Ashburton work wins

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 14

Ashburton work wins

A former public hall at Waterton, south of Ashburton, bought for $lOl, was the unlikely setting for the production of Mr Morgan Jones’s prize - winning entry in the “Hansell Sculpture of the Year.” The award was presented in Masterton yesterday.

Mr Jones, who was born in Surrey 41 years ago, came to New Zealand in 1955. He later became a teacher. He and his wife became the teachers at the small Flemington School about six

years ago. More recently he bought the former hall by tender and he used it as a workshop to produce his entry, “Jaws,” which he priced at $3OO. Mr Jones shared the award with Jenny Hunt, of Days Bay, Wellington. Each will receive $625. Mr Jones became seriously interested in art in 1960, and his work has been featured at exhibitions at the Dunedin Art Gallery in 1966, at Timaru in 1973, and at the Canterbury. Society of Arts gallery this year. As well, he has exhibited at the Cerima gallery in New York and elsewhere in New Zealand, Australia, England, and America this year. He began his third entry in the Hansell event in June after becoming dissatisfied with the piece he was working on. “Jaws” took him only about six weeks to complete. The design of it came to him very quickly, he said, and he did not have to spend much time in arriving at an effect which satisfied him. Recent productions have seen him complete a transformation from involved designs in the 1960 s to simple shapes. He said he realised he must choose his next step and design carefully. Winning the award had opened

up great possibilities for him. He planned a trip to England in 18-months, but several factors might affect this. One of these was the fact that Flemington was one of few schools in the Ashburton district which did not yet contribute to Ashburton Intermediate. However, if a ratio of one teacher to 20 pupils was achieved next year, he and his wife would retain their positions even if the school did contribute. The other unknown factor was the effect of the award.

One of his English schoolmates, Phillip King, was rated amongst the top three sculpturefs in the world, and this association might, too, have some bearing on decisions, he said.