INVITATION TO VIEW CURRENT WORK AT THE PENGUIN
STUDIO WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 7-8
I will be showing the nearly completed central diptych of the TRUMP TRIPLE DIPtych.
Also on show will be a few small new landscapes featuring the Coromandel Ranges. These are
preliminary works for the series WESTWARD EVENING VIEW RAWENE (WEVR) which will be part of an
Exhibition to open at No1 Parnell 5 th October this year. The major work for that show will be an
autobiographical work composing 3 car bonnets that have been and are currently being worked on that
document my three drunk driving convictions and subsequent personal consequences, actions and
reactions. This work is still to be titled and will be available to view in its current state.
The concrete penguins will also be making a reappearance with a new run, a few of which should be
available.
Regarding the TRUMP TRIPLE DIPtych the full work will be completed and shown at the Warwick Brown
Ellerton Gallery around the Xmas Period (date to be confirmed). I hope to have more information on this
work up on this web site soon in a TRUMP TRIPLE DIPtych section Some small preliminary Trump sketch
work may be available for sale There will also be available a copious amount of notes and other work
which I am curating in an attempt to make the process a more transparent part of the work. Please
check previous update below for more information regarding this sortov thing.
UPDATE JULY 2024 AND INVITATION TO VIEW CURRENT WORK AT THE PENGUIN
STUDIO AUGUST 3-4
Well, the last year has been a busy and productive time for me.
I was introduced to Lynn Lawton and Linda Blincko through Jason Burgess about a year ago.
They invited me to exhibit at Parnell One in Rawene at relatively short notice which I was very pleased
to do and that resulted in a flurry of enthusiasm and work on my part to put a good-looking show on.
I think the show was a successful one for all concerned.
Just before Xmas last year Lynn and Linda opened another gallery (Satellite2) in Devonport and I have
been privileged to be able to show there on a regular basis since then.
Jason made Lynn and Linda aware of my Rua Panels which were commissioned by Manukau City Council
in the 1980s and which have been hanging since then in the Council Chambers until the early 2000s.
They were put into storage when Manukau was amalgamated with Auckland.
Negotiations were started with Auckland Council to get the works out of storage and shown to a new
audience. This happened in March this year when a large enough space was kindly donated by a
Devonport Businessman and a very successful show of the work was held with local Devonport
participation and assistance.
A booklet was produced showing the works and incorporating text by Roderick Finlayson who I was
privileged to work with on the project. Another feature of the show was preliminary work being
displayed on a separate wall kindly curated by Linda. I received very good feedback about this and have
decided to make the creative process much more part of the final work than I have done in the past
hence I am going to have Studio open days where people can come and check out how it all goes down.
At Xmas I had also negotiated a deal where my good friends and patrons Kai and Sally Thomas- Cooper
who agreed to assist me in producing a large triple diptych on Donald Trump and the current American
elections. This work will be completed and shown at the Ellerton Gallery in late December courtesy of
Warwick Brown and then will probably be going to the USA.
I am currently working on this project as well as getting ready for another show in Rawene in September
and would like to invite people who are interested to view progress on the Trump project, some
preliminary work for the Rawene show, and enjoy a better organized studio this coming weekend.
The web site is being used as a resource now so if you are interested in a visit, I would appreciate you
making arrangements through satellite2 gallery.
I am looking forward to catching up with you on this weekend if you are available for a visit. There will
be another open weekend September 7-8 to show further progress on all the projects.
Cheers Tony Johnston
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