On Sunday we visited an open studio at Port Chalmers, next door to the Town Hall where the children’s banner parade departed from. This is the studio of James Robinson and I’ve already shared a photo of the gigantic 8m x 3.5m work that was the main drawcard – Edgeland Teleprompter Incantation.
What i love
What i love about painting and drawing
Is the inexplicable doingness
Of it
and the way story perpetually changes from day to day
The nature of mark and depth and process revealing the revealer
— from What i love at the James Robinson website.
Visited Sunday 24 November 2019.
This is the top part of the poster for James’ open studio (with reflections as it was behind the street-facing window). It features his work named ‘in and out’ which wasn’t in the studio but he told me about it. If you view it one way it appears to be a passage but viewed differently can appear as a pyramid. There are very good photos of this large mandala artwork at his website: in and out
Bright flowers, ornament and cactus near the entry to the studio.
There was a normal sized anteroom before the main studio where we found this lovely stained glass window.
The open studio exhibition is a tribute to David Eggleton, Dunedin who is the current NZ poet laureate and has written poems inspired by James art. The next work was done by James when he was in Australia some years ago.
It featured on the cover of ‘edgeland and other poems‘ by David Eggleton.
Flashback to our recent attendance at a poetry reading at Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore – in this photo David Eggleton is reading. Seated L-R: Cilla McQueen, Kay McKenzie Cooke and Jenny Powell with Richard Reeve out of frame.
The following press release offers further explanation. The open studio is on until 01 Dec, 10am till 6pm daily. Worth popping in if you’re in Dunedin this month.
Text by Liz, photos by Liz and Nigel; Exploring Colour (2019)
Exploring Colour 
I followed the link on Robinson’s website to the video on Youtube. It lets you see a lot more detail of the mandala – there’s stitching, burnt edges and what looks like a little bit of gold leaf here and there, so it’s very tactile.
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Thanks Ann, I avoid most videos due to bandwidth but I took a look since you mentioned and its neat to see James particular presentation of it. The detail in the work is mind-blowing. If you take a look at my single-image post of the big 8m x 3.5m work in his studio, its incredible to think this huge work has tiny detail all over it (and lots of burnt edges) – at: https://exploringcolour.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/edgeland-teleprompter-incantation-by-james-robinson/
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Just saw this after I commented there – you can see that I agree! 🙂 I enjoy looking at artworks that have lots of detail, and layers and textures too. There’s plenty to keep the viewer interested.
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As always I’ve enjoyed your posts and further education about New Zealand. I read that April 5 Otega Times piece interviewing a vast spectrum of individuals. I look at maps, read history and in general just travel about gaining new knowledge of your country. I guess it’s what a 76-year-old man does. Travels via the Internet I should call it. Being a shellfish lover, I could fare quite well in Port Chalmers.
This Thursday is our Thanksgiving. The menu shall consist of Turkey with Oyster Stuffing, Turkey Gravy, White and Sweet potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Brussels Sprouts, Green Bean casserole, Beans for 18, Pumpkin Pie for dessert and after dinner Chocolate Mint. This year, after at least 35 hosting the holiday, we have passed the baton to daughter Sarah. We’ve entertained as many as 53 in years gone by when we lived in an old plantation home built in 1733. It shall be a different day for us.
https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g637/thanksgiving-menus/
Peace and the Lord’s Blessing to you. theRooster
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Oh.. Happy Thanksgiving for Thursday! What a feast. I love pumpkin pie in particular. Via the link I found a slow cooker pecan bread pudding – that also sounds good! Have a wonderful day 🙂
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That stained glass window is simple in its beauty and quite lovely. Robinson’s mandala really draws the viewer in.
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