Gavin Hurley

Gavin is an artist renowned for portraits which employ the technique ( or at least the aesthetic) of traditional collage. Rather than seek to represent the likeness of a person, he focuses more on their character and uses the age old craft of collage and highly disciplined oil on canvas to do this.

His latest show" A - Z" will open next Wednesday and he recently took a few moments to chat with me...

What has inspired your latest show ? This current exhibition is based on the past ten years of art practice (post -art school). I decided to make a publication to accompany the show called "A-Z".The subjects almost organised themselves into this format of a slightly more grown up version of a school exercise book.

What is the recurring theme in your work?
Looking at what I would call my favourite subjects from the past ten years, its obvious there are recurring themes of boyhood fantasies of exploration, detectives and sea captains. I'm not a historian although many characters are derived from tales of colonists and there are a few homages to artists who have been inspirational such as Christian Boltanski, Sam Mitchell and Rita Angus.

What's keeping you stimulated at the moment? I'm stimulated 'right now' by seeing work being made , planning the next show and getting some time to get to the second-hand bookstores.The Internet is great but so is a dusty old book sometimes.

And how do you find being an artist in New Zealand? Being an Artist in New Zealand has been pretty good so far, I've never once considered doing anything else, washing dishes was ruining my hands.

"A - Z" will open June 10th at Anna Bibby Gallery.

Thought shall not die

I came across this picture yesterday and it made me smile. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with flowers. From my perfume ( 'Daisy' by Marc Jacobs' or 'FlowerBomb' Viktor and Rolf) to a giant collage on my wall, duvet cover, myriad dresses and even a range of earrings, it's fair to say - this is a fully fledged obsession! And it is one that I developed at a very young age. When no one was around to play, or the adults were busy talking, I would go out to the garden to pick lavender and roses - to squash. Pressing flowers is a rather old past time, ( that my dear neighbour taught me) , but I believe it's one in need of a comeback!

I used to just stick them in books found lying around the house, wait till I remembered ( or my mother found them) and then stick them on my wall. I have since been introduced to a more comprehensive 'how to'. You can follow it HERE. Dreamy!

Rona Green's Poppet Prize

Thanks for all the amazing entries, they were VERY good indeed. Prize goes to...( drum roll)...Jo! Because your entry was ridiculous and make me giggle!!!!

'This gritty little poppet needs to become part of our family. The rest of our soft toys have become way too contented up here in the hills we call home, too comfortable, taking advantage of our hospitality and expecting everything to be done for THEM! We need some corruptive character to move on in and shake things up abit, let them know it's not good enough to just sit there and be cute. This poppet is the one to do it. I just know.'Please email lucy@fluromag.com and we will have this sent out to you. 

Flashy Tasty : Win a POPPET!

Rona Green is an artist from Melbourne known for her peculiar images of creatures bearing marks and scars that tell of past experience. Her first New Zealand Show entitled 'Flashy Tasty' runs from 20 May until the 13 of June and is being exhibited at Solander Gallery in Wellington.

Flashy Tasty explores ideas about identity and the darker side of the psyche and features 'various breeds from all walks of life...where chalk and cheese co-exist to battle the sodden elemental.' Her work is represented in over 40 public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank and Chiang Mai Contemporary Art Museum, Thailand...And she's generously giving FLURO one mini work to give away on our blog!

This soft sculpture doll, which she refers to as a 'poppet', is 10cm high and made with her very own blood, sweat and tears. Figuratively of course! To win this original art work simply tell us why you'd like a Rona Poppet to call your own!

Oh man, I found this clip and gonna RULE the D Floor

The fact that this clip was made to take this piss takes away from the humour a little bit ( I'm presuming that was the intention...?) but none the less - just how these guys manage to keep a straight face is beyond me! And to be fair there are some pretty AMAZING DANCE MOVES! The Ping Pong? I've definitely seen that before, 'Pet the dog?' - That's a Good Luck Favourite and if you've been to Mighty you would have definitely seen a few drunkards 'milking the cow.'
Enjoy!

SO HOT RIGHT NOW

Boy oh boy...through the power of the Internet this image is verging on 'old news today' (see HERE and HERE.) However all this means is that kiwi's are darn proud of their own kind and especially so when they're young, glamours and talented!
During Sydney Fashion week Twenty Seven Names designer Rachel Easting was snapped sporting a piece from her winter collection 'Crazy Horse' by none other than The Satoralist. During this icy snap a reminder of sea, sun and sand is doing my mental health wonders...

Awww isn't she loverly.

Creative Consumption

Artists 'Pip' and 'Pop' transform everyday objects and turn them into works of art. (This is Pip and that is Pop)

This weekend in Sydney their new show 'Under the Crystal Sky' will open..and from the image below, you can tell it's going to be sweeet! The exhibition celebrates our culture of excessive consumption, and 'encourages the consumer to welcome the event with delight!' Whether this concept intrigues you, or you simply have a hankering for sugar, pop along to the 'The Japan Foundation' to check it out. It looks excessively exciting!!!
Under the Crystal Sky will open 15 May – 3 June 2009

I want this bag... and it's little friends too.

I don't even know what else to say.... I'm in love with it. Leather or Felt? oh decisions! individually numbered and phenomenally constructed. Carga bags are beautiful.