The coastal landscapes of Gisborne from Anaura Bay to Tuaheni Point are the subject matter and inspiration in Zoe Alford’s latest exhibition now on at Matawhero Art Gallery.
Alford works in pastel pigment to create expansive landscapes which capture the beauty of the Coast - from the swirling clouds behind the hillside at Turihaua to the reflection of the golden hills at the end of Wainui Beach on the foreshore.
She grew up in Cambridge and loved drawing and painting as a young girl. But she was strong at academic subjects, too, and her parents, knowing how difficult it could be to make an income as an artist, steered her away from art.
With a degree in psychology and a Master of Narrative Therapy, Alford is a counsellor in private practice. Nowadays, she splits her time between working as a therapist and an artist. The keen gardener also tries to spend at least half an hour each day in the garden of her home in Whataupoko.
She has fond memories of sketching with her friend and Gisborne artist, the late Juliet Bowen.
“We would go out every Monday morning at daybreak for years and years sketching,” Alford says. “She helped me a lot because we would look at each other’s work at the end and I would see what she had done.”
Describing her style as realistic but slightly impressionistic as well, Alford likes to start with a sketch but then works from photographs.
“If you look up close things look quite abstract. It’s only when you pull back that they look real.”
“Every painting I do I feel like I’m practising and learning, whether it turns out well or not.”
A long-time member of Gisborne Artists Society, she has had two solo exhibitions at Tairāwhiti Museum and will start working on a third in the new year.
Alford said Matawhero Winery’s Kirsten Searle was generous in creating the art gallery for local artists and not charging commission.
It means she can reduce her prices and some paintings that would’ve sold for $2500 at the museum gallery now have a price tag of $1500.
A painting can take up to 60 hours to produce and Alford tries to keep track of her hours when she is working on a private commission because she doesn’t like to charge too much.
Alford’s not sure whether to call herself a counsellor who paints or an artist who works as a therapist. She enjoys doing both.
Her sister-in-law described her as a prodigious worker and Alford admits to being disciplined and organised.
“But it’s not a hardship because I love doing it.”