Sea Rose, 1977

Joanna Margaret Paul, Artist

This is one of the watercolours in our collection. It was made in 1977. The place where it was made is unknown.
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Object Detail


About the Work
Books and roses are two of my favourite things. And the rose depicted here in this glorious watercolour has the same velvety hue as a rose my mother grew at my childhood home. It was a variety which had an intoxicatingly heady scent (and colour) that I’ve never been able to locate since. Joanna Margaret Paul was a visionary and staggeringly prolific visual artist, writer, photographer and filmmaker and I admire the singular way her work across all mediums thoughtfully explores and celebrates the domestic and the quiet. I love the murky tones of tawny and russet and the surprise of muted pastels here, and the placement of the book on the table. It’s The Edge of the Sea (1955) by Rachel Carson who was a progressive conservationist, environmentalist and marine biologist. I love books about the natural world and this one is a thoughtful illumination of shore life.
-Kiran Dass, writer and critic, for the May 2021 instalment of the My Choice exhibition series.
Measurements
540 x 750mm
Media
watercolour on paper
Description
Watercolour painting of a rose in a glass vase and some books on top of a table with a chair behind it. The title of one of the books is 'The Edge of the Sea'.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Gift of the Artist, 1990.
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
1977

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Accession Number:
1990/13/1