EDGE OF WATER
5 Jan 2023
26 Feb 2023
Wayne Seyb
Responding to the environment of Purau and its surrounds, Wayne Seyb presents a new body of work created during his time as the first Stoddart-Purau artist-in-residence. In his bold and richly textured depictions of the local landscapes, Seyb follows the New Zealand tradition of expressive painting. In his natural approach, he also echoes the spirit of Impressionist painter, Margaret Stoddart through his exploration of the elemental contrasts between the land and sea that also inspired her. During his highly productive residency over June 2022, many of Seyb’s works were painted en plein air.
Wayne Seyb was born in Temuka and started his painting career in Otago, a landscape characterised by lowering cloud and dark hills. Since 1999 he has lived and worked in the open spaces of Christchurch, seeking to convey the essential strangeness of the Canterbury landscape. His work reflects his life, and after the Canterbury earthquakes he painted constantly on the streets, recording buildings before they disappeared. Seyb’s work is held in the collections of the Hocken Library Dunedin, The Aigantighe Art Gallery Timaru, Lincoln University and Victoria University as well as in many private collections.