. Its been a mammoth effort (and a huge expense) but feels very good to see it all coming together. I will be sure to post some images once it is all set up in the gallery next week.

The last day of the year. I am looking forward to next year, with all its surprises, journeys and opportunities. I casually looked up my astrological sign in the newspaper today – a horoscope forecast for 2013 and it said “You show an obvious creativity that’s certain to get you noticed. Discard any self doubts, reaffirm strengths and meet your ambitions…its a year for professional breakthrough”. I don’t know if its true, but I like it, and with the exhibition a week away, it felt like a good omen!

May you have a wonderful New Years Eve tonight and a great New Years Day tomorrow. Wherever you are, I hope you are with those closest to you and feeling creative and positive as we herald in a New Year and hope for a brighter, safer, happier and more peaceful year.

Christmas eve at the beach

Christmas eve, a big storm threatening, a hot, sticky day….one last walk to the cliff edge before the sun really disappeared and what an incredible sight!

Not the point…

The images don’t really do the paintings any justice, but I can say they are looking good. I can’t wait to see them hanging in the exhibition. It is coming together finally and my nervousness is now also mixed with a touch of excitement!

Currently untitled.

Fury…final varnish.

Works getting ready for exhibition

Final coat of varnish…

Are there more poets than readers of poetry?

I got two poetry books for christmas. They seem to have awakened a sleeping poet, or maybe its just another way of writing and making images? For what its worth, here are my very amatuer attempts…

My mother rode barebacked to school
I have seen a picture
Bare feet a mane
Two sisters
Bare feet bare back she
Looks so happy
Not so long ago.

And

A simple word
My silver bracelet beloved
Encircles my wrist with simple words
Freedom lies in listening to your heart
You might think
The most important word is
Freedom
Or heart even
The word i touch most
Rub my finger over
The word i take most heed of
Look at consider
Need to learn the most from
Listening
Maybe we all do

There it is. Maybe i will stick to my painting and photography. It has been nice to write and words have come easily, unlike my attempts to blog remotely which is proving painfully slow and clumsy!

Is it a duck?

I could hear a duck quacking. It sounded like it was coming from the potato patch. Was it injured, hidden under the growth? I looked but could see nothing. A while later, my daughter comes running, begging me to come and see the pine cone she has found. It was not a pine cone at all, and it was not a duck. Rather, a somewhat lost hedgehog! I had no idea they sound like a duck, did you?

Thus my day after boxing day I learned something new. Hedgehogs (they were imported from England to control garden pests back in the colonial era, I also found out rather serendipitously) sound exactly like ducks – they quack! No kidding!

Needless to say, his name now is Pine-cone.

I hope you had a great Christmas, free of ducks, pine cones and hedgehogs in your garden!

The letters V, W, X, Y and Z of the Christmas Alphabet

I am leaving you with the letters V, W, X, Y and Z of the Christmas Alphabet, today. I have decided I need to switch off, sign off and focus on being present for my own family and friends for these very special days over Christmas.

V was for Vintage and for welcoming Visitors.
W was for Wishes, Wrapping presents, and Wreaths on doors.
X was for kisses of course. And X-mas Eve, being on the 24th of December.
Y was for Yuletide (which I found out means the time or occasion of Christmas), and also to saying “Yes”. Y is also for You. Take care of you this holiday period.
Z was for zzzzz’s of sleep, the best thing to do on Boxing day.

I will be back after Christmas, getting ready for the exhibition.

Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the time with your own family and friends over this special time if you can. Be present. Thank you again for all your support and encouragement this year. Merry Christmas!