Tag: writing

Showing my art at the Dunedin Airport

sarahfreiburgerLeave a comment

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all well.

I am still feeling the effects of the concussion, but all in all I can now do most things again in the same way and for the same length of time as before my injury. Yay!

I have a few exciting things coming up. One is that I recently found out my painting Lewis Pass Beech Forest will be included in the 2027 Contemporary New Zealand Art Calendar, designed by Elastic Design and published by Browntrout Australia. My painting will feature in the month of June. This feels like a huge privilege, given the status of the calendar and the number of entries they received and had to choose from. I love the variety of artworks they have selected. I will receive a limited number of calendars later in the year for purchase and will put out a call closer to the time.

The original painting is still available and will be a major feature in my next show, which brings me to my second piece of exciting news: I will be the featured artist at Dunedin Airport from next week until mid-July. In this exhibition, I will have my two larger forest scenes on display (Lewis Pass Beech Forest and Silent Weavers), along with some waterscapes, still life paintings, and nine little strawberry paintings of my show Nothing is Real – A Visual Remix of The Beatles. All paintings will be for sale, but my main aim is to make my work visible to a larger audience.

Other than that, I have been painting small colour studies to inform larger works. I am not yet sure which of the two I will choose to develop first, but they may both make it onto a larger board.

A little study from the Otago Dam Track
Study from Nature Loop Walk at Kidds Bush, Lake Hāwea

I have also completed a quick third study featuring a misty forest scene. It takes time to create fog that actually looks like fog with acrylics, as I have to build up smooth layers of paint that interact with each other. The effect becomes more translucent, and different colours shine through depending on light intensity, temperature, and angle. It is quite a neat effect, though never straightforward—and I could really do without all the hairs and fluff that seem to appear at exactly the wrong moment.

Study from a scene on the West Coast near Haast

I have now started painting a similar scene on framed meranti plywood, measuring 900 mm x 310 mm. So far it looks quite grey, but the forest in the foreground will soon introduce fresh greens, and I am thinking of leaning the fog towards a pinkish tone, which it already slightly has.

That’s it from me for now. I wish you all well, and you’ll hear from me again in the coming weeks. Thank you again for signing up to my newsletter.

New paintings and Open Studio Saturday, 24 Jan 10am-2pm

sarahfreiburgerLeave a comment

Hi all,

I hope the year has started well for you. I enjoyed a very special five weeks with my parents, who came all the way from Germany to stay with us over Christmas. The last time they visited was seven years ago, so it truly has been precious.

I am super thrilled to be a finalist in the New Zealand Paint and Printmaking Awards this year. They are being held at the end of February in the Waikato area. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to share the painting with you yet.

Other than that, I also had the Aspiring Art Awards to look forward to at the start of the year. This year more than ever, as I hand-delivered my latest painting due to its size, together with the lovely artworks of Rod Eales and Anne Baldock. My partner and I made a whole holiday out of it, going from cold, grey Dunedin into what felt like true summer (at least for that day).

Below is a photo of me with my entry, Silent Weavers, for the Aspiring Art Awards. You can view it, along with all the other artworks I currently have available, at my next open studio next Saturday, 24 January, from 10 am–2 pm at Caldwell St. Just pop in if you have time.

“Set within the beech forests along the Otago Dam Track in Lawrence, Silent Weavers captures an immersive forest scene rich in intricate detail. A V-shaped composition, guided by subtle visual vectors, draws the viewer into the heart of the painting. Trees and spiders alike weave patterns of light, shadow, texture, and colour across the forest floor and sky. Reds and browns anchor the foreground, while a variety of greens and blues beckon toward the beyond. From afar, the scene reads as a cohesive whole; up close, it celebrates a dense network of nature’s chaotic order and invites slow exploration.”

At the end of last year I completed my latest commission: A painting depicting a scene from Hoopers Inlet. I like the strong triangle composition in this piece with the Hillman, rider and woman. I added some subtle light play to accentuate the woman a bit more as she is important for this piece.

If you haven’t already you can sign up to my newsletter below so you can stay informed what I am up to every month. That’s it from me for now. All the best and till next time.