A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12457, 30 December 1903, Page 5

A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST.

YISII TO MOROCCO.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Tuesday.. Miss F. Hodgkins, the well-known Dunedin artist, Who has returned from a prolonged visit to the Old Country, intends to settle in Wellington. Miss Hodgkins left three years ago for England, and since then she has visited various parts of the Continent, and has spent some time also in Morocco, where she was fortunate enough to secure some interesting subjects for her brush. Morocco, she says, is in many respects an exceedingly interesting country from an artist's point of view. It is like stepping from modern civilisation to the time of the Old Testament to visit that country and study its people—everything is so primitive, and the people are so quaint. The New Zealander obtained many excellent pictures of Moorish subjects, including one, " A Moorish Girl," witu which she achieved the unique distinction of a placo in the Royal Academy. As Miss Hodgkins is the first New Zealand-born artist to gain this honour, she is naturally very proud of it. Competition for a place on the walls of the Royal Academy is very keen. Thousands of pictures are sent in, and even when a work is accepted another election is necessary before it may be included "on the line." Miss Hodgkins was successful in both elections. As Miss Hodgkins was in Morocco when the rebellion broke out in that country in November last year, she had some rather exciting experiences. From Tangiers she went to Tetuan, a journey which was accomplished with the aid of a caravan mule, the means of communication in Morocco being of the most primitive description. As there' was no communication between Tangiers and Tetuan during the rebellion, the lot of the visitors was not very fortunate, and finally they had to leave the country. The artist spent some time also sketching in Brittany, Normandy, and Holland,