Artist ready for Open Studios take 2 after year of cancellations

Artist Pauline Allomes outside her Barrack St studio. Photo / Paul Brooks

Artist Pauline Allomes had to cancel all her Open Studios plans last year: this year it's all on again and she has lots of new work or reworked older work.
One was a pencil drawing of the Rangitikei River.
"I quite liked it, but I decided to do something with it. It's pastel and paint on top of pencil and a little bit of Indian ink." Now it looks very different.

Another was a micography picture of a tree which she has fleshed out with acrylic paint.
"You can still see the words, although you can't read them. It's called 'The Last Tree', and I found the quote quite ironic as people don't seem to care these days so the message just gets lost ... it's got lost in the tree." The words are from the Cree Indian quote: "Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realise we cannot eat money."

Micography is the art of drawing with writing.

Pauline also has a range of work inspired by the beach. Those works will be displayed on a wall in the passage of her home / studio.
"I'm going to give 10 per cent of anything that's sold from that wall back to Coast Care."

She has works of all sizes ready to hang somewhere between two rooms and the passage, but space is limited and the works keep on coming. "I don't stop painting," she says. "So we'd better have Open Studios this year, otherwise I won't be able to move."

This year, for the second weekend of Artists Open Studios, Sustainable Whanganui will be making and serving Devonshire teas at Pauline's place.
Visitors will also be able to go around the house to the backyard, where her shed-side, bush scene mural has been retouched and revarnished for viewing.

With Artists Open Studios and the pattillo Whanganui Arts Review also on, things are busy for artists.
"It's the season for art, at the moment," says Pauline. She has put an entry in to the Arts Review.

Artists Open Studios are on over the weekends of March 20-21 and 27-28. Trail guides are available from i-Site for $5 each.
Pauline's studio and Open Studios gallery is at 4 Barrack St, Aramoho.