Julian Dashper Halley's Comet at Silverdale

So what do Halley’s comet and the Canterbury railway settlement of Cass have in common? Both subjects share themes of travel and journey, arrival and destination. Angus’s Cass is a metaphor for the solitary traveller, full of expectation to experience a world beyond the remote one they know. Conversely, Hemer’s CASS looks at how distance shifts our perspective of things.

Dashper moonlit as a taxi driver, and there are references to this in his work, in the form of titles which are related to his observations while taxi driving. Silverdale is a little north of Auckland central, not somewhere that was on his usual taxi beat, however the artist created a number of works with references to the area. The cross design that we see featured in this painting and in CASS also appears in a prior series by the artist, Blue Cross at Silverdale. These paintings are based on a backlit blue cross sign displayed on the outside of a vet clinic seen from the main road. The clinics building was in the style of architect Ian Athfield, painted white, with turrets and portholes, and Dashper remarked on how much he liked it. Halley's Comet at Silverdale is possibly a reference to a journey he made one evening driving through Silverdale, as he glanced up to see the comet hovering in the sky above. Did Dashper have the thought, Hey comet, here we are — two travellers crossing paths? While we are both on a journey we make frequently but in its experience each time is unique; much like that song you’ve heard a thousand times (music reference again), but because of that thing called context, it never fails to have a different effect.

5 Toss Woollaston

Taratama – Snowy

1963 watercolour on paper signed Woollaston and dated 1963 in brushpoint lower right 270 × 365mm

EST $6,500 — $10,500

PROVENANCE

Private collection.

Toss Woollaston’s role in establishing the model of the ‘working artist’ in New Zealand is not often discussed but it is important. Woollaston was the first artist to exhibit at Peter McLeavey’s eponymous gallery when it opened in 1968, showing a collection of paintings, drawings and watercolours. Over time, he became a mainstay in McLeavey’s stable. He served as a significant inspiration and a somewhat paternal figure to McLeavey.1 “‘The more I think about it,’ he wrote in 1978, ‘the more I think we have a most special relationship and I give my thanks for that.’”2

As an acclaimed painter within the landscape tradition, Woollaston was a vital source of income for the gallery.3 The relationship was equally beneficial for Woollaston, who, before McLeavey, had to arrange his own exhibitions and manage sales himself, even taking time off from his day job to oversee the exhibitions.4

Taratama – Snowy was made in 1963. The year is especially significant because it was then that McLeavey first encountered Woollaston’s artwork. After an extended period of travel, McLeavey had recently returned to Wellington when he came across a survey exhibition of Woollaston’s and Colin McCahon’s works at the Centre Gallery. Both artists had already amassed a substantial fan base and had frequently exhibited together, either in two-person exhibitions or as part of The Group.5 McLeavey described his first exposure to their work as an “epiphany”, saying he was “knocked over” by it.6 pure colours almost without any white – it’s like a loud deeptoned bell, you strike it and there are endless vibrations without a sharp – but that is the poetry of it, don’t imagine my painting is like that, it’s awful. When I settle down from the excitement of the new occupation, I’ll be better able to grapple with painting here. I like Greymouth more and more.”7

Being in the presence of a work like Taratama – Snowy, which dates to when McLeavey first discovered Woollaston, feels special. The painting has been immaculately preserved, with vibrant colours suggesting it may have been stored out of the light for much of its existence. Standing before the brushstrokes, still as vivid as when they were first applied, is a journey back in time. Despite working in the landscape tradition, Woollaston’s approach was revolutionary in 1960s New Zealand, using the landscape as a foundation for his compositions that balanced between abstract colour fields and figuration. His paintings were as progressive as the postwar artworks being produced in America during the same period.

This painting features Tara Tama, a peak located on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. In 1949, following World War II, Woollaston moved to the nearby town of Greymouth. This location subsequently became a recurring theme in his work. During his time there, he supported himself and his family by working as a salesman for Rawleigh’s healthcare products. Woollaston's fresh surroundings offered inspiration and ushered in a new era in his practice.

5 The Group was an informal art association based in Christchurch, New Zealand, active between 1927 and 1977. Notable members included Rita Angus, Colin McCahon, Toss Woollaston, Doris Lusk and Leo Bensemann.

6 Trevelyan, 43.

7 Gerald Barnett, Toss Woollaston: An Illustrated Biography (Auckland: Random Century, 1991), 59.

6 Teuane Tibbo

The Village 1973 oil on canvasboard signed Teuane Tibbo and dated 1973 in brushpoint lower right 495 × 559mm

EST $15,000 — $25,000

PROVENANCE

Private collection, Auckland.