Beverly Townes, JANE HENZELL - Duvet Days in rm. 401 Gallery, INUNISON Magazine, Issue 7, May 2002
A peek at UNITEC Design Lecturer, Jane Henzell reveals clever, complex, loaded imagery disguised in a veil of seductive simplicity. Working on wallpaper supports, the artist has wound together paint, surface , colour, design and motif in a succinct, biomorphic, musical arrangement. A juicy rocking rhythm of eerie highs and lows and unusual yet integrated harmonies.
These paintings emerged from a combination of elements. Childhood memories of wallpaper and Henzell's understanding of late 19 th Century Art Training practices, when aspiring artist were required to sit a practical examination, weave together these components of which evolve into a the design of wallpaper based on New Zealand native flora. This idea comes from the 19 th century New Zealand art education curriculum and is part of an ‘agenda –driven' prescription to educate artists and consumers alike, in the interests of the British trade and industry. Henzell's paintings indicate her interest in Japanese painting – a theme based practice recording epic tales of landscapes and narrative corresponding to the traditional lunar calendar.
Henzell has consciously used Resene colourshop for its candied ‘toxic' colour. ‘Duvet Days' hanging on one wall of rm 401 gallery, in Archilles House in downtown Auckland delivers a scintillating mix of many messages. One of the most resounding statements is the layout. The Artist has made a conscious effort to present the work so the viewer must engage in the cerebral activity.
Working over this ready-made support seems to generate a sense of permission for that old familiar secret childhood activity – wall drawing – and it's OK! She peels the familiar off the walls of our consciousness and applies sophisticated, zangy, giant and deliberate doodles with painterly zest and humor.
What ever genre you are studying, lecturing or whatever area most interests you, this exhibition is a tantalizing look at past and present, conscious and unconscious. It is a delightful taste of things to come, as Jane Henzell's rm 401 exhibition is to be followed on closure by a new exhibition at Lopdell House Gallery in Auckland. Keep your eyes peeled and take a look .