Different perspectives, different landscapes

17 Nov, 2021

Landscapes are the inspiration for the new exhibition on display at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery. Two artists, Jan Grover and Kevin Willcocks, have joined forces to present a dynamic and dramatic exhibition portraying New Zealand’s many different landscapes from two very different perspectives.

Jan Grover has captured moments from a 5000km solo South Island odyssey where the landscapes depicted are instantly recognisable, while Kevin Willcocks has created large acrylic abstracts, where just a small portion of a local scene may be painted in a more representative style.

Jan’s post-Covid lockdown motorhome trek around the South Island was intended to be the opportunity to capture the breathtaking landscapes in watercolours, a skill she had been honing since taking part in watercolour painting tours in Australia, Vietnam and South America/Antarctica.

“But like all good intentions the watercolours (on this trip) didn’t actually eventuate,” reflects Jan. “Instead, I have sifted through a thousand photographs and used acrylics to capture the grandeur and moodiness of places like Milford Sound, Arthur’s Pass, Mount Cook and the central lake district through to the rugged, yet beautiful, West Coast region. Maybe the watercolour impressions will follow another day!”

Kevin Willcocks has been painting all his life, selling and exhibiting work through a number of galleries and creating a large volume of commissioned work – alongside employment in the boatbuilding, building and movie industries.

“Having used oils and watercolours for most of my painting career, I now work mainly in acrylics, involving a range of structural, composite, textual and organic materials,” says Kevin. “My art career has led me down a path of constant change and adaption in search of variety and individuality,” declares Kevin. “My most recent works are large acrylic abstracts - with some containing a snippet of a local scene in a more traditional representative style before morphing into the abstract.”

n Different Perspectives is exhibiting at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir St, Mangawhai from 10am Friday Nov 19, to 3pm Wednesday Dec 01.

Kevin Willcocks and Jan Grover portray their own view of New Zealand’s different landscapes. PHOTO/SUPPLIED