Clyde’s Eade Gallery, co-owned by Melanie and Rex Eade, is hosting three solo and duo solo exhibitions this spring centring on the work of artists represented by the gallery.

 Stories – October 7– November 1 2023

Impressionist painter Paul Samson has a new collection of oil on canvas works entitled Stories which will be presented in his solo exhibition.

“This exhibition is an exploration of the impressionist style of painting. I began with my version of van Gogh’s sunflower painting and have improvised on the theme in my next few paintings.”

Inspired by Cezanne Paul developed his art while living in England attending Heatherley School of Fine Art in Chelsea before training with Israel Zohar, a contemporary artist of international standing who teaches in the old renaissance mode.

“After classically training in London I am currently integrating my impression of impressionist style together with my trademark quirkiness. The artist in me responds to works by the Masters such as Picasso, Cezanne and Vermeer and this influence comes through in my style and subject matter.”

Paul paints from his home studio base in Kerikeri and enjoys exploring complex compositions in some paintings while experimenting with greater simplicity in others.

“Hopefully viewers at my solo exhibition will appreciate both the execution and the diversity of subject matter I explore in my paintings.”

The Alchemist & I – November 3–November 29 2023

Award-winning Alexandra photographer Eric Schusser has produced a special duo solo exhibition to commemorate the works of his late partner and photographer Annemarie Hope-Cross.

“It focuses on anthotypes showcasing Annemarie’s most recent work prior to her death from cancer in December last year,” says Eric. “Anthotypes are photographs on paper coated with various mixtures made from berries, leaves, fruits and herbs with plants placed on top and then glass. The images are exposed to the sun for two to six weeks and most eventually fade. Annemarie had a purist approach to this and my approach was photographing and interpreting the process.”

Eade Gallery has represented both Eric and Annemarie’s fine art photography for several years and Eric says their collaborative photography work evolved over time.

“ Anthotypes take time and care to produce, they are transitory and a bit ethereal – you never know the exact result. With Annemarie living with cancer for five and half years this approach allowed her time to experiment with a historic photographic process which was her specialty area. For us both working in this medium it became something we shared and experimented with together and I hope people appreciate the commemorative personal approach to these images.”

Fire & Water – December 2– January 22024

Melanie Eade and her son Thomas are collaborating on landscapes with similarly ethereal atmospheres for their duo solo exhibition entitled Fire and Water.

 “Thomas’ watercolours and my encaustic wax artworks are surprisingly similar in many ways,” says Melanie. “We are exploring texture, colour, and mood through meditative, dream-like landscapes within the realm of subjective landscapes – the meeting of the imagined, the remembered and the real, as well as the confluence of land, water, and sky.”

Melanie recently embarked on an artistic style and medium change which has been challenging and liberating.

“Encaustic painting is 3,000 years old. I work with molten pigmented encaustic wax medium and shellac on board to create multi-layered works, with each layer painted and fused with a blow torch.”

“Thomas’s watercolour works are experimental exposing the flow of water and pigments over paper creating unexpectedly beautiful results. It is the similarity of the wax and watercolour mediums which is the seed that has guided all our choices,” says Melanie.