Southland-born and New Zealand-listed artist Caley Hall sold a painting within the first week of opening his public studio in Invercargill’s City Centre and says he is enjoying the public interaction the location offers.
Last week a classroom of primary school children were peering through the large windows into his Tay St studio, while at the studio he donated copies of his children’s book.
‘’I took a photo of them looking in the window and then invited them all in to have a look around,’’ he said.
Hall, a landscape oil painter, says the opportunity to have the studio in the heart of the City Centre is a fantastic way to create interest within the city and he was grateful to HWR Property Ltd who offered the space at 49 Tay St, for six months.
Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) art and media students have also come along to have a chat and see what he is doing.
”This offers a really good opportunity for them [students] and others to watch the process of creating an artwork.”
Hall is currently in talks with a SIT student who would like to document, via video, the painting process, which begins with scouting a suitable location, photographing a scene and then beginning to paint.
A process which includes under-painting, drying and layering – all to create depth to each painting – as well as ensuring the artwork looks realistic, he says.
Hall has a strong connection to Southland and Fiordland, having attended primary, intermediate and high school in Invercargill and fondly remembering his first school trip to Deep Cove.
”I remember being at Deep Cove up at Hanging Valley and hearing the birds, seeing the ocean, the mountains and the trees,” he says.
Hall is largely a self-taught artist, who has learned techniques and takes inspiration from other New Zealand artists including renowned Queenstown-based artist Tim Wilson and Central Otago-based artist Peter Beadle (ONZM).
He has commissioned works available to view which are being sent to the USA and the UK, as well as artworks available to purchase in his studio. He welcomes all inquiries and ideas and will be open during Easter Weekend.
For more information visit facebook.com/CaleyHallArtist