This latest exhibition by Phillipa Trumic captures memories of an unforgettable trip to a marine mammal sanctuary located in the Dominican Republic. Here travellers observe and swim with hump back whales in their natural breeding environment – the Silver Bank. Referred to as a ‘Soft-In-Water encounter’, the experience is intimate, awe inspiring, and of course poignant as participants reflect on the fragility of species-coexistence in a complex world.
In her paintings Trumic embraces the observational component of peaceful whale/human engagement and invites us to recalibrate our thinking about the elemental aspects of land, sea and sky. She toys with human fascination with whales: their forms, textures and behaviours, and through her use of oils and watercolours we are drawn into an at times fanciful world as the subjects swim, float and sleep.
Bringing a more physical dimension to the exhibition is the ‘Fluke’ collection of ceramics, which offers a counterpoint to the visual richness of the paintings. Trumic draws on a range of techniques and glazes to create uniquely crafted pieces which evoke the sense of touch, whilst complementing the ethereal and evocative themes of the Silver Bank Sanctuary.
Still highlighting relationships amongst people, the land and indigenous flora and fauna, Trumic explores the notion of 'Letting Go' on a number of levels. She herself has departed from her usual medium of oil on board, and by using linen she is more at liberty to play with the compass of the lighter un-anchored canvas. Indeed, we notice a dispensing with the horizon line, experimentation with foreground and midground, and a seemingly casual disregard of which way is up and which is down. As a result, we are invited to interpret the paintings in a myriad of ways, and to formulate personal responses to what it might really mean to let go.
Anchored" is Phillipa's seventh solo exhibition, and brings together a collection of works completed over the last two years.
Several of the paintings capture the grace (and at times tenacity) of the native kotuku, set amongst the somewhat prehistoric backdrops of the South Island's West Coast. Tall trees stretch towards pendulous bluegrey skies offering a solidarity that both honours the past and offers a measure of stability to the present. This notion of juxtaposition is woven throughout the collection - stillness/movement, reality/dreaming, pairs/opposites - highlighting the relationships that exist between the land and its inhabitants.
Phillipa Lowry Trumic's work continues to be sought by collectors throughout New Zealand and overseas, with her solo exhibitions to date being predominantly sell-out shows.
"Fishing" is Phillipa's sixth solo exhibition, and while there are now-familiar themes that can be traced back through past collections (the acknowledgement of endeavour, the water / bush / sky interface, unexpected touches of humour underpinning classic human emotions, the inimitable fusion of the known and the unfamiliar) she continues to explore new dimensions and subjects.
Inspired by childhood memories of extended Iveagh Bay holidays, the Fishing collection draws on the indubitable icons of the West Coast lake: the kotuku and the trout. At first appearing contemplative, the paintings soon disclose the existence of narratives, which in turn evoke the added dimension of sound: splashing, rippling, flapping, rustling. One work in particular, Nesting Kotuku, is at once a score and a performance, and we are treated to a colourful interplay of symphonic expression.
Phillipa Lowry Trumic has been exhibiting since 1997. "Going Bush" is her fifth solo exhibition, and presents a series of paintings that further explore Phillipa's passion for indigenous plants, trees, and birdlife.
Phillipa's work is characterised by lush and fertile imagery, which in this exhibition symbolises a recapturing of the spirit, and a retreating to the unsophisticated pleasures of an unplugged world. The portraying of such simple acts as eating, sleeping, dancing and contemplation are richly combined with the elements of water, bush and sky. Each work offers a respite from the clamor of urban existence, just as the subjects of each painting have been embraced by the quiet magnitude of the New Zealand bush setting.
"Living Memorial" is Phillipa's fourth solo exhibition, and on one level has links with her third exhibition, "Seasonal Pursuits", in that it portrays natural life cycles and the celebration of endeavour. "Living Memorial" however is underpinned by the intensity of feelings that accompany the pain of losing a loved friend.
Phillipa's work incorporates imagery that is highly personal yet accessible. In this exhibition vivid use of colour and expressive subjects belie the quiet poignancy of personal loss. Each painting draws the viewer into a private space that invites an extended emotional dialogue, relieved only occasionally by touches of humour symbolising optimism.
That the title of this exhibition mirrors the name of a joint arboricultural venture between Lamb & Hayward (Funeral Directors) and the Department of Conservation is no accident, as the artist draws on the subtle imagery of New Zealand settings, flora and birdlife in a similarly commemorative manner.
Phillipa's passion for native plants and trees, apparent in many of her paintings, is evident in her home environment where she dedicates what spare time she has to the tending of a future indigenous forest and grassland.
The artist is grateful to Lamb & Hayward for allowing the use of the title "Living Memorial" in this context.
This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Louisa Kool.
In this, her third solo exhibition, Phillipa focuses on rural scenes. Under expansive North Canterbury skies, stands of trees and wind-tousled hills foreshadow the Southern Alps. A central theme explores the relationship between the people of the land and their environment. There is a quiet joy in nurturing the land, and in living according to an ethic which honours work and utility. For these people, their bodies are essentially working tools; their feet and hands are strong and broad.
One motif is taken from an annual pumpkin-growing competition among local farming friends. The pumpkins are big, bright and bold. They are harvested and celebrated with the measured satisfaction which comes from such endeavour. There are, of course, other seasonal pursuits in the exhibition. They too encompass the same cycle of work, fruition and fulfilment.
Contributions to a group show, June 2010 at "The Artists Room", Dunedin, New Zealand
