4 April 2007
The work of Captain Matt Gauldie, the New Zealand Army artist operationally deployed to the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan in 2006, will be exhibited in Christchurch from April 16 to May 12, 2007.
Capt Gauldie, the official New Zealand Army artist since 2005, has used those experiences as the basis for several of his paintings in the upcoming Combat on Canvas exhibition at Our City gallery.
He is the first New Zealand Army artist to paint New Zealand troops on deployment since Ion Brown went to Bosnia and Croatia in 1995.
“The highlight of the paintings on show are the operational paintings from my time in the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, they are new paintings,” Capt Gauldie said.
”I never dreamed that my art might lead me to international peacekeeping operations in countries like Afghanistan,” he said.
While in Afghanistan Capt Gauldie participated in ordnance disposal in the remote mountainous region, distributed medicine, and travelled with NZ Army engineers overseeing construction of police stations and schools.
As well as exhibiting work from his time in Afghanistan and the Solomon Islands, Capt Gauldie will show previous works from his Recruit, Day in the Life of a Soldier and Unknown Warrior series.
His completing of the basic training course gave him the inspiration to complete his Recruit series of paintings, and begin what is known as the series A Day in the Life of a Soldier, which will be ongoing throughout his tenure as New Zealand Army artist.
ENDS
Media interested in interviewing Capt Gauldie should contact Dave Courtney, Army Public Relations, on (04) 496 0296 or 021 487 980.
Combat on Canvas Images of Courage, Commitment, Comradeship and Integrity, featuring works by Captain Matt Gauldie, New Zealand Army Artist, will be at Our City in Christchurch from April 16 to May 12.
Click here for images of more art work by Capt Gauldie