Resin creates Dark Side of the Moon
Patterson Parkin apologises for ‘‘the mess’’ as we walk into his studio and gallery in Te Aroha.
There’s cut bits of paper on the floor of all shapes and sizes along with a fair amount of masking tape the artist has rolled into balls and discarded.
A small room at the front of the studio is sectioned off, as if its contents were in quarantine. And it’s here Parkin has created his latest piece of art which will hopefully arouse the curiosity of judges, peers and potential buyers.
It’s called Dark Side of the Moon and Parkin will show it as a finalist at this year’s New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards, at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival on February 17.
It is rectangular-shaped piece featuring five layers of resin, giving it a three-dimensional look. Each layer of resin costs about $100 and applying it is a test of patience and precision.
‘‘The room has to be dust free because if anything lands on the resin while it’s setting, it’s stuck in there. So I’ve got sheets that come down around the room so it’s enclosed,’’ Parkin explained.
‘‘I vacuum clean the room and have to wear a paper suit, goggles, mask and gloves. The room also as to be 25 degrees for the resin to set so you can image how hot it is in there.’’
The piece has taken about 20 hours to complete. Parkin admits resin is difficult and dangerous to work with but it also offers ‘‘that lovely glass finish’’ he couldn’t achieve when he worked with polyurethane.
‘‘I think when you are working with a minimalist piece like this, there is no room for error, you can’t hide your mistakes whereas with a busy artwork, you can hide them.’’
Parkin said the resin allowed him to achieve a sharpness between light and dark.
‘‘If you have ever looked at the moon though a telescope, it has a very luminescent colour, with the blackness of the moon’s edge. I like that idea.’’
Parkin and his family had lived in Canterbury, Dunedin and Auckland before arriving in Te Aroha about two years ago. They had watched a story on television about how Te Aroha had rallied to help a couple whose house was riddled with termites.
‘‘We just thought, where the hell is Te Aroha? We heard it was about an hour or so south of Auckland so we thought let’s go and have a look. We got lost getting there but then we came over the bridge and saw the mountain and the town, and just decided, let’s move here.’’
They bought a house and Parkin set up his studio and gallery on Whitaker St.
The former Londoner has exhibited at galleries all around New Zealand but is looking forward to showing his art as a finalist at the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards for the first time.
He said it would be nice to win but also hoped to attract the eye of buyers.
‘‘That’s the idea. I love what I am doing and making a living out of my art.’’