Sue Syme (born 1962) is a New Zealand artist.[1][2] Her work is held in the permanent collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[3]
Biography edit
Syme was born in Westport, New Zealand and graduated from Otago Polytechnic in 1981, with a Diploma of Fine Arts majoring in printmaking.[4][5] She also completed a Diploma of Teaching in 1991, and taught printmaking part-time at Te Tai Poutini Polytech in Greymouth, on the West Coast of the South Island.[6]
Syme continued to live and paint in Ruru, near Moana and Lake Brunner on the West Coast, which, she says, makes people "regard you as some sort of lost hippie caught in a timewarp."[7] More recently she moved to Picton.[8]
Art edit
In the 1990s Syme often painted cartoon caricatures, vibrant watercolour in drawn outlines.[9][10] Her work was a satirical and exaggerated depiction of human relationships, noted for its "unique vitality and style".[7] Critic Warren Feeney summarised her thus: "Decidedly fashionable with comic-book taste and style, the best of Sue Syme's work is pervaded by a great sense of dread and futility."[11] More recently she has worked on a larger scale in oil on canvas.[8]
She has exhibited in New Zealand and internationally, including at the Moray Gallery in Dunedin,[10] Dobson Bashford Gallery and The Vault in Christchurch,[9][12] the Aigantighe in Timaru,[11] and Artworks Gallery in Wānaka.[7] In August 1993 she won a Telecom Art Award for a West Coast pub scene, her work featuring on the cover of 20,000 West Coast & Buller telephone directories.[13] Syme's painting Life on Stage (1993) featured in the suffrage centenary exhibition White Camellias at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.[14]
References edit
- ^ Dignan, James (17 October 2019). "Art Seen: October 17". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Sue Syme. 1962–. New Zealand – Prices of Art at Auction". www.aasd.com.au. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Sue Syme". Kura Gallery: Maori and New Zealand Art + Design. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Syme, Sue". findnzartists.org.nz. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Sue Syme". The Gallery Havelock. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ a b c Watson White, Helen (21 April 1996). "Syme casts off hippie rag with her works". Sunday Star-Times. p. 12.
- ^ a b "About". SUE SYME. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ a b Fusco, Cassandra (3 September 1997). "Caricatures of sharp honesty". The Press. p. 14.
- ^ a b Watson, Helen (11 May 1997). "Satire goes beyond the comfort zone". Sunday Star-Times. p. F12.
- ^ a b Feeney, Warren (21 June 1995). "Restless complexities of life". The Press.
- ^ "Syme at The Vault". The Press. 24 May 1995.
- ^ "Coast Telecom Art Winner". Greymouth Evening Star. 13 August 1993.
- ^ Regnault, Claire (Summer 1993–94). "The Canterbury Contribution: Celebrations for Suffrage Year". Art New Zealand. 69: 62–64.