Special Old Boys

Artists

Douglas Ivan Williams (At King’s High School from 1947 to 1948)

I recently took the time to catch up with Doug and Brenda WILLIAMS, to learn a bit more about Doug’s life, career and passion for painting.

Their home is laden with the most fabulous paintings, and the studio down stairs where the magic really happens, but I digress.

Doug spent two years at Kings in 1947 and 1948 – it must have made quite an impression on him, as he is a dedicated Kingsman and proud old boy. He arrived on the doorstep there having gone through St Clair Primary School and Macandrew Intermediate.

Doug is the first to admit that he spent too much time on sport at school, and not enough on education or listening to the teachers. He certainly wasn’t the first boy to do that, and he won’t be the last! I decided not to delve into Doug’s scholastic achievements at school, and he was not forthcoming on hat at all.

Doug was – “into everything – fives, tennis, rugby, golf, cricket and table tennis.” And he shared some pretty illustrious company in Pat Sidon, Warren Cooper and Ross Murray.

At the time there was no art department at school and he did “commercial course” – that introduced those destined for the trades into the basics of business – book keeping and budgeting.

Doug always wanted to be a sign writer. When he raised it with his form teacher, Mr. ANDERSON, it was pointed out to him that he couldn’t spell and he would need the biggest dictionary in history.

Undeterred, he left school and did his signwriting apprenticeship with Wrens decorating in Dunedin. Eric Watson, the famous rugby coach (and well-known Dunedin identity), was an early influence on Doug’s signwriting career.

Eric went out on his own, and Doug eventually followed suit having completed “his time”.

It was a bold move. At 21 years of age, in the mid-1960’s, Doug had little equipment and no work lined up. He went about setting up his own business in a room next to the Regent Theatre in the Octagon.  What he did have in spades was a natural skill of signwriting, and a desire to succeed.

Doug recalled that his first job was at, what is now the Rob Roy Dairy in George Street. Eric Watson was also on the site, doing a massive “Tiger Tea” sign on the outside wall.

Doug’s move paid off, and in no time, he had plenty of work on and his reputation as a skilled signwriter spread throughout town. In his small room in the Regent Theatre, he did thousands of AA road signs, and created massive signs (about 20ft x 10ft) for the advertising billboards around town – especially near the railways and the Oval. Signwriting bridges was another regular source of work. Doug is the first to confess that he is no fan of heights, and he was happy to let his employees do that work as his business grew.

Brands from a bygone era – “New Joy” Ice Cream, “The Cremota Man”, and “Du Maurier” cigarettes – were regularly painted up by Doug and displayed around town. No bans on cigarette advertising in those days!

As his business grew, Doug took on more workers, and eventually ended up in his premises in Stafford Street – which is now Johns Furniture Warehouse – with 4 or 5 signwriters in his employ.

Doug considers that painting a life-size, Cadbury’s Biscuit’s fiberglass “Cookie Bear” was the most unusual job he tackled.

Doug and his team went on to take 5 national awards with the NZ Signwriters association. The awards tended to be dominated by the big firms in Auckland, and it caused quite a stir when Williams Signs won their first national award for an Oriental design window, he painted on the Tourist Bureau in Dunedin.

Doug proved to be an innovator in the industry, and won national awards for painting whole vehicles – he did a design of a Jacques Cousteau underwater scene for Beggs Security and his son Geoff did the painting on it.

Doug recalled that the awards were held in Dunedin that year, and as chance would have it, the Beggs Van drove past the signwriting convention in The Exchange. The work was admired by the assembled signwriters and Doug took out the top prize with it.

That effort led to other signwriters across the country doing similar work, and it became a hotly contested category.

Doug played an active role in establishing the NZ Sign and Screen-Printing Association, and it has gone on to be a thriving body for the industry. From humble beginnings the awards have grown in prestige and status. The award ceremonies are flash and celebrities invited to the functions. Doug once donated a landscape painting to raise funds for the association. Dame Susan Devoy auctioned the work off and over $2,500 was raised – a pretty penny in the 1990’s! Dame Susan was so impressed with Doug’s work, that she made him stand up and be acknowledged at the function!

Technology and the arrival of computers revolutionized signwriting in the 1990’s. Doug was one of the first to get into screen printing in Dunedin and recalled doing hundreds of garments for Sew Hoys who were selling business uniforms and clothing. Screen printing was expensive to set up, but a great way to produce thousands of copies.

Once Doug hit 65 in the 1990’s he sold Williams Signs to Harbour Rugby identity Bruce Carvell. Bruce considers Doug a “leader, mentor, and innovator” in the industry.

And so began another chapter in Doug’s life.

He had always had a passion for painting and “retirement” gave him the opportunity to commit to that. Up until then, the demands of running a business and raising a family had had to take priority.

They say that behind every good man is a great woman, and in 1977, Doug and Brenda met. They had each graduated from previous marriages with their own children. They have been together ever since – officially tying the knot in 1983. It was Brenda that bought Doug his first easel, and she has encouraged him massively during his evolution from signwriter to artist.

He and Brenda moved to Tekapo, after selling the business, and Doug set up his easel. He started painting landscapes. He was (and still is) very good at it.

Doug said he was “as nervous as hell” when he started painting. But with the advice, support and encouragement of some already established artists – particularly John Badcock and Randall Froude – Doug’s talent blossomed and his paintings soon became sought after. Initially starting with oils, he moved to acrylic paints to avoid the harmful vapors.

Doug speaks fondly of a collegial relationship with the likes of Graham Brinsley, John Badcock, Johnathon White and Austin Deans. Their friendship and own talents helped Doug bring out his.

Doug’s worst experience in painting was when a commissioned painting, destined for a client in Auckland, was misplaced by the couriers. He had to do it again, but reflected that the second one was actually better than the first.

 Doug and Brenda have fond memories of their time in Tekapo, but have now returned to Dunedin.

Doug’s son Geoff, not only worked at Williams Signs, but has gone on to become a very sought after artist. “He’s way better than me” is how Doug summarises his son’s talent. His pride in his son’s work is obvious. Geoff tends towards nudes and the human form, whereas Doug prefers landscapes. Both however, are drawn to painting boats and water.

With Doug well into his 90’s and battling cancer, he has had to curb his golfing. A long-time member of the Otakou Golf Club, and with a handicap in the early-mid-twenties he still has a hankering to get out on the course.  He still misses his old golfing mate and Kings Old Boy, Alby Gascoigne, who passed away in 2009.

Doug still spends four hours a day painting, and one cannot but be impressed with his work and enthusiasm for art.

A straight shooter, sharp as a tack, and with a gift few of us possess, is how I would sum up Doug Williams, artist.

Chris George – December 2023

Christopher James Sharp (At King’s High School from 1994 to 1998)

In his final year at School Christopher was awarded The Art Department Prize and a General Excellence Prize in Art design, Art History and Photography. He played in the First Eleven Football Team and Gained a School Sporting Blue for Football. He also gained a place in the Otago Under 17 Football team.

On leaving King’s Chris studied for the Diploma in Graphic Design at Natcoll Design & Technology, Christchurch, NZ. He followed this with a Certificate in Logic Pro (audio sequencer) at Fresh Audio, Wellington, NZ.

From 2001 to 2005 he was a Web Designer at the University of Otago.  Here he completely re-designed the University’s corporate website, worked closely with a variety of university staff in the development and design of divisional and departmental sub-sites and advised on current online trends and technologies.

In 2006 he moved to “Shift” a web communications agency. Chris worked with clients like Park Road Post (Peter Jackson’s film post-production facility), Grant Major (OSCAR Award-Winning Film Production Designer), Education NZ, Tourism NZ, Firestone Tires, NZ Police, and the NZ Department of Conservation.

 He moved to London in 2008 where he became a Senior Designer working on Web design layout from wire-frames to production, he created user interface design and web graphics for new channel launches such as Dave, Good Food and Homes TV, he presented designs in the corporate boardroom and group settings and worked closely and efficiently with information architects, project managers, and developers.

Then in 2009, he became Senior Designer for Splendid a London Design Agency with clients including Intel, Aston Martin, eBay, Wired, The Times, Barclay Bank, FlyDubai, and Gamesys.

This was followed by a move to the London online furniture start-up LuxDeco.com where he held the position of Design Director. Here he designed and launched the company website and iPad app, he was responsible for site-wide design style evolution and vision and managing freelance designers.

In 2014 he set up as an independent designer with a comprehensive understanding of the digital landscape. Operating out of his Downtown Los Angeles studio, his disciplines include but are not limited to graphic design, visual identity design, user interface design, web and mobile design and illustration.  His work has been shown four times at HANGAR Gallery, Santa Monica. He has had multiple works purchased by high net-worth collectors and hung alongside works by Banksy and Shepherd Fairey. His work featured as a key piece in the independent film SHORTWAVE. His Murals featured at Burning Man an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States.

In 2021 Chris gained major success in landing a “dream commission” – painting the set for the blacklight rave scene in Ed Sheeran’s latest video, “Overpass Graffiti”. Ed Sheeran is the popular award-winning English singer-songwriter.

Chris’s interests include his family, Fine Art, Street Art, Guitar, Training & Yoga, Travel, Transcendental Meditation, Football, Wakeboarding, Skateboarding & Snowboarding, Festivals, Camping & The Outdoors.

Grahame Sydney (Artist): (Aattended King’s High School from 1962 to 1966)

Grahame was Head Boy and Dux in 1966.

Grahame has become one of New Zealand’s most significant and enduring artists. His work spans over 4 decades and encompasses oils, watercolours, egg tempera, lithographs, etching and photography. Rarely exhibiting, Grahame’s works are held in private collections throughout the world and represented in the collections of New Zealand’s major galleries and museums. Only occasionally collaborating with dealers, he mainly paints for a private client list. Always a meticulously slow worker, he generally produces no more than six works a year.

Since 2003 he has lived and worked in a remote corner of Central Otago, close to his recurrent subject matter. 

Grahame has travelled twice to Antarctica as guest of the New Zealand Government. Unable to use his usual media due to the extreme temperatures he turned to the camera, which resulted in a resurgence of his long-standing love of photography and the book ‘White Silence, Grahame Sydney’s Antarctica’ (2008).

Always a willing writer, Sydney is the author or significant contributor to several other books including: ‘Grahame Sydney Paintings: 1974 – 2014’, Grahame Sydney’s Central Otago’ (photographs, 2011) ‘Promised Land’ (2009), and the much loved ‘Timeless Land’ (1995 [now in its fifth reprint]).’

He has been awarded an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his services to painting.

Norman Matheson (Matheson) Beaumont (At King’s High School from 1941 – 1944)

Mathieson was given his first camera about 1942 whilst attending King’s High School. It is highly likely that he was a member of “The Camera Club” of the day.

An Optometrist by profession, he has practiced his love of photography since he was a high school student and since retiring in 2001, he has given himself completely to the medium.

Matheson was considered to be one of New Zealand’s leading Landscape Photographers, he has been photographing the landscape of Southern New Zealand for the last fifty years.
He has photographed in many places from Mexico to Tibet, in The UK the USA and Europe, but the place that really liked was Mackenzie Country and the ‘Lindis’ Pass. 
His photographs distil the texture and light of southern New Zealand to produce images praised for their integrity, design and sense of place.

Matheson has served the Dunedin Photographic Society well, being President on three occasions, the last for the 100th Anniversary year. He was Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 50th PSNZ Convention in Queenstown, and was Patron of the Society.
 A few of the institutions which have exhibited his photography include:

• The Royal Photographic Society (Bath, UK)
• The Australian Photographic Society
• The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
• The Otago Museum

His work has been published in many books and magazines and a retrospective collection of his landscapes entitled Chasing the Southern Light was published by Longacre Press in 2006.

His photographs are held in public collections in the USA, Brazil, Singapore, China and in the UK in the National Museum of Photography Film & Television, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o T?maki and the Hocken Collection of the University of Otago. Privately his work is held in collections in the UK, Australia, USA, Germany, Canada and Japan. 

In 1975 he was presented with the Otago Visual Arts Award by the City of Dunedin and, was the only Australasian photographer to be awarded the prestigious Fenton Medal from the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain

In 2006 he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to photography and the community. He is an Hon. Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand, a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and was elected a Fellow of the Photographic Society of America in 1974.

In 2005 he was elected a Hon Life Member of the Royal Photographic Society.

Matheson Beaumont is to photography what Grahame Sydney is to painting: an artist who sculpts with light.

Kenneth John (John) Toomer (Artist): (attended King’s High Scholl from 1970 to 1973)

Born in Dunedin in 1956 and educated at Kings High School, John Toomer left school and was involved in the retail sector from 1973-1988, during which time he was the owner / operator of Cookham Shoe Store in Dunedin.

Self taught with no formal art training, John has been painting professionally for over 30 years.  He has built a reputation as one of New Zealand’s premier realist artist’s of old dilapidated buildings, buildings in landscape and a painter of ‘brooding’ skies.  Subject matter is usually found in Otago and the surrounding Southern regions.

Painting’s are well planned and highly detailed, offering the viewer a dramatic interplay of start settings and serene moods intensified by his expressive handling of light and shadow.  His structures are often placed as isolated focal points, almost confronting the on-looker & providing poignant reminders of the past and of the human interacion with the land. 

John has held around six solo exhibitions at The Artist’s Room Fine Art Gallery – and 13 overall – with eight of these solo shows being sell-outs.

He has also participated in a number of invited artist exhibitions and has been a regular exhibitor in most Otago Art Society exhibitions since 1974.

John has been a member of the Otago Art Society Inc Council since 1990 and held the position of President for four years from 1993 – 1996. In recognition of his service to the OAS John was made a life member of the society in August 1998. He also served On the executive of the Dunedin Community Arts Council – holding the position of deputy Chairman for two years.

As well as winning several awards over the years, Toomer’s work is held in many private and corporate collections across New Zealand and overseas.

In 1998 he was commissioned by the Dunedin City Council to paint the city / harbour view from Robin Hood Park to commemorate Otago’s 150th Anniversary. This was the same scene as painted in 1948 by Peter McIntyre for the 100th Anniversary, and by Robert Hawcridge for the provinces 50th anniversary. The original painting is currently hanging in the Mayoral Chambers of the Dunedin City Council. (A limited edition print was produced).

Painting in both acrylic and oil-his earlier work featured coastal, rural & mountain scenes of Otago and the surrounding Southern Regions. His current style is described as ‘contemporary realism’ and the subject matter features still life objects; old & run down buildings consisting of either homesteads, country stores, churches and railway stations. John thrives in using his unique technique to achieve meticulous detail using oils. His art is a dramatic interplay of stark settings and serene moods intensified by his expressive handling of light and shadow on rural themes.

Alan Rae Somerville

Alan attended King’s from 1952 – 1953

Alan SOMERVILLE was born in Roslyn Dunedin over sixty years ago and from early childhood, Alan was a prolific drawer. He was selected for special art classes at the age of six. He was intensely skilful in drawing people and animals in action. He was a genius. However, the journey of life pointed Alan towards farming. While working hard on his farm for over thirty years, he continued to draw and paint. Also, Alan become a tutor of drawing and painting in Maniatoto District Otago and he was an active member of Central Otago Art Society. Allan’s desire was to pursue Art full time, consequently, he took his family to Dunedin where Alan was able to use the facilities of the Otago Polytechnic evening classes to develop an understanding of bronze casting and other sculpting techniques. He was accepted as a member to Artist Otago Art Society. In 1988 Alan Immigrated to Australia with the intention of finding of finding the Queensland marble quarries and exploring this medium for his artistic talent. However, in Sydney Alan was presented with an opportunity to work with bronze at the Fine Art Bronze Foundry for almost four years. He was accepted to the NSW Sculptor’s Society and Ku-ring-gai Art Society. Alan was granted Australian Citizenship and his works have been commissioned for public and private collections. When admiring Allan’s work masters like RODIN and DAUMIER come to one’s mind.

Allan Somerville is a very accomplished and refined sculptor in all medium and a master sculptor. Alan Somerville’s sculptures are admired the same as one of the great masters Auguste RODIN and DAUMIER. Somerville comprehends the dynamics of the anatomy over the literal image of the body, precedent in his sculptures. Somerville complex subject and difficult poses display a mastery use of techniques and understanding the subject. His figure drawings and male sculptures are the most fascinating creations of all.

Alan Somerville achievements speak for themselves he obtained a countless number of awards and showing in many exhibitions. These are details of just some of his most recent.

AWARDS:

National Australian War Memorial in Canberra – Three bronze sculptures;

Centennial and More Park Trust – eight-foot bronze of Sir Henry Parkes;

State Rail Authority – Bronze portrait of Chief Executive, Mr Ross Sayer;

Lloyd’s Bank – Bronze horse for the Executive officers in Sydney;

Wyong Art’s Festival – Special prize for bronze male figure;

Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society Annual -1st and 2nd prize for drawing and watercolour;

Royal NSW Canine Art Show-1st prizes in sculpture, watercolour and drawing;

Royal Australian Navy – commission bronze sculpture of the Sheenan Trophy;

Castle Hill Blossom Festival 1st/2nd & Special Awards in Sculpture, drawing, watercolour painting and oil painting.

D. (Norman) Sinclair (Kings high School 1964 -1966)

Born in 1950, Norman Sinclair, the Artist was raised in the seaside village of Portobello on the Otago Peninsula of New Zealand. A move to Auckland in the mid-eighties and learning the craft of painting and picking up on the wisdom of Graham Chote, owner of International Art Centre in Parnell.

High country artist Norman, captures the life and especially the movement of musterers, horses, cattle, sheep and dogs against the spectacular backdrop of our high country. To do so he has hung out of helicopters, waded icy rivers, and run to and fro around moving herds and flocks to virtually capture the sweat, the dust, and the smell of the animals.

Adam Edward Douglass (Attended King’s High School from 1993 to 1997)

Adam gained an honourable mention for Painting and Art History in his Seventh Form year. He was also the Deputy House Captain of Stuart house.

On leaving school Adam gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts.

 Adam now lives and works in Victoria, Australia.   He is an artist and researcher. He works as a solo artist and collaboratively with diverse communities. Adams’ interests relate to representations of space – cosmology and social space through painting and the psychosocial effects of participatory painting.

Adam has exhibited broadly in galleries and site-specifically through Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. His work has been included in a variety of publications including: Eye Contact, Project Freerange, Un Magazine, Art New Zealand, Art News New Zealand, Scope: Contemporary Research Topics and The Artists: A Snapshot of Contemporary New Zealand Art Practice.

Alongside lectures and teaching at the University of Melbourne, Fremantle Art and Design Campus, Otago Polytechnic School of Art and Vicserv.  Adam has worked for numerous community mental health and social arts programs in various roles including leadership.

Recently Adam completed an MFA research project. During 2018 Adam was shortlisted as an Obama Foundation fellow for social change and a finalist in the 2018 Incinerator Art Award for social change.

Justin Spiers (At King’s High School from 1977 to 1981)

Justin played for the First Hockey eleven and was selected as an Otago under 17 Hockey representative.

A graduate of the Dunedin School of Art, Justin has exhibited throughout NZ, Australia.

Justin was named the Caselberg Trust Creative Connections resident for 2018.

His three-month residency at Caselberg House, in Broad Bay, comes with a $6000 stipend and $2000 for funding for residency-related expenses.

He was the Supreme Winner at the Cleveland National Art Awards 2017 and was a finalist at the Wallace Art Awards and the National Contemporary Art Awards.

He graduated from Dunedin School of Art in 2013 and was the director of the Perth Centre for Photography from 2004-07.
Photographer Justin Spiers, currently located in Dunedin, has a long-standing interest in documenting and exploring the relations between humans and their environment, especially, but not exclusively, with regard to the other animals that share their planet.

He is perhaps best known for “Pet Photo Booth”, initiated in 2005 with Yvonne Doherty while he was Director of the Perth Centre for Photography, a position he held from 2004-2007. Works from the “Pet Photo Booth” project have been widely exhibited in public galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery (Canberra, Australia) in 2009, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art and the Australian Centre for Photography in 2012, as well as the Pah Homestead in Auckland, which houses the James Wallace Art Trust’s collection of New Zealand art, in 2019.

Barry Vickerman Cleavin (At King’s High School 1953 to 1958)

Barry is a New Zealand fine art printmaker.

Barry was born in Dunedin in 1939. He moved to Christchurch in 1963, and studied at the University of Canterbury, where his lecturers included Rudi Gopas and Bill Sutton. He completed a Diploma of Fine Arts (Hons) in 1966.

He continued his education in Hawaii at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, before returning to the University of Canterbury, where he was senior lecturer in printmaking from 1978 to 1990. Barry returned to Dunedin following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, where he set up his studio on Otago Peninsula.

He has received numerous awards for his art, notably becoming the Fulbright Fellow at The Tamarind Institute of Lithography, Albuquerque in 1983. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Canterbury in 2005.^[2] He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the arts, in the 2001 New Year Honours. Barry has represented New Zealand at various international print biennales, in Berlin, Krakow, Ljubljana, Paris, Sapporo, San Francisco, and Tokyo.

His work has long concentrated on etching, but in recent years has also included digital printmaking. His works are hallmarked by a wry surrealism and punning titles, using recurring motifs of animal skeletons, silhouetted horsemen, and shadow patterns. Many of his images make poignant political comments. These themes combined in the 1988 book A Series of Allegations or Taking Allegations Seriously, co-written with A. K. Grant and published by Hazard Press.