Three Painters

An exhibition of three early-career painters—Ruth Ige, Jana Wood & Vivienne Worn—showing for the first time at McLeavey Gallery.

Characterised by an expressive use of colour and intimate handling of paint, the three artists operate in a liminal space between abstraction and figuration. Evocatively depicted in oil and acrylic, references to people, faces and the natural environment emerge in a fresh, bold palette.

Ruth Ige

Ruth Ige graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2016. She has exhibited throughout New Zealand and abroad including at Karma Gallery in New York; Frieze Art Fair New York; and LISTE—Art Fair Basel, Switzerland. Most recently her work was included, alongside Christina Pataialii, in A Place Apart at the City Gallery Wellington.

Ruth describes her work saying, “I am interested in creating images that are not easily understood. Where there is this sense of being outside of a specific place or time. Where past, present and future collide and are coexisting within the same space. Bringing in a quietness, a slowing down and focusing in. Within all that, exploring blackness through the figurative form and the colour itself and all that it implies.” Ruth lives and works in Auckland.

Website: ruthigeart.wordpress.com
Instagram: ruth_ige_art

Jana Wood

An exhibition of three early-career painters—Ruth Ige, Jana Wood & Vivienne Worn—showing for the first time at McLeavey Gallery.

Jana Wood graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts with a Post Graduate Diploma Fine Arts in 2018. In 2019 she was a finalist in the Waikato Museum’s National Contemporary Art Award and her work is in the collection of the Wallace Arts Trust.

This new collection of paintings was inspired by small moments or encounters in nature. Jana is interested in the concept of rewilding—in which the land returns to its natural state—and organic processes. Her paintings are made using rabbit skin glue gesso (a very old type of organic primer) and painted onto MDF board made from waste wood chips. The paintings are lush, vibrant, spacious and airy. Marked with brushstrokes, uneven patches and drips, Jana describes her paintings saying, “I don’t want a ‘pristine’ product, but a type of object that has grown organically and with care and awareness of our environment.” Jana lives and works in Auckland.

Website: janawoodstudio.com
Instagram: janawoodstudio

Vivienne Worn

Vivienne Worn graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts with a Master of Fine Arts in 2017. She has exhibited in dealer and artist run spaces across the country and has twice been a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards.

For this body of work, Vivienne started by looking at small moments in historical etchings. Drawn to still life imagery and motifs, perhaps seeking calm during lockdown, Vivienne repeated these images until they became increasingly abstracted and free flowing. Vivienne said, “After repeated drawing I was free to work in brushstroke and palette. With a slowing of time, brushstrokes became gentler, more considered and there was a feeling that it became more about how I was painting, rather than what I was painting.” Vivienne lives and works in Auckland and is a member of the RM Gallery and Project Space collective.

Website: www.vivienneworn.com
Instagram: vivienne.worn