A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST IN LONDON.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10998, 22 June 1901, Page 5

A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST IN LONDON.

f', \ , -» HER ADVICE TO COLONIAL ART ■f STUDENTS. I IB* Oira London Lady ConiiEsroHDErr, i T Miss Constakcb A. Bakmcoat.) 1* .Mi« Annie Taylor Blacke, of Dun- '■" edin, i* «>« of uite a .n™* o,, °* ew 2«aJjuid' artiste who have come to London to study an* to seek their fortunes. Even now there are at least two New Zealanrters -writing «* * n t * e OW Country—Miss SL Q Stoddwt, o f CJbrlstchurch, mow in Yorkstee, and Mr C. Bickerton, also of Christcburcb* who has been studying under Herwgaec. How many more there may bs «» sa J" ? The trial3 ' difficulties, and Jjiuppointmenls which many of them hajre itad wiQ probably n&ver be known, exceptto themselves. I received the invitatioa to an "•At*H eme ' an< * P rivate yiew OI " iss BJ«kft'» landscapes, pastel and flower gHjdite, it was evident that here at last «tf *'N«w Zealand artist who bad been '.jfctiiokl out Jong enough—for ttiat is _jjy w ]«,t it generally coiaes to, Having *oMtf «eug fl to hold on for sc-verai year* m iH W*i can become a little known—long -noofh to do what a New Zealand artist, ■o'&*'*• can e** , * , ' ,l ' never lias done before in -London, have a private view of her : ynfc and ask as many New Zealand and other friends as possible to sea it. Of afljrse, such an exhibition costs far more. then the everage New Zealand st udent could pgmbly think of paying. Such a reception meet be held in a central and fashionable, «nd. consequently extremely expensive lonot in some remote suburb reached ty, train iv twenty minutes or half an hour fcom one of the large' stations.. Nobcdy ; would come to so outlandish a place. Fashionable London folk hardly realise the existence oi such remote regions us Batternea, Brixton or Camberwell; and certainly, except possibly such of them as are philan* thropicaQy disposed, never entt'r them, and know little more about.their main streets than about Cathedral square, Cnrretchurch. MiM Bluoku fortunately had a friend, with * TUT' handsome roomy house in Huns Place, in one of the best parts of London, ytha gave an "At Home" specially for the sH«w Zealand artist, to got her work known to ft large circle of fashionable folk. It was therefore, a very fashionablo function— ' ttactly what every one launching on an «Etistic career in London wants, and what, Xbelieve, none of them have ever been .-for tunate enough to manage be-fore.

a Down»t«M the hostess received her friends; upstairs there was music and tea. Everywhere were quantities of spring flowers—indeed, all that a rising artist could poesibly wish. Among the pictures there were several N«w Zealand scenes, one of Abie* AM, Pulciterakj, and several near Duncdin. Sam mouoUin daisies looked [rtrangely oat of place in a London West End house. tMoet of the scenes, however, were English

—etodke of spring flowers, pictures of the Thames from the pant of London always associated with Turner and Oarlyle, with some Eng&sh country scenes, and all—flowers, that, Candscapes, with a peculiar, grey, idealistic hazo over them, a kind of suggestive indfefinibenees, which is the great charm Of tMfcw ißlacke's work.

Although is wua supposed to be spring, yet so late and cold is the season that hardly any one had "thrown off the mourning of last winter, and there was a great profusion of trailing blaok elrirta, waving ostrich plumes, «nd all the fuesimessas with which the fashionable Englishwoman now adorns her■eH. - Few people have ventured on anythlnk gayer than black and whits, though the period «rf general mourning is well over. "J tun afraid our students often have very fautf times in England," I tuid to Miss Biacke. "Do you uofc think that it is largely because they can generally stay only a very limited time, ana as soon as they have found out how to go to work, it is time to return?"

M* B9 Blacke agreed. "Everyone who cornea here and who hxs to make a living fai .wire to have a tlnwd time," she said. "The long -waiting breaks down many and nearly broke mc down, I have suffered in health through it; but I have been exceptiona.Lv fortunate in having so many useful it;U«TB of introduction to influential wople, whioh are very helpful to New Zealand etudeute."

"I understand some of the best 'English ertteU hare spoken veTy highly oi your work?" .

"Yes," said iliss Blacke, "several of the ieading R.A.s h&ve been encouraging. They : ' tar X am a born colourist, and my work is Ml of go." , ! MH <u»y place ought to produce ccCourists, forely N«w Zealand.ought! But go many . ctudeat* coming here rruste so much time through sob knowi&g where to go. What About the London art schools? Nothing ie too bad for some colonial students to say of them." Thttre are very gocd art schools in "LondM/,»idMiiraßlaake. 'ThereisMr Cope, ~ A.R.A. At kin school students are , prepared ,' for the Royal Academy Schools, being ! trained first from the antique and then from ; tj» living model. The CheWa Polytechnic M 9 * very clever artiet at its h«ad, a firstrate draughtsman. Colonial students must « pMpared to go through a thoroughly rigid tnun»ing in drawing before they ore allowed .. to colour. This takes time, go that they flieea to hawe roonev, or they cannot . . expect to be able fco hold out. A etc<J.Mit Wqairee much patience and intelligence; it , »wt» greatly with themselves wliut progress -'■ wer ewW , "'What about Paria as compared with ' Lcodon for the colonial art student? Living always seems to mc so much cheaper there." "1 cannot tall you from experience," said mm Blacke, "as I have not been fhere yet, W* I have been told Paris is like most {wow, reasonably cheap if one knows where <o go. It is, J Wr, a great advantage to **>*■ French, well if one goes to study in itaw. Living U certainly dearer in London Mao in New Zealand. A student requires *ki* T * 8 ood ' for strain on one in what air of tJw life classes is most eevere. An *rti>t is ohljtjed to live in a fairly select ; "eahty* and that, means ltf»h rent. "Every«a»g is dearer here, except clothes, and MWi on clothes you wiTl find you spend ****;, If you want anything good, Ft is '•Oould you give mc any estimate «* liow .. Bttci, it would be reasonably safe to come 4© England upon, say for two years? I suppose you would say two years was a mini,..r, tnuxn time to be of any use?" "it ie no use coming for I ess than two ; ; , years," said MFss 81-kJeo, "not counting time epent in travel. I could hardly g:Ve an exact estimate of tne cost, but I do agree t ""V™ 11 cannot live really comfortably m ■ J ,O ?* 0 ? ? n f^ ,1 ? ™«**r £120 a year. ,; I tiutik London a place in which you run down fnghtfully. The climate is most des' -" prewmg, and the winter very trying." \ < "Then if students have not at least £260 \ or £300 behind them, and a certain amount of influoßCd and fri?r,ds who can help them ;,. practically, you wotfd they had very f much better stay awavt' ?;. ' "I think so/ , Siid.Mns Biacka "At leas* <?.■■ one is generally known and Has always l> friead* in N«w Zealand. Ido not thint on |: lm than tba sum you say they could do $?- inudx I remember my own difficulties dur- |: intj the watting time, and I had exceptionIt' ellv good fortune—too well to be ready to sr. tirge anyone else to face an axttet's* Eifc I ( , in London."