NOW SHOWING AT THE SPENCER ON BYRON HOTEL
I came across some fantastic old motel postcards on a recent US holiday, featuring images from the 1950s when tourism was thriving. I was inspired to seek out more images from that era and decided to base a series of paintings on them. The ‘50s were an exuberant time - the US thrived in its post-war recovery and the outlook was positive. For the first time ever in the ‘50s, paint colours were available in any possible hue and the desire with modern colour schemes was to create a marked contrast between colours. Modern colours were clean and bright – electric blue, orange, bright yellow. Popular pastel colours were pink, turquoise, mint green, pale yellow and blue. I’ve chosen a palette that reflects this. ‘Made in the shade’ is an expression from the ‘50s, meaning being in an ideal situation – just kicking back in that lawn chair by the pool with not a care in the world...
Jane Walsh is originally from Wellington but has called Auckland’s North Shore home for the last 30 years. She can be found on Takapuna beach every morning walking her badly-behaved golden retriever. She is a former commercial lawyer who these days prefers exploring her creative side. She paints predominantly with acrylics and enjoys combining abstract painting with more figurative work.
