When thieves broke into the studio of the great New Zealand painter Peter McIntyre, they stole unfinished paintings.
It was many years ago now but McIntyre's son, Simon, says he understands why the burglars might not have known some of what they were stealing was incomplete. Simon, also a painter
and a visual arts lecturer at AUT, says even for an artist, it can be difficult to know when a painting is finished.
"One of the most frequent questions to be asked is, 'how do I know this painting is finished?' There's no one answer to the question," he says. "The next mark you make could ruin a painting or completely make it."
Sometimes that concern becomes paralysing, stopping an artist from declaring their work is done. At other times, more routine matters can prevent completion: ill health, a family event which demands attention or a commission which falls through. It means a painting can languish in a studio for years.
Now a unique exhibition is taking unfinished work from artists' studios and making it public. Arrested Practice, at Northcote's Northart Gallery, features work by 10 well-known painters including Simon McIntyre, Rosemary Theunissen, John Oxborough, Patrick Malone and Allie Eagle.
