Pottery, tapestries

Press, 28 December 1988, Page 16

Pottery, tapestries

Pottery by Graeme Storm and Steve Fullmer, tapestry weaving by Esther Archdall — a Christmas exhibition at the Cave Rock Gallery, the Arts Centre, Hereford Street, until December 31. Reviewed by Barry Allom. An exhibition showing the work of two well-established “big name” New Zealand potters and the tapestries of a relatively lesser known Christchurch weaver may seem a little unfair. Aucklander Graeme Storm was one of the early professional potters in New Zealand. In the 25 years he has been potting full-time, he has developed styles and techniques that are distinctive and outstanding. American Steve Fullmer has established his reputation comparatively quickly. His low-fired decorative work that manifests an innovative and dynamic approach to clay has won him the prestigious Fletcher Challenge Pottery Award twice in recent years. . If you come to this show to be edified by Steve Fullmer’s work, you will go away disappointed. The few pieces displayed here fall far short of his usual standard and give the impression of a token appearance. The blotchy decoration detracts from the pots and they lack the integrity and spontaneity of his best work. Graeme Storm’s pots stand out not only because they strike the eye as you enter the gallery but because their simple, classic shapes are perfectly complemented by the subtlety of his glazes and decoration. There are some fine examples of Graeme Storm at his

best — the expansive platter with the incised lily design, the exquisite vase (No. 4) with similar lilies banding its middle in perfect balance, the two black-and-white incised vases that are perfect vehicles for his incomparable technique, and the tall vase (No. 5) in which the simple classical form and lovely glaze speak so eloquently that decoration would be superfluous. Unless we are lucky enough to own Graeme Storm’s work, we do not often get a chance to see his pots in Christchurch — our thanks to Cave Rock for remedying this. It is Esther Archdall who steals this show with her bright, vibrant, challenging tapestries. Each of the nine pieces is so diverse in subject and wide-ranging in effect. She works in two-ply wool, sometimes using several strands in different shades of the same colour, or graduated colours together, for a lively effect. It must be painstaking work. These weavings have a painterly quality and this is specially evident in the framed piece, Plots and Paths, in which the composition is so carefully worked out. Blue Vase has something of “the 12 days of Christmas” feel about it — full of energy and vibrant colour. Some are simpler abstract formats. Such is the colourful Rock Pool, or No. 3, in which the purples and pinks work so well together. But the piece de resistance is the splendid triptych, “The Land Uplifted.” Colour, design, composition and scale combine to make this a work of great integrity. The title has an indigenous ring to it. Can our culture really be so colourful?