Colour Dance, a vibrant and uplifting exhibition

ART & SOUL

19 Dec, 2022

Colour Dance, an exhibition by Marion Stutz and Mel Juer, opens on Friday December 23 at 6pm at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, presenting a joyful, festive and evocative range of work in oils and mixed media.

The inspiration for the show is the artists shared love of colour and joy for life.

“Colour is important to me because of the impact it has on both artist and viewer, through the enormous range of emotions it can inspire in us – from grief, melancholy and sadness through to contemplation, gentle appreciation and unadulterated joy,” explains Marion.

“When painting a particular subject, I choose colours intuitively to reflect the atmosphere I want to project.

“I love working in oil paints as the oil medium allows me interesting textures in rich opaque tints and translucent glazes, and the ability to manipulate the paint with its slower drying time.”

Colour is important to Mel too.

“The change in colour hue and tone during the seasons is one of the ways I connect with the earth and energies around us,” says Mel Juer. “This helps me to live in a way that is in tune with nature around me, and to stay connected to the land and the sky. I also like to work in black and white which is also a wonderful way to simplify things.”

Both artists are influenced by the natural world.

“My work examines the qualities of the world that surrounds us,” says Marion. “I reveal the beauty in landforms, sky and cloud patterns, the incredible light and depth in water, the singular nature of what people love in the things they consider beautiful.

“My eclectic choice of subject matter is influenced by my appreciation of the beauty in our natural world – and artistic heroes and influencers – from Matisse, Gauguin, Brett Whitely, Mirka Mora, Rita Angus and Frida Kahlo to name a few!”

Mel works in reductive charcoal or pen and Indian ink as well as oil paints.

“I love to draw, and I also love colour. I am inspired by my life and emotions, the landscape of Te Tai Tokerau and by the growth I am experiencing at this stage in my life. I am excited about my own future growth as both a visual and performing artist,” says Mel.

Mel sings in a local band and singing will be a memorable feature of the opening event on Friday.

The work of these two artists is vibrant and uplifting. It will be a great show for the holiday period with something for everyone visiting the gallery.

n Colour Dance is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 10am to 3pm from Saturday December 24 to midday Wednesday January 4. The Mangawhai Artists Gallery is at 45 Moir St, in the village at Mangawhai, next to the Library Hall and opposite Bennetts.

Artists Mel Juer (left) and Marion Stutz, in front of ‘Lost in the Wilderness’ by Mel Juer. PHOTO/SUPPLIED