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WORDS FROM ROBYN WEBSTER-
The mono prints are all about our relationship with the plant world, our vital connections with trees especially. the leaves from the puka growing outside my studio window, which i used in the prints, are like gateways either into or out of paradise... and the female totem figure, alongside the actual woman /person- they are about the feminisation of earth- how we talk of mother earth etc- and just thinking about that stuff in this series with more questions than answers.
I have come up through my own paths! Studied harakakeke weaving on a marae in Nelson, travelled on horseback around south island, owned land in the Hokianga with other people, lived in the middle of Auckland during early 80s and took in the music and art scenes there- lived in Wiaohine Gorge in Wairarapa, worked in shearing gangs there and then in blade gangs out of Kurow all thru the high country of S.I.- (5 prelamb seasons in all, including bits when i was at art school) and went on to art school in Dunedin in my late 20's...from then have been working as an art teacher first at the art school, while making art and having shows and doing part time other work as well including Cadbury's (!) and the art gallery on the desk at the weekends (when it used to be in Logan Park) and teaching life drawing at WEA- then decided to move to Chch to study being an art teacher in high school in 1995, beginning in my first job at Alexandra as I turned 40. Have been teaching in Chch since i got my job at Riccarton high in 2001, but am now pulling back from that as i do more of my own work.
These days am still combining what i learned about harakeke with my western art traditions of sculpture and constructions; still painting and printmaking as i often work thru my ideas in different media as I go, i find it helps me to understand myself, if you know what i mean?
And doing collaborations- with Bernadette Hall (Ashburton) and lately with Fleur de Thier (COCA)..others perhaps in pipeline now- .have generally avoided the dealer gallery scenario, mostly showing in artist run spaces or public institutions... and have no children, only much loved and adored nieces and nephews...