Images of summer

Press, 12 October 1988, Page 22

Images of summer

“Summer Waters” is Alison Ryde’s exhibition in the C.S.A. Gallery from October 12 to 23. The 40 paintings are mainly watercolours on large handmade paper and there are also large acrylics on canvas. They cover a variety of summer themes, based in two main locations. Many are based on summer experience at Sumner Beach and Pegasus Bay and depict the light, water and summery atmosphere. The other paintings

cover subjects seen by the artist around the Mediterranean coast. Earlier this year, she travelled around the coasts of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, painting the summery, palmy coasts. The watercolours exhibited here were done on location in the Algarve, Portugal, and in Spain and rich landscapes of Provence in France. There is also a touch of Venice. Pictured above are the Alcazar Gardens of Seville in Spain.

' The paintings are > bright and celebratory, • not altogether tied to J reality, with a strong > personal touch. > Alison Ryde is a Christchurch painter. She ' has exhibited for over 20 years at various members’ and invited exhibii tions at the C.S.A. Gal- , lery — her most recent i individual exhibitions f there being in 1981 and . 1983. f In 1981 the paintings > were of Dunedin town > scenes and a series of Aramoana watercolours

depicting the mysterious beauty of the Otago Harbour wetlands. In 1983 the watercolours were of the Rakaia River in its wildness and majesty. This exhibition also showed some “Home Series” works of interiors.

Both these years the artist won awards in the Lindauer Montana art competition, and she repeated this with a major prize in the Lindauer competition last year.