Vonnie Sterritt: Manawatu 360° - Paintings of the Region

Taylor-Jensen Fine Arts is exhibiting Manawatu 360°, 18 new paintings by Palmerston North artist Vonnie Sterritt. The exhibition, a passionately parochial acknowledgement of the essential colour and light of the Manawatu region, brings together images of the region that are both iconic and symbolic. Vonnie’s paintings are well known for her inspirational use of colour and her unique understanding of the Manawatu landscape. The exhibition includes 7 works on board, 2 on canvas and 9 on aluminium framed with glass. Executed in acrylic with her signature brush strokes and use of colour, these works capture the essence of the Manawatu from majestic macrocarpas to towering turbines to the meandering streams and the beaches to the gorge and the ranges that dominate our eastern horizon.

Manawatu 360° is literally just that: an artistic travelogue from Apiti and the gorge track to Palmerston North and Colyton to Mt. Stewart and of course varied views of the fabled Manawatu River. The public is cordially invited to come and meet Vonnie and to talk with the artist about her unique perception of our province at the official opening reception on 5th November from 5 until 7 PM. All are welcome.

“It is my constant endeavour to create paintings that reflect my interpretation of my subject. I believe that painting is not truly a creative act until it is infused with personal judgement and emotional reaction. What I see is always superseded with what I feel. I am constantly searching for what I believe to be genuine Manawatu light and colour. My work begins with finding sincere empathy for the subject and concludes with a reasoned expression. I value highly the freedom of discovering varying stylistic and colour combinations to express light, contrast and form. In this way my paintings continue to evolve allowing me flexibility in style and approach.”

Vonnie Sterritt was born in Clyde, Central Otago; she has a Fine Arts Degree from Canterbury University and a Post Graduate Degree in Education from Massey University. Vonnie was formerly HOD Art at Awatapu College, Palmerston North, before being seconded to Massey University as lecturer in Art and Art History. Concurrently she also served as a Central Region Art Advisor to Secondary Schools for the Ministry of Education. She has co-presented art teaching seminars in New York and Hong Kong and is co-author of two practical art teaching guides, ‘Toi Matarau’. Ms Sterritt has worked as an illustrator for the University of British Columbia, Canterbury and Massey Universities and is the illustrator of the new ‘Maketu’ series of children’s books by Taramea Publishing.

Vonnie is today a full-time artist whose paintings celebrate the colour and light aspects of what are uniquely New Zealand landscapes. Her international exhibitions include: Vancouver (Canada), Missoula (Montana, USA) and St. Louis (Illinois, USA). Ms Sterritt’s exhibition at Palmerston North’s Sister City Missoula, Montana, was supported in part by a Palmerston North City Council Creative Arts Grant and the city’s Sister City Committee. As a result of her international reputation the artist was awarded a Resident Artist Scholarship to Southern Illinois University in 2006.

Paintings by Vonnie Sterritt are included in public, private and corporate collections in the UK, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Vonnie’s work is widely exhibited in New Zealand both as an invited artist and solo exhibitor. Her speciality and passion has always been this region - ‘The Manawatu’ - first exhibiting in the Palmerston North City Art Gallery (now a art of Te Manawa) in 1988.

Ms Sterritt has exhibited regularly at Taylor-Jensen Fine Arts; her previous exhibitions include Postmark Manawatu (2007) and New Works: Recent Paintings (2008). Examples of Ms Sterritt’s unique style are always on view at the gallery.

Event listed by Stuart Schwartz

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