Masterton Art Club

The centrepiece of Masterton Art Club's current exhibition at Aratoi is a collaborative work made up of 20 small canvases called 'Out of Monet's Garden'.
 
Masterton painter and art teacher Jane Sinclair, who has been president of the Club since March, says the work was an interested challenge that the members enjoyed: 'It started with an image based on a Monet painting which was enlarged and cut it into 20 pieces. Then each person got a section to interpret and they worked on their small canvas without seeing the whole image'.
 
An explosion of colour and light resulted when all the canvases were put together, reflecting the exhibition's theme -  'Out of the Garden'. Other works in the show range from abstract and imaginative angles on the theme, to realistic images of flowers and gardens.
 
Sinclair, who also teaches art at the Club's Victoria St rooms, says she is aiming to maintain many of the Club's traditions while also introducing new aspects to the group. 
 
'We are running monthly life drawing classes and looking at having regular screenings of New Zealand and international art films to expand people's knowledge about different artists,' she says.
 
The Masterton Art Club dates back to 1921 when a committee of nine women set up a 'sketch club'. By the 1940s, it had morphed into the Masterton Art Club and had a number of dedicated members who were serving overseas sending back work for the group's exhibitions. This included cartoonist Jim Welch who spent almost five years in Stalag Prison Camp. The Club also helped raise funds for the Wairarapa Arts Centre, the forerunner of Aratoi.
 
Today, activities include workshops and weekly social painting sessions. The Club currently has a pop up exhibition at the former Pagani shop, 120 Queen St, Masterton, which it is running as a cash and carry event until Christmas. The Club welcomes everyone from beginners to more experienced artists. Contact Jane Sinclair T: 06 378 8880.



Caption: Twenty members of the Masterton Art Club created this work, called Out of Monet's Garden.