ARTIST TALK: Saturday 29 October, 11am

"To the North are islands like stars in the blue water" – Dennis Glover

‘Chart of the Far North’ is a new suite of oil paintings by STANLEY PALMER. In this series Palmer returns to landscapes of Northland including Matauri Bay, Cape Maria van Diemen, Mahinepua or Stephenson Island, Te Paki, Tawhiti Rahi or Poor Knights Island, Parengarenga and Motutapere.

Each work resonates with short poetic extracts chosen by the artist, from W.H. Auden to Katherine Mansfield, James K Baxter and Dennis Glover.

Washes of cloud cover, sunlight and mist are captured, as are skies in serene summery blue. Rocky outcrops and peninsulas lie tranquil, steeped in sea and roads meander up and down grassy terrain scattered with wind-shaped trees.

The specificities of time of day and place are tenderly rendered, their palettes ranging from high-key colours, brassy golds, eye-watering turquoise and vibrant cerulean to gentler, indeterminate atmospheres in watery greys and mauve.