Unexpected art and concrete canvases

A couple cover images from this featured booklist on a cityscape background

It’s never the object I make that has been of interest, but how it taps into the things that flow through a place and change a place. It’s a window into the processes that make that place what it is. – Andy Goldsmith, via The Scotsman


We love it when a piece of art is truly jaw-dropping. These creative and unexpected ideas include a luminous moon resting on water, sculpture that can be repurposed for sheep farming, artwork on concrete, postal art and more. Read on!

Unexpected art : serendipitous installations, site-specific works, and surprising interventions / Spring, Jenny Moussa
“Collected here are dozens of jaw-dropping artworks – site-specific installations, extraordinary sculptures, and ground-breaking interventions in public spaces – that reveal the exciting things that happen when contemporary artists play with the idea of place. Unexpected Art showcases the wonderfully experimental work of more than 50 innovative artists from around the world in galleries of their most astonishing artworks.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Enclosure / Goldsworthy, Andy
“In the early 1990s Andy Goldsworthy was invited to propose a project for Cumbria, where the beautiful landscape has been moulded by sheep-farming. He reconstructed a swathe of sheepfolds containing artworks, with the intention that the folds would still be accessible to sheep. This book also contains: graceful serpentines of frozen wool reach up from a rock in a gorge; lengths of wall are painstakingly edged with bright white lines of wool or frozen snow. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Concrete canvas : how street art is changing the way our cities look / Bofkin, Lee
“Concrete Canvas does just that; investigating the media the artists work with, the canvases they work on, the themes that arise through their work, and the way their art redefines the spaces in which it is set. Concrete Canvas is filled with stunning photos of works, including Ron English, Phlegm, Daim and more. It examines how the curation of public space is affecting our cities and moving art into the future. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Global model village : the international street art of Slinkachu. / Slinkachu
“A tiny mother and child bustle through a dusty township in Cape Town, or a miniature informant whispers in a telephone booth in Beijing. Thumb-size riot police climb the Acropolis in Athens. These little dramas somehow express the melancholy and magic of  life in the big city amongst millions of others. ” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Mail me art : going postal with the world’s best illustrators and designers / Di Lieto, Darren
“Showcases the 200 best illustrations from the Mail Me Art project, a popular online designer challenge to create a piece of art on the outside of an envelope or package and send it through the mail. You’ll enjoy the variety of unique art produced by artists around the world and will be inspired by the challenge of shipping art through the mail.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Scratching the surface : art and content in contemporary wood / Hosaluk, Michael
“From 1940, studio wood has been about design of elegant form and balance. The best of these designs are perfection; they may never be surpassed. This book showcases exceptional examples of surface design and narrative content in the studio wood movement. It is the fifth title in GUILD Publishing’s craft showcase series, and features works by more than 40 acclaimed artists in vibrant full-colour photographs.” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Art & textiles : fabric as material and concept in modern art from Klimt to the present
“Thread, weave, network, and pattern are simultaneously foundation, result, and inspiration and spill over into the areas painting, sculpture, installation, and media art. This opulently designed volume presents both an artistic and an intercultural dialogue, comparing works by Gustav Klimt, Edgar Degas, Jackson Pollock, Eva Hesse, Chiharu Shiota, and Sergei Jensen. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Start painting and explore your creativity

One way to relax and find normality in the current situation is through creating artworks. We’ve selected a range of techniques and materials to help you explore your creativity: watercolour, acrylic, sketch and digital drawing.

  • LinkedIn Learning has resources for artistic-minded people, include photography, 3D rendering, graphic design, animation and more. Click here.

5-minute watercolor : super-quick techniques for amazing paintings / Nielsen, Samantha
“A comprehensive guide to quick sketching in watercolor and a new addition to a successful series. 5-Minute Watercolor is the perfect way to focus your energies on producing a great painting. This bite-sized approach will help readers to make watercolor painting a part of their everyday lives. Every spread in the book features five expert tips and ideas, as well as examples of amazing 5-minute watercolor sketches to inspire readers.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Stitch, fibre, metal & mixed media / Midgelow-Marsden, Alysn
“Author shows how to use both textile-based and mixed media techniques to create beautiful artworks using metal in the forms of shim, foil and woven fabric alongside many other materials. Inspiring techniques include machine stitching, gilding, embossing, needle felting, beading, printing, appliqué, making stitched foil fabric and using dry decal transfer images. Eight beautiful projects include lampshade, bauble pods, a memory lampshade, decorative panels and a tablet cover. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Sketch! / Belleville-Van Stone, France
“An inspirational manual for integrating sketching into daily life for artists and non-artists alike with instruction on turning rough sketches into finished work. By sharing her own creative process, which includes sketching by hand and digitally, Author emboldens readers to craft a method of their own and devote more time to art, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. Sketch Your World will inspire artists both established and aspiring to rethink their daily practice, sketch for the pure joy .” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The elements of landscape oil painting : techniques for rendering sky, terrain, trees, and water / Brooker, Suzanne
“Landscape painting is one of the most popular subjects for painters working in the medium of oils. Author presents the fundamentals for mastering landscape oil painting. With additional lessons on the latest brushes, paints, and other tools. Key methods like observation, rendering, and color mixing are supported by demonstration paintings and samples from a variety of the best landscape oil painters. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The paint pouring workshop : learn to create dazzling abstract art with acrylic pouring / Ferro, Marcy
“Jump into the exciting world of paint pouring and instantly create dazzling, abstract art. Paint pouring involves using a free-flowing acrylic paint mixture created with a pouring medium, such as glue and water. Author demonstrates a range of skills and techniques, from setting up paint-proof workspace and control your pours; the dirty pour and flip cup; and manipulating paint with a hair dryer or string. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

How to paint living portraits / Clark, Roberta Carter
“Back in print by popular demand, How to Paint Living Portraits has been updated to help today’s artists discover the joys of this time-honored tradition. Hands-on instruction offering a practical approach to creating successful, spirited portraits in charcoal, oils and watercolor. Offers instruction on painting the figure, hands and clothing. Addresses common stumbling blocks of skin and hair. Illustrates simple and complex lighting set-ups for achieving multiple moods and effect. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Sketch your world : essential techniques for drawing on location / Hobbs, James
“Packed with accessible tutorials and inside tips and advice from contemporary artists, Sketch your World is the ultimate handbook for anyone seeking to explore the exciting creative possibilities afforded by sketching on location. Includes tips for digital sketching with tablets and phones.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Painted diaries: The lives of influential artists

Image featuring some art book picks

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. – Pablo Picasso

Did you know that Wellington City Libraries has a large collection of fine arts books? Feast your eyes on artworks that continue to inspire generations, while also learning about the artists behind them. From Renaissance master Michelangelo, to painting icon Frida Kahlo, the below booklist features a treasure trove of art history.

Michelangelo, God’s architect : the story of his final years and greatest masterpiece / Wallace, William E
“The great Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo entered his seventies, despaired that his productive years were past. Anguished by the death of friends and discouraged by the loss of commissions to younger artists, he began carving his own tomb. It was at this unlikely moment Michelangelo build St Peter’s Basilica. This skilled engineer, creative genius, faithful to god, was destined to build the most magnificent church. (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Jackson Pollock : blind spots
“Jackson Pollock was one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century. This fully illustrated publication accompanies the first exhibition in over three decades of a crucial phase of his work, referred to as the Black Pourings. This controversial body of black enamel and oil paintings, which were exceptional in their absolute merging of colour and surface, are accompanied here by drawings that are regarded as his most important as a draughtsman.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Picasso : ceramics
“In 1946, Pablo Picasso visited an exhibition of ceramics in Vallauris in France, known for potteries. It was a watershed moment for Picasso who was always looking for new materials. Through Picasso’s whimsical, elegant handling of shape and line, he produced 4,000 ceramic objects. This book presents more than 150 of Picasso’s most important ceramic works reproduced in beautiful four-colour printing, as well as new texts about the artist’s pieces in this medium. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Young Rembrandt : a biography / Blom, Onno
“Rembrandt’s life has always been an enigma. How did a miller’s son from a provincial Dutch town become the greatest artist in the world? The only remaining evidence of Rembrandt’s life as a young man is his work, Rembrandt’s early paintings tell a fascinating story of artistic evolution against the backdrop of the widening horizons of Leiden’s cultural and commercial life during the Dutch Golden Age. This book portraits fascinating details of young Rembrandt and how he became who he was. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Frida Kahlo : the brush of anguish / Zamora, Martha
“Mexican author Martha Zamora captures the essence of one of Mexico’s most prolific and talented painters in a single comprehensive volume. Seventy-five of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, reproduced here in lavish color, accompany numerous historical photographs and the author’s descriptive text, chronicling the significant episodes in Kahlo’s life. For Kahlo’s many admirers, as well as for those new to her work this authoritative and richly illustrated volume will be both an excellent reference and a compelling look at her passionate and often disturbing art.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Michelangelo, 1475-1564 / Néret, Gilles
“The great Renaissance artist, Michelangelo funnelled his God-fearing passion into the creation of some of the most revered and celebrated works in the history of art. Attempting to reconcile the apparently conflicting forces that inhabited him: earthly passions and fear of God. The edifice devoted to beauty, celestial and infernal alike, that Michelangelo raised to the glory of God has no equivalent.  And they did so even on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Van Gogh / Spires, Hattie
“Vincent van Gogh is without a doubt one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time. Born in 1853, this Dutch Postimpressionist painter was hugely prolific, creating more than 2,000 works including more than 800 oil paintings, most of them within the last two years of his life. This generously illustrated and accessibly written publication is a must-have for anyone wanting to learn more about one of the great masters and his enormously popular art.” (Catalogue)

New Zealand in the eye of artists

From time to time, we may stop and cherish the beautiful sceneries around us. Thanks to these artists who freeze the beautiful moments onto canvas, now we can cherish New Zealand scenery along with the rest of the world. This blog also includes artists’ work using different techniques.

Looking for the light : landscape photographs of New Zealand / Latham, Peter
“New Zealand born landscape photographer presents this epic collection of his most popular gallery fine-art prints, together with numerous new images of the New Zealand landscape. Peter’s poetic eye and unique presentation has earned him a coveted reputation in the elusive art market. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Grahame Sydney : paintings 1974-2014 / Sydney, Grahame
“Grahame’s paintings of the Central Otago landscape and the wider South Island are known and loved by large numbers of New Zealanders at home and abroad, and have become touchstones that reflect the depth of feeling many people have for this country. His work now spans over four decades and encompasses oils, watercolours, egg tempera, lithographs, etching, photography and film. (Adapted from the catalogue)

Van der Velden : Otira / Vangioni, P. J.
“Petrus van der Velden is one of New Zealand’s keystone artists, and this sumptuous publication brings together major examples of his ground-breaking Otira series from public and private lenders throughout New Zealand. It highlights the manner in which van der Velden’s art has resonated throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first century.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Drawing the Waitakere Coast / Binney, D. H.
“In 2008, painter Don Binney completed 24 charming coloured pencil drawings of Auckland’s West Coast, from Huia to Te Henga (Bethells). They are evocative of the coast so many New Zealanders love and they are magnificent works in themselves. They are accompanied by text commenting on the landmarks shown in each of the drawings. “(Catalogue)

Art New Zealand.
“Art New Zealand is the major visual arts journal in New Zealand. First published in 1976, it has consistently surveyed New Zealand’s contemporary art with rigour and professionalism. It is essential reading and reference for those interested in New Zealand art. Its place in the art world is secure and its reputation is unequalled.” (Publisher’s website)

Artists’ impressions of New Zealand
“Denis Robinson’s latest offering is something of an artist’s road trip around New Zealand. There is a wide variety of techniques displayed in the work, and often this seems related to place, like central Otago, which attracts oil painters than Wellington, where watercolourists dominate the painting landscape. Denis Robinson has once again achieved a portfolio of striking artworks that not only demonstrates the deep well of artistic talent in this country, but also reflects the scenic beauty that surrounds us.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Lemonade stands and other things to make and sell

Whether you have a talent to show, baking to share, or just need fill up your kids’ school holidays, these books will help your crafts and produce go further, and even make a profit!

More sewing to sell : take your handmade business to the next level : 16 new projects to make & sell! / Lindsay, Virginia Keleher
“Take your handmade business to a truly professional level with practical advice from industry experts! Best-selling author Virginia Lindsay teaches you how to sell your handmade items for a real profit. This hands-on guide to the sewing business, including sixteen new sewing patterns, all copyright- and royalty-free, ready to customise for craft fairs or online shops. Make the most of your fabric, time, and resources when selling handmade totes, aprons, quilts, and more!” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Traybakes : 40 brilliant one-tin bakes for enjoying, selling and giving / Miles, Hannah
“Traybakes are one of the simplest forms of cakes and are always popular. The joy of a traybake is that it can be prepared in very little time and cut into easy and regular shaped slices or squares to serve or sell – and of course to eat! They transport easily in their tin and are just right for offering up at a bake sale. Every recipe fits the same standard tin size, so there is no hunting for specially sized equipment, and they each make 24 slices. Chocolate brownies and blondies, lemon meringue, red velvet and more.” (Catalogue)

The lemonade stand cookbook : step-by-step recipes and crafts for kids to make–and sell! / Strahs, Kathy
“Kids have been running lemonade stands for decades, whether to raise money for a new bike, for a charitable cause, or simply to conquer boredom. Inspired by dozens of kid experts from all over the country, the author has poured her expertise as a food writer, entrepreneur, and mother into the ultimate guide to setting up your own lemonade stand. Find delicious drinks, such as Classic Lemonade and Cold-Brew Iced Tea, sweet treats such as Polka Dot Blondies and Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows, grab-and-go snacks such as Owen’s Cheddar Chompers and Sunflower Crunch Balls. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Sustainable market farming : intensive vegetable production on a few acres / Dawling, Pam
“Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Targeted at serious growers, this practical book provides profiles of a full range of crops, information about new, efficient techniques and farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise.” (Catalogue)

 

How to show & sell your crafts : how to build your craft business at home, online, and in the marketplace / Jayne, Torie
“For crafters who want to take their craft to a new entrepreneurial level, this book is the perfect guide. Using highly-visual, step-by-step tutorials, How to Show & Sell Your Crafts is packed with helpful branding, selling, and merchandising tips that no serious crafter should be without. Using the workspaces, shops, salons, and “through-the-keyhole” profiles of some of the world’s most successful crafters, readers will learn the best ways to merchandise and sell their items online, at craft fairs, markets, pop-up events, exhibitions, and in shops. ” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Paper Christmas : 16 papercrafting projects for the festive season / Dawe, Emily
“Emily Dawe shows you how to create and style your Christmas in paper, from greetings cards and gorgeous gift tags to beautiful bunting and seasonal snowflake table runners. Use wrapping paper, origami paper or card with a hint of glitter and a spark of inspiration to make your Christmas extra special.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

 

Gardening for Profit / Collyns, Kate
“More and more of us are discovering the rewards of growing our own food. But what about producing enough to sell, or even trying to make a living in this way? This book is for anyone who is interested in selling some produce for profit – whether just surplus from a vegetable garden or wholesale from a fully developed professional business. It has everything including: finding land; winning customers and marketing your produce; working out what equipment you’ll need (and how much to budget for); sourcing funding; and deciding which crops to grow.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The big book of kombucha : brewing, flavoring, and enjoying the health benefits of fermented tea / Crum, Hannah
“Presents instructions for brewing and preparing the fermented tea known as kombucha, discussing its long history and health benefits, with recipes for smoothies, cocktails, sauces, salads, and puddings.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Creative calligraphy made easy : a beginner’s guide to crafting stylish cards, event decor and gifts / Lim, Karla
Add a special touch to your next event with an elegant handwritten menu and place cards. Renowned calligraphy designer and instructor Karla Lim breaks down the complex craft into simple steps so you can get amazing professional results in your cards and gifts, while also enjoying this meditative process.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

 

Modern terrarium studio / George, Megan
“Clean lines and bold color: these aren’t your average terrariums. Author Megan George presents 25 easy-to-make terrariums and living landscapes that push the boundaries of traditional terrarium design.  An overview of the author’s favorite popular plants, including tillandsias, cacti, succulents, tropical plants and mosses.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

 

“Pure psychic automatism” – Surrealist masterpieces coming soon to Te Papa

Coming to Te Papa on the 12th of June there will be the ultra-rare chance to see 180 surrealist masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

The Te Papa Surrealist exhibition runs until 31 October in Te Papa’s gallery, Toi Art. Te Papa is the only venue in the Asia Pacific region to host the exhibition, and as a city we’re incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to view these artworks — which include sculpture, furniture, paintings, graphic design, prints, and photography.

Surrealist Art at Te Papa Exhibition

This exhibition features major works by all key surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Marcel Duchamp, Leonora Carrington, and Man Ray.

Salvador Dalí, Couple with their heads in the clouds, oil on panel, 1936. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Purchase with the support of: the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Foundation, the Rembrandt Association, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the Erasmusstichting and Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht. Photo: Studio Tromp. © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí/VEGAP. Copyright Agency, 2020.

About Surrealism

Pure psychic automatism, is how co-founder of André Robert Breton French writer and poet and author of the First Manifesto of Surrealism (Manifeste du Surréalisme) defined Surrealism:

Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express — verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner — the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.

Surrealism was birthed from the fiery remnants of the Dada movement, which was a direct reaction to the propaganda and mechanised slaughter of the First World War. Dada was a mirror to the insanity of the world at the time: the Dadaists saw society’s embrace of progress and rationalism as the problem, and so the movement was anti-idealistic, anti-rational and anti-aesthetic.

Both Surrealism and Dada shared a lot in common — they both incorporated a condemnation of Western logic and reason. However, whilst the Dadaists were unfocused and often nonsensical with a deep suspicion of meaning, the Surrealists were linked to the works of Freud and Jung and were often attempting to tap into the unconscious subliminal world; trying to create images that represented the dream world’s mysteries and secrets and finding powerful motivation for looking for meaning in those subconscious worlds. Both movements served as core precursors to today’s art world, and many modern art movements such as performance art and post modernism originated in these movements.

To get you fully informed before you go along to the exhibition, Wellington City Libraries has an extensive collection of Surrealist books. We’ve highlighted a few below, but you can also browse them on our catalogue:

Surrealism on our Catalogue


Salvador Dali : 1904-1989 / Descharnes, Robert
“Picasso called Dali “”an outboard motor that’s always running.”” Dali thought himself a genius with a right to indulge in whatever lunacy popped into his head. Painter, sculptor, writer, and filmmaker, Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the century’s greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics. He was one of the first to apply the insights of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis to the art of painting, approaching the subconscious with extraordinary sensitivity and imagination. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

René Magritte, 1898-1967 / Meuris, Jacques
“The works of Rene Magritte (1898 – 1967) and the ideas that underlie them are a special case both in the history of modern art and in surrealist painting. In the search for the “”mystery”” in which things and organisms are enveloped, Magritte created pictures which, taking everyday reality as their starting point, were to follow a different logic from that to which we are accustomed. Magritte depicts the world of reality in such unsecretive superficiality that the beholder of his pictures is forced to reflect that the mystery of it is not evoked by some sentimental transfiguration, but rather by the logic of his thoughts and associations. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The Duchamp book / Parkinson, Gavin
“Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was, without doubt, one of the most influential and controversial artists of the twentieth century. No other figure has attracted such a wealth of often contradictory interpretation and commentary. Associated with Cubism, Dada and Surrealism and widely seen as a forerunner of conceptual art, he avoided being too closely allied with any one movement. Credited with the invention of the ‘readymade’ and a champion of what he termed ‘non-retinal art,’ he was responsible for some of the most iconic works of his era.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Leonora Carrington : surrealism, alchemy and art / Aberth, Susan
“This, the first book on Leonora Carrington (b. 1917), provides a fascinating overview of this intriguing artist’s life and rich body of work. Carrington’s preoccupation with alchemy and the occult, and the influence of indigenous Mexican culture and beliefs on her production are all explored.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Man Ray : photography and its double
“Man Ray delighted the avant-garde of the 1920s and 1930s with daring, creative experimentation. He was the first Surrealist photographer, a gifted rebel with an incisive eye and a passion for freedom and pleasure.This outstanding monograph sheds new light on Man Ray’s photographic genius — incredibly, around one third of these images have never before been published. Visually spectacular and intellectually stimulating it shatters the myth — cultivated by Man Ray himself — that his photographic creativity resulted from timely mistakes and chance occurrences.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The age of light / Scharer, Whitney
“A novel inspired by the life of the Vogue model-turned-renowned photographer finds Lee Miller relocating to 1929 Paris, where she becomes the muse and colleague of the mercurial surrealist, Man Ray.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The hearing trumpet / Carrington, Leonora
“The Hearing Trumpet is the story of 92-year-old Marian Leatherby, who is given the gift of a hearing trumpet only to discover that what her family is saying is that she is to be committed to an institution. But this is an institution where the buildings are shaped like birthday cakes and igloos, where the Winking Abbess and the Queen Bee reign, and where the gateway to the underworld is open. It is also the scene of a mysterious murder. Occult twin to Alice in Wonderland, The Hearing Trumpet is a classic of fantastic literature that has been translated and celebrated throughout the world.” (Adapted from Catalogue)