Emptying out the Studio: A two-day exhibition

Artist Norman Maclean in his art studio at the back of his Gisborne home. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Since retiring in 2015, artist Norman Maclean has been able to devote a lot more time to his art. The result is a large body of work made up of recent paintings and prints as well as others that date back to 20 years ago.

They will all be part of a two-day exhibition at Lysnar House this weekend called Emptying out the Studio.

Norman is currently involved in the painstaking process of selecting the works for his exhibition which will include around 50 paintings and a lot of prints.

He is keen to make some space in his large, but somewhat cluttered art studio and “clear the decks”. He has exhibited through the Tairāwhiti Museum in the past, but these days prefers to exhibit independently.

Throughout his life Norman has always loved to travel and spent large amounts of time in Britain and Greece.

“Travel has strongly influenced what I produce and a lot of the imagery comes out of looking at things mostly from the past,” he says.

“I am a history enthusiast with an interest in the ancient and classical worlds, Greece and Rome, so you will see these influences in my work.”

Another strong area of interest is symbolism and allegory.

“The sort of things that have inspired everything from myth and legend through to psychology.  Karl Yung’s theory about archetypes and symbolism matter a great deal to me.”

Norman has called Gisborne home since he moved here as a 10-year-old. He is well known for his work in the arts and theatre. He was a teacher at Gisborne Boys’ High School, Lytton High School and Campion College, so has directly influenced many young students over the years.

He taught art, art history and drama and added classical studies to his subject list in 1983.

“I was always drawing as a child. People have often talked about my use of line so I suppose that stems from the fact that drawing has always been fundamental to what I do. I especially like observational drawing and drawing the human figure.”

Norman was involved in running The Gisborne Artists’ Society for a long time and has been involved in printmaking as part of The Gisborne Printmakers, the oldest printmaking group in New Zealand, dating back to 1976.

“The thing about printmaking is it allows me to indulge in the love of line. When you’re working on a zinc plate it’s a very linear approach — so every mark you make on the plate is going to appear.”

He uses techniques such as chine collé where paper is overlaid on an artwork.

“You either have to have great control and a very detailed idea of what you’re doing before you start or you have to work in a random way.

“The good things about zinc plate etching is you can continue to build on a plate whereas when you use solar plate, once the plate is made that is pretty much it.”

Solar plate uses a photosensitive plate which is exposed to an ultra violet light and then washed in warm water. The ultra violet light imprints the image onto the plate.

Norman’s beautiful two storey colonial home is filled with art — both his own and others.

A striking oil painting —with gold leaf  —he did in 2018 called Listening to Mozart hangs above the mantelpiece.

“I move from near abstract through to the completely representational. The one above the mantelpiece is just line and movement and colour because music is totally abstract to me. It’s the highest of all the arts I believe — it’s formless.”

Another is a triptych featuring three panels inspired by his time spent in Crete.

Featuring people and pottery inspired by Minoan art and civilisation — and painted in a palette of oranges and blues — the viewer is transported to ancient Greece.

“I was creating some kind of scenario in my own head which was to do with light, utilising images taken from the kinds of things you see in the museum on Crete, like their distinct pottery and the architecture. I used bright bold colours reflecting the strong Mediterranean light,” Norman said.

“People say they can pick my style but I never know what they mean by that. I work in so many different styles.”

In his prints there are often several things going on and multiple layers.

“The analogy is almost like the idea runs down your arm and out the point of the pencil — like a divining rod — tapping your mind.”

He said he used to tell students to never ever throw away anything until they had shown him. This was because what they had just done whether good, bad or indifferent was the first time it had existed in the history of the universe.

“It’s the act of creation,” he said.

They had just made something which had never been done before.

“I told the students, ‘I’m in a better position to be able to assess its value or lack of’.

“We’re not always the best judge of our own work and I am very criticial of my own.

“I really do think when teaching art it’s important to impress on students that they are in the process of creating and it’s too easily taken for granted and dismissed — it may just be a scribble, but there’s never been a scribble like that one.”

The upcoming exhibition will display Norman’s acts of creation at various points over his life. The work reflects different ideas, styles and influences. To see such a varied body of work in one exhibition is a rare treat and one people should be sure to see. The show runs Saturday and Sunday from 10-4pm at Lysnar House on Stout Street.