Painting Wellington with house paint

Painting Wellington with house paint

Fractured Light is an exhibition of paintings by Silke Hendel that explore the lights and landscapes of the Wellington region. Using Resene house paint Silke paints local scenes on canvas in an attempt to capture their vibrance.

Having experimented with many paints in the past she says house paint offers brighter, richer colours that better depict what she aims to express.

This exhibition is a collection of works painted over the last year and is influenced by Kandinsky and Hundertwasser. “I love their use of space, everything is always so balanced, yet still completely asymmetric – exactly the same way it is in nature which always has a perfect balance” says Silke.

Having lived in many countries and cities before settling in Wellington in 1991, Silke fell in love with the “rugged, almost brutal” landscape of the capital and the ‘alive’ atmosphere and culture that thrives here. “I try to capture the vibrance of New Zealand culture in my work. This country is positively oozing cultural diversity and is a truly colourful landscape in that respect. So I like to use bright colours to reflect that colourful diversity and capture that Wellington vibe.”

She is inspired by the beauty of New Zealand scenery and the colours and shapes created by light and shadow. “I love the way I can look at Mount Victoria from my house and each day the light falls differently creating unique shadow patterns and depending on the light there can be 10 different shades of green.”

Although she has been painting and sketching in various mediums most of her life, this is Silkes first solo exhibition. The exhibition is on at Rise café, 90 The Terrace from 16 April and runs till 18 May 2007. You can also view her work online at http://web.mac.com/slkehendel.

If you love Wellington, this is a must see exhibition.

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