Artist’s Holiday In Pacific Islands

Press, Volume C, Issue 29459, 10 March 1961, Page 2

Artist’s Holiday In Pacific Islands

An artist on holiday in Tahiti recently, enjoyed the lackadaisical life that is the island’s specialty. Miss Olivia Spencer Bower, of Christchurch, described her stay as “painting a bit, bathing in the sea when I felt like it, meeting people and just enjoying myself.” Miss Spencer Bower’s exhibition of paintings done in Tahiti, Samoa and Fiji, was opened at the Durham Street Art Gallery last evening.

The Island of Tahaa is an overnight Journey from Tahiti and there Miss Spencer Bower stayed in a Tahitian house as the guest of a French girl, Monique. The house was in a native village called Fapore which offered endless scope for the artist. Monique is represented among the paintings in the exhibition. She has a strong face and is wearing hibiscus flowers in her hair—making a vivid splash of colour. There are paintings of the village children, too. Some had crept into a painting of the natural bush. “They would come in groups and just stand watching me work. That's how they came to be in this picture,” said Miss Spencer Bower.

From the veranda of her hotel in Papeete she looked down on the yachts anchored at the quay and recorded this bright, yet peaceful scene on her canvas. Then came opportunities to watch the fishermen or meet them returning to the town with their strings of gaily coloured fish. “The fish came in every colour under the sun. Brillaint reds. blues and yellows,” she said. On her first day in Tahiti Miss Spencer Bower found that the Chilean Armada was in port and was invited to one of the ships to a big party. The Chilean sailors found the Tahitian girls

were quick to learn the traditional South American dancing and performed the steps perfectly before a delighted audience of guests on board. Willing to Pose

Throughout her stay Miss Spencer Bower found there was no lack of models in the islands. The native people were only too willing and pleased to pose. “But the trouble was, they thought they had finished after only five minutes.” she said. Life in Tahiti was an interesting contrast to villages 1 in other islands. “It was enchanting and appeared to be very sophisticated.” Many famous cruising yachts called at Papeete giving glimpses of pleasure cruises in the luxury style. “The water is very deep and they could come right up to the quay,” said Miss Spencer Bower. In the exhibition there are paintings from a Fijian wedding that the artist attended during her stay. She watched the preparations for the ceremony and one of her pictures shows the welcome party making garlands for the bride. In return for her wedding present to the couple Miss Spencer Bower received a large flax mat as a gift and memento of the occasion. “I don’t know if they gave all the guests presents in return for gifts

received," she said. “But I did see a few other guests get them.” The mat was given during a special kava ceremony where as a mark of courtesy, beautiful white shells were placed in front of the guest of honour with the open side turned towards the guest. When a visiting chief was entertained large golden sheila, even more rare and highly prized, would be used. Shell Collection Later in her holiday Miss Speneer Bower was given a collection of highly-polished shells by children she met. She herself collected many beautiful ones, some of which are seen at the exhibition. In Tahiti Miss Spencer Bower painted the “Return of the Leis”, a gesture the natives believe will mean the return of the travellers themselves. When the ship leaves the quay the visitors throw overboard the leis that were given to them as a farewell and these float back to the shores.

Miss Spencer Bower hopes that she may be able to fulfill the tradition and return to Tahiti, perhaps en route to Europe or on the way back.

The end of her holiday meant the beginning of hard work in preparation for her exhibition. She found she had to keep to a kind of routine with her painting and that it entailed long hours. This meant that temporarily her other interests such as amateur acting, tennis and ski-ing went into the background. An absorbing interest the year round, however, is her gardening at her home in Memorial avenue.

Miss Spencer Bower is considering the possibilities of another trip overseas. Born in England, she has returned only once, to study at the Slade School of Art in London.