Obituaries for Watercolour New Zealand Members

MAY IREMONGER

One of Watercolour New Zealands early members, May Iremonger won the Splash 2015 exhibition Supreme Award, at the age of 95. In 2011 she was honoured by the Kapiti Arts and Crafts Society as Guest Artist at their May exhibition. Her work was highly regarded by art patron Edgard Telles Ribeiro, former Brazilian Ambassador to New Zealand. He wrote that May belongs in the same family as renowned abstract artists Oskar Kokoscha, Vassily Kandinski and Marc Chagall. A cultural ambassador and one of Brazils most eminent authors, he expressed astonishment that May was not more highly regarded here.

English by birth, May met a New Zealander during the war years and moved here after the war. She tried her hand at pottery but preferred to paint. She always painted abstracts. I cant see the world in any other way, she said. I have no idea whats going to happen when I begin a painting. It gradually evolves. Painting takes me into another world. May also wrote poetry, loved her garden and enjoyed studying the lives of artists. She remembered with pleasure weekends in the Wairarapa painting with members of the watercolour society.

ROBIN KAY, CNZM, FRSA

Robin Kay, born 1919, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to art and military history in 2008. Robin was a member of Watercolour New Zealand since it was founded in 1975. He exhibited consistently with the Society up until Splash 2016 in October 2016. He won the Watercolour New Zealand Highly Commended Art Award in 2008 and was the Supreme Award Joint Winner in 2013. He was painting right up until his last illness in mid March 2017.

He has been a newspaper journalist, a soldier, an archivist and a historian. He is the author of several of the Official New Zealand Second World War Histories. Robin began exhibiting in 1933 when he was aged 14. While largely known for his watercolours, his work in other media includes ink and pencil drawings, oil pastels, lithographs, relief prints and oils. He held several solo shows and participated in many group shows over the last 84 years. Paintings and drawings by him are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library, the War Art Collection of Archives New Zealand, Te Papa and private collections in New Zealand and overseas.

MIKE WAREHAM

It is with great sadness that I write about Mike. To Helen, his wife and children and grandchildren we all wish you well and our heartfelt condolences. To me he was a good friend, fantastic cook and fellow painter. He had a passion for many aspects of his life; his family catering business (retired), toastmasters and not least his passion for watercolours.

He particularly loved painting buildings and people. Japan often featured in his themes and his lovely friends in Japan will miss him. He attended my watercolour classes at the Hutt Art Society and came with me on a three week painting tour of the Dodecanese Greek Islands in 2015.
Miss you, Mike.

Jacky Pearson

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