Orion Powerhouse Gallery

Ross Gray

Born in Whanganui 1945, Ross Gray is a longstanding Christchurch contemporary painter who qualified UC School of Fine Arts Dip FA, 1967 and MFA (Dist.), 2004. He trained as a Secondary Art teacher, Dip Tchg 1968 and taught Art and Art History at several secondary schools, HoD Art at Cashmere High School 1981 - 95. From 1999 - 2012 he was a Tutor in Drawing at the School of Art and Design and School of Architectural Studies at CPIT (now Ara). He led the CoCA Critique Group / Critique Group Christchurch 2009 - 2016. He is both artist and heritage campaigner and is Chair, Christchurch Civic Trust and Deputy Chair, Historic Places Canterbury.

He has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand, most recently with a retrospective exhibition at Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru, ‘Ross Gray_ Then Again 1970 - 2020’ His work is in a number of New Zealand public art gallery collections, including Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

He has a studio at Chambers Art Gallery and Studio Spaces, 80 Durham St, Christchurch

​

Two recent solo shows at Chambers experimenting with an ‘abstract head’l imagery (Paintbox 2017, Boxing On 2019) have now developed in the Space Mates work along an orbital theme - bony eye socket, circular movement in space. Some small gestural aquarelle works extend into series paintings, which explore formal and technical aspects while referencing heritage and memory in a world-in-a-spin context.

From 2004 till 2016 Simon and Ross were close studio spaces neighbours in numerous Christchurch city buildings, but this is the first time they have exhibited together.

​

Simon Edwards

Born Christchurch 1975, Edwards holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts (1997).  Finalist in the 1997 Cranleigh Barton Drawing Award and finalist in th 2013 Parkin Drawing Award.  Edwards has exhibited regularly since 1998 and is represented by the ‘Milford galleries Queenstown’ and ‘The Central’ in Christchurch. He has work in numerous New Zealand collections including the Christchurch Art Gallery.  Edwards lives and works in Christchurch.

In this work I am interested in how traditional ideas of the landscape, the sublime and the beautiful have influenced our contemporary views of nature.

The imagery is drawn from many locations in the southern alps  ranging from Kaikoura down to The Milford Sound. The work is not a literal description of a specific place, anything specific in the work acts as a reference point to suggest a space, a distance or a memory.

​

Opening Night: Friday 12th November 2021 (Members Only)
Open to the public: Saturday 13th November 2021 – Sunday 5th December 2021 (3 weeks)

​

Simon Edwards – painting

Ross Gray – painting