UCOL BLOG

An exhibition by UCOL Icon and Head of Painting, Lorraine Webb contrasts stable family occasions with unexpected events that are beyond human control.

Life in the Last Plane is on show at Whanganui UCOL’s Edith Gallery until 13 May.

Lorraine has taught at Whanganui UCOL and Wanganui Polytechnic since 1986 and was instrumental in establishing the Bachelor of Fine Arts programme as well as the Diploma of Fine Arts and Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts.

Her achievements include a residency at CAMAC Contemporary Art Centre in France, the William Hodges Fellowship, the Cranleigh Barton Drawing Award and finalist in the Wallace Art Award.

She won the Zinni Douglas Merit Award at the Walker & Hall Art Awards and was a finalist in the 2010 New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards. She has exhibited in France, Australia and New Zealand.

Her current exhibition includes seven watercolours based on photographs of family occasions from her own family, families of friends and a family of complete strangers. Lorraine told the Wanganui Chronicle she came by two of the pictures when she bought a 1960s era slide projector in an auction. It came with slides and she based two of the watercolours on them.

She says those pictures represent a nostalgic world that is safe, happy and stable.

The other three paintings are recent acrylics. There’s a plane coming in to an uncertain landing, and boat that appears to be floating in space.

Lorraine says the paintings represent the unexpected, big disasters, “which is really how life is. There is always a mixture of things in the world, and in oneself.