Ruth Cleland

Ruth Cleland (born 1976) is a New Zealand artist, based in Auckland.[1] Her works are held in the collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Cleland is known for her photo-realist paintings and pencil drawings of suburban landscapes, and her abstract grid works.[2] Cleland lives in Auckland with her husband and fellow photo-realistic artist Gary McMillan.[3]

Biography

Cleland was born in Gordonton, Hamilton in 1976. In 2002 she gained a Master of Fine Arts at Otago School of Art, Dunedin, where she met Gary McMillan, also from the Waikato.[4][3] Since then Cleland has exhibited nationally and internationally in private galleries as well as public art institutions.[1]

Trained as a printmaker in aquatint, Cleland found her prints could be improved by adding detail in pencil, and in 2001 she went further by combining prints and drawings on the one sheet. Her subjects were familiar but overlooked objects and areas, such as corners of rooms and stairwells. In 2004 she turned her attention to exterior views of the suburbs around Hamilton where her parents live.[5] Cleland presented a series of these suburbia works in 2005 at Blue Oyster Gallery in Dunedin. After moving to Auckland in 2006, Cleland began focusing on shopping malls.[3]

Cleland lists Latvian-born American artist Vija Celmins among her influences, famous for her accurately rendered images of nature.[3]

Solo Exhibitions
  • Fluorescent (2018) at Melanie Roger Gallery, Auckland.[6]
  • Modern Standards (2010) at Sue Crockford Gallery.[7]
  • Mall (2010) at Gus Fisher Gallery. Cleland presented a series of photo-realistic drawings documenting suburban shopping malls in New Zealand.[8][9]
  • Sunny Days (2006) at Blue Oyster Gallery, Dunedin.[10]
  • Saunter (2002) at Hocken Library.[11]

Awards
  • 2014 highly commended finalist in the Wellington-based Parkin Drawing Prize for 2014, for her work Parking Building Detail with Grid.[12]
  • 2008 Park Lane Wallace Trust Development Award for her work Level 2.[3] Cleland won a month-long residency at the Vermont Studio Centre.[13]
  • 2004 Merit Award, National Drawing Award, Artspace, Auckland, and Physics Room, Christchurch[14]
  • 2003 First Prize, Waikato National Art Award, Hamilton[15]
  • 2001 First Prize, Cranleigh Barton National Drawing Award, Canterbury Museum, Christchurch[4]
  • Graeme Edwards Master of Fine Arts Scholarship, Otago School of Art[4]

References
  1. "Grid, Ruth Cleland | Window". windowgallery.co.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  2. "Cleland and McMillan – EyeContact". eyecontactsite.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  3. Were, Virginia (2008). "Utopia or nightmare?". Art News: 68–71.
  4. "Ruth Cleland". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  5. Brown, Warwick (2009). Seen this century: 100 contemporary New Zealand artists: a collector's guide. Auckland, N.Z: Godwit. ISBN 978-1-86962-139-1.
  6. Callister-Baker, Eloise (2018-04-06). "Fluorescent". The Pantograph Punch.
  7. Coney, Hamish (2011). "Is Less More?". idealog: 116–117.
  8. Ruth Cleland: Mall (PDF). The Gus Fisher Gallery. 2010.
  9. "Mall | Enjoy Contemporary Art Space". enjoy.org.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  10. "Ruth Cleland - Blue Oyster Art Project Space". www.blueoyster.org.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  11. Fusco, Cassandra (2002). "Ruth Cleland at Hocken Library". Asian Art News: 113.
  12. Flightdec. "2014 Judges Report". Parkin Prize. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  13. Benson, Nigel (2008-09-02). "Lewer takes top art award". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  14. "National Drawing Award | The Physics Room". www.physicsroom.org.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  15. "Waikato Society of Arts - images/gallery/awardshistory/". www.wsa.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
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