ARTISTS @ WORK
New Zealand Painters & Sculptors in the Studio
Richard Wolfe & Stephen Robinson
Penguin - $72.00
Release date - 6 October.

‘A six-million-watt beam of laser energy slices through stainless steel, a paintbrush loaded with pigment is dragged across canvas, and an ink-jet printer squirts out an image made up of dots barely visible to the naked eye. Such techniques, both ancient and modern, are just some of those undertaken by the artists of New Zealand, and all part of a transplanted European tradition that began in an improvised studio on a sailing ship some 240 years ago. Studios reflect artists’ needs and circumstances, and are as diverse as what comes out of them’.
Stephen Robinson & Richard Wolfe, from the Introduction to their new, most impressive book, ARTISTS @ WORK

Artists @ Work is a rare and totally fascinating picture of contemporary New Zealand artists in their studios. It provides an array of fresh insights into the practical aspects of artists embarking on their creative processes. The 24 painters and sculptors have been chosen by well-known writer and art commentator Richard Wolfe and photographer Stephen Robinson.

The line-up includes established names like Nigel Brown, (above), Stanley Palmer, Paul Dibble, Jacqueline Fahey, Mary McIntyre,(below), Richard Killeen, and Dick Frizzell as well as up-and-coming artists Tracey Tawhiao, Heather Straka and Andrew McLeod. Collectively, they represent a rich diversity of styles and a broad geographic spread through the country.

‘Artists @ Work sets out to document artists going about their business. We were privileged to be able to visit a wide range of studios around the country, and to experience first hand the generally unseen side of the artist’s practice’. Richard Wolfe

And gosh they do it so well, I was completely absorbed and spent three hours reading and viewing this most engaging book. It is one I will return to often I am sure. A valuable contribution to our contemporary art history reference material too. Well done guys.
It is a bit on the pricey side but I guess there were significant travel costs involved in interviewing and photographing these artists from all over NZ. Price aside it is a book that everyone interested in the contemporary art scene in NZ should own. Personally I am enormously impressed with it.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Stephen Robinson has been taking photographs for 30 years, and his subjects have covered New Zealand arts and crafts, cooking, farming and social history. His images have appeared in a wide range of publications and some 12 book projects, including Crafted by Design, The Bach and Heartland. He has two children, and lives in a converted warehouse and photographic studio in Auckland's inner city suburb of Newton.

Richard Wolfe completed a BFA at the Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, in 1972. He has worked as a museum display artist and curator, exhibition designer and writer. He has written over 30 books on New Zealand history, art and popular culture, among them New Zealand Portraits and With Honour: Our Army, Our Nation, Our History. He lives in Freemans Bay, Auckland, with his wife, artist Pamela Wolfe.

Left - Karl Maugham at work in his Grey Lynn Studio.