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F L O R E N C E     B I E N N A L E    2 0 0 7

During December 2007 I exhibited three paintings at the Biennale Internazionale dell' Arte Contemporanea in the historic Fortezza da Basso in the heart of Florence. The paintings are of three of New Zealand's diverse and beautiful coastal island groups

 

    Isole Pacifiche: Isole di Cavalli  2007  1650 x 250mm oil on linen  (Private Collection)

The Cavalli Islands are a small group of islands on Northland's East Coast in northern New Zealand, near Matauri Bay. The main island, Motukawanui, is a nature reserve. It is home to numerous New Zealand birds, along with the endangered dotterel and the brown kiwi. There are many archaeological sites including ancient pā and terracing. In 1987 the bombed Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior was sunk between Matauri Bay and the Cavalli Islands, to serve as a dive wreck and fish sanctuary.

 

 Isole Pacifiche: Isola di Rangitoto  2007  1650 x 250mm oil on linen  (Private Collection)

 

The distinctive symmetry of volcanic Rangitoto is iconic to New Zealanders. Rangitoto Island lies in Auckland’s sparkling Waitemata Harbour and is a backdrop to the city. The blinding morning light makes Rangitoto a silhouette; yet the dazzling clarity defines the surrounding volcanic cones - Maungauika (North Head) and Takarunga (Mt Victoria) as pure sculptural forms. From the northern side of the Waitemata, Maungauika and Takarunga cradle Rangitoto and the subtle layers of distant peninsulas fading into horizon and cloud.  Clouds march across the sky and everything changes - light, shapes, forms, colours, mood - with each whim of weather

 

 

    Isole Pacifiche: Il Povero Knights le Isole   2007  1650 x 250mm oil on linen  (Private Collection)

 

The remnants of an ancient volcano, The Poor Knights Islands are a group of uninhabited islands off the east coast of the Northland coast in the North Island of New Zealand. There are two large islands (Aorangi and Tawhiti Rahi) with a group of smaller islets between the two. They are a totally protected reserve on which nobody is allowed to land without a permit. The surrounding waters are also a marine reserve. The Poor Knights are the only known nesting place of the sea bird, Buller’s shearwater which lives throughout the Pacific Ocean. This fragile environment also supports the living fossil, Tuatara. The islands are vibrant with the song of Bellbirds and Tui.

 

 

 

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