An Art Awakening

Yours truly at right on a potter's wheel in the PNTC art department. (Dianne Foley at left?)

When I first went to Palmerston North Teacher's College in 1967 I majored in music.  But I found both the tutor and the curriculum rather boring and far more exciting things appeared to be happening in the Art department under the tutelage of Frank Davis and Ray Thorburn.

My good friend John Brebner who I played rugby with for College was also studying art, and I recall visiting his lodgings and seeing him plugging away on a painting.

I decided that the visual arts (and particularly sculpture) were far more appealing than banging on a triangle!

Te Kooti Inspires His Warriors - F. Davis 

Frank Davis, who later became my mentor and a close family friend, agreed to me changing my study major from music to art if I produced a satisfactory portfolio over the Xmas break -  which I did.  (The painting at left is one of Frank's Te Kooti series.  I bought it off him when I was teaching in Rotorua and sold it much later at auction when I was shifting cities. Still have one of his drawings from this series)

Prior to Teachers College I had never really shown any great aptitude or motivation where the visual arts were concerned but I took to it like a duck to water.

It was a decision that changed my life and to this day the visual arts have dominated my life -  the creative beast unleashed!  A career as a secondary school art teacher followed after two years as a primary teacher.  Then a three stint as head of a regional art school in Papua New Guinea.  Several years where also spent as a Director of NZ art Museums in Hawke's Bay and Waikato (with a dash of museum marketing at the NZ Maritime Museum in Auckland thrown in)

I exhibited painting, prints and sculpture along the way before moving in to digital art later in life.

But all of this life started back in the Grey Street art department of Palmerston North Teachers College.

NB: The woman in the top photograph appears to be Di Foley from Wanganui who sang in a folk singing truly with Tom Hunter and myself.

A View From Fort Canning

Our final evening in Singapore, in July 2010, was spent in Fort Canning Lodge; a place I would thoroughly recommend for those travelling on a budget. 

The view from the hill was memorable and I have used these memories as the inspiration for this art work.

View From Fort Canning
Roger Smith - 2016
Art Print - Copies available here.

Fort Canning is one of the few remaining elevated natural places in Singapore.  Early illustrations show several more hills, but these have been leveled over time for land reclamation and city development.

Copies of this art work are available as prints from my online store.

I also place them on this Pinterest board.

New Singapore Art Prints

Check out these my Singapore art prints on this Ppinterest board

The Art Of Golf - When Twin Passions Come Together

I have written before about my my late and growing interest in watching the LPGA. The main reason for this 'sporting flowering' being the rise and progress of New Zealand's own golfing superstar, Lydia Ko.

To see someone so young achieve so much, in such a short space of time, has been quite extraordinary.  She is a credit to her family and a proud Kiwi, which her adopted country greatly appreciates.

A growing interest in golf reminded me of the unique shape and patterns of golfing paraphernalia and the figures in action which lent themselves to artistic interpretation.

The result is this coffee table book which records recent art works based on a golfing theme.  As I stated in its introduction I make no apologies for the eclectic mix of styles.  They were used as the mood took me!

The Art Of Golf

By Roger Smith

Click on the book above to see a preview or go directly to the publishers here. The art works illustrated in the publication are also available as quality prints from TheGolfStore.

Digerarti IV - New art book

My new art book published today. Click on the pages to view the contents

Digerarti IV

By Roger Smith

Today's Art Work - Discovery

Discovery
Print on Canvas
Roger Smith
Copies available here.

Black Orbit II - Art on Canvas

Homage To Tony - Art Work

Homage To Tony
Roger Smith
Print on canvas

Copies available here

In the 1980's when I was the Exhibitions Office at the Robert McDougall Art gallery in Christchurch, I used to hang the large canvases of the later New Zealand artists, Tony Fomison.

His was a deeply personal vision and this print on canvas is my homage to him.

Today's Art Work - Abstract 1411

Abstract 1411
On Canvas
Roger Smith
Copies available here

When Nasi Lemak Goes Wrong - New Art Work

When Nasi Lemak Goes Wrong

on canvas

Roger Smith 2015

Get the print here.

Nasi Lemak is one of my favourite food but I couldn't resist adding the odd surrealist flourish!  This work used a twitterbot to start the process and I worked from there.

For those who have had food poisoning from suspect chili paste this work may have a different interpretation.

Singapore Food Delights

Singapore Food Delights
Classic Singapore dishes re-imagined
Roger Smith, 2015
See it here.

Spent this morning re-imagining some of my favorite Singapore foods.  The result can be seen here in this large Art Print - 36 inches X 21 inches

New Art Print Today - Leisure

Get a copy here

Today's Art - Golden City

Golden City
Roger Smith 2015
On Canvas
Copies available here.

Golden City - Framed
Copies available here.

Trobriands No. 2 - Today's Art Work

Trobriands #2
Roger Smith - 2015
Prints available here.

In the middle of writing my book on living in Papua New Guinea in the late 1970's - early '80's, I felt motivated to produce this work based on traditional Trobriand Island design elements.

Today's Art Work - Turn To Clear Vision

Turn To Clear Vision
Roger Smith - April 2015
On Canvas

Prints of the above are available here.

Golf (After Nicholson) - Art Print

I always admired the minimalist abstractions of Ben Nicholson.  This, coupled with the fact that today is the first day of LPGA golf in 2015, resulted in a golf inspired composition.

Golf (After Nicholson)
Print on Canvas
Roger Smith 2015

Copies of this print are available here.

Related articles

• Cold start? No problem as LPGA draws a crowd
• LPGA season opens with top field

Today's Art - Botany Downs Landscape

Botany Downs Landscape
Print on Canvas
Roger Smith 2015

Copies available here.

Art Work on Pinterest

My latest art prints are added to Pinterest.  You can see and follow them on this board.

Follow Roger Smith's board My Online Art Gallery - Original Work on Pinterest.

Today's Art - Yellow Lanterns

Yellow Lantern
Roger Smith 2014
Prints available here.

Art montage based on man-made objects, sign and marks.  Large canvas 120.5 cm X 101.4 cm

A Summer 'Selfie'

Summer 'Selfie' with Bougainvillea
Roger Smith 2014