Timaru-born artist exhibits at York St Teenager breezes through first solo flight
Growing up in Timaru with an architect as a father influenced Sarah Rutherford’s artwork in later life.
Ready access to paper and pencils and being encouraged to use them, Rutherford discovered watercolour and has not looked back.
Now based in Christchurch, some of her works are being exhibited in her hometown, at the York Street Gallery of Fine Art.
While attending Craighead Diocesan School, Rutherford was taught by art teacher and artist the late Gypsy Poulston, whose sculpture Gothic Arches has been loaned to the Timaru District Council for permanent display.
‘‘She [Gypsy] was amazing. She was fun to be with and set us all on the right path,’’ Rutherford said.
Poulston’s passion for art rubbed off on Rutherford and out of her cohort group she was the only one following art seriously.
Rutherford’s art is all in watercolour and pen, and often features houses and depicts early New Zealand architecture, streets, people, sheep, dogs and cats.
‘‘It is about community and friends – all those things that are important to me.’’ The independence and personalities of cats appealed to her and often people looked for them in her work, sometimes missing them on first viewing.
‘‘I love cats.’’
After leaving school, Rutherford attended Ilam School of Art in Christchurch and worked as a graphic artist at a Hornby glass factory.
Once she met and married sheep and beef farmer Chris, her art took a hiatus as they brought up their three children.
‘‘Farming was a busy whirl of activity.’’
It was about 14 years ago when Chris suggested there was now time for her to get back into her art and she has embraced it ever since.
She is pleased to be exhibiting at the Timaru gallery because it was such a ‘‘quaint building’’.
She is now working on a painting for her daughter in Auckland and will participate in the Kaiapoi Art Expo in July. The Sarah Rutherford exhibition at the York Street Gallery of Fine Art continues until April 10.
Teenager Ava Venn is flying solo after selling gobstoppers to raise money for flying lessons over the past four years.
The Craighead Diocesan School student turned 16 last Sunday and yesterday could not wait to put into practice what she has learnt in 30 hours of flying with an instructor.
She purchased three gumball machines for about $2000 each from the United States in 2016 and placed them in, or outside, Timaru businesses, collecting on average a profit of just over $23 a month, for each machine, to pay for lessons.
With her parents’ support, she has probably spent $15,000-$20,000 on flying lessons.
Venn said she was feeling a bit nervous before her preliminary flight which had been postponed for two days due to wind. The onehour flight with South Canterbury Aero Club chief instructor Aaron Pearce was to determine if she was ready to go alone. She was.
Being short in the torso she took her own cushion to sit on in the 112-horsepower Piper Tomahawk and smoothly took off into the sky above Richard Pearse Airport.
‘‘It was exciting. I was nervous then when I was up there, I thought if I crash, I crash, so I may as well enjoy it,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, father Steve was watching from the ground with pride as she flew to 335 metres (1100 feet) at a speed of 70 knots for about 20 minutes, all alone.
‘‘Learning to drive a manual car is harder than a plane, there are gears to worry about. In a plane there are just lots of buttons,’’ Ava said. Landing went ‘‘perfectly’’, according to another instructor who was watching.
Pearce said the young aviator was ready for solo flying earlier but was restricted by her age. He had been teaching her instrument flying and advanced manoeuvres over the past few years.
‘‘You know when they are ready. If I can walk away from the
The Watoto Children’s Choir performed at St Mary’s Church in Timaru on Thursday night. The choir has been travelling throughout the world since 1994, sharing a message of hope for Africa’s most vulnerable children and women. The choir performs almost every day of the year and is leadership training for members, providing responsibility while experiencing plane and not look back over my shoulder, they are ready,’’ he said.
The next step for Ava is to get her pilot’s licence which requires a minimum of 50 flying hours and passing six exams. She hopes to achieve that next year. In the meantime, she was off for her second driving lesson and getting familiar with the gearstick in a car. different cultures. The Watoto model is designed to provide vulnerable women and children in Africa with holistic care including physical care, medical intervention including HIV/AIDS treatment, education – formal and vocational, counselling and emotional wellbeing. Watoto has projects in Kampala and Gulu, Uganda, and Juba, South Sudan.