You may have heard of the name Che Vincent several times before... He is a Riverside Community member and an artist as well as landscape designer and keen bonsai gardener, whose work is showcased at the Che Vincent Gallery and at Riverside Cafe.
Che is currently in charge of Riverside Community's reforestation project. So far Che and his team (Ant, Pipi, Ashley) have cut 10 kilometers of tracks and planted 2500 trees (redwood, pine, gum and oak). The Redwoods were supplied to Riverside by the 'New Zealand Redwood Company', who donated the cost of freight to get them here from the North Island. Here is Che (second from right) and the team, striking a pose :)
Che is also working on a new body of work for an exhibition at 'Little River Gallery' on Banks Peninsular.
The exhibition, titled 'Changing Stories', is a combined effort with artist Tim Wraight. Tim is carving a series of reliquary boxes while Che is creating some stunning new panels (see below: 'Flow', 'Edges').
Che explains his exhibition rationale for 'Changing Stories':
'In this body of work I am examining the patterns of growth created as an organism consumes a substrate or reacts to environmental stimuli and the structures formed as energy transitions from state to state. These forms can be as dramatic as a wind-bent tree or as subtle as the ripples left in the sand as a wave recedes. I love to explore these patterns and structures as they are a glimpse of otherwise invisible forces that shape our world. They are a frozen moments in time. For me the best place to experience these patterns is on wild coastlines such as Golden Bay’s west coast. Here between the bush and the sea, life is reduced to narrow bands of existence, and energy in the form of wave and wind is constantly changing and dissipating as it hits land. The forms of life and the structures of erosion are spectacular.
I work in various media, mostly metals. In this exhibition Changing Stories I have decided to restrict myself to recycled copper panels. I am totally self-taught and through a process of serendipitous experimentation I have developed my own methods of melting, beating, bending, and fusing copper into organic forms. Copper is a lovely metal to work with; malleable and enduring with a beautiful cast of warm colours.
This body of work represents a considerable advance in my ability to trust in and loosen my control of the design process. This has resulted in a greater sense of ease, allowing more flow and movement in the art works. Enjoy!'