Ford's creative force

While art is a personal thing for many people, few stop to think about how personal it is for the people who watch its creation. EMMA GOODWIN finds out just how close to home an artist's work can be.

In a quiet street in Ashhurst there's a house shrouded in totara trees that has harboured a secret for more than 20 years.

Locals have passed by every day unaware that this is where one of New Zealand's most prolific artists and pioneers in contemporary Maori art created his unique works. Not in a purpose-built studio, but at the dining room table.

This is the late John Bevan Ford's house and four years after his death, wife Anne is selling up and moving on. But first she has to pack up Ford's art that hangs on just about every wall in the house.

This private and personal gallery documents many of the creative phases the artist went through during the last two decades of his life.

Many of the pieces have never been seen publicly and several of them were created just a few months before his death in September 2005 at the age of 75.

The couple moved to Ashhurst from Palmerston North's Park Rd when they found the cost of transferring the property to freehold prohibitive.

Ford stumbled across a section he felt was perfect to build a house on.

"John thought we could get a house on here without removing any of the trees," says Anne Ford.

He was right.

The house was designed and built by friends without having to cut down any of the majestic trees, then Ford set about cultivating the lush, dense garden of natives that appears to embrace the house.

Several of his sculptures have been positioned to look as if they are growing in the garden and dappled light plays over them highlighting soft curves and adding drama.

The garden was a source of inspiration to Ford.

"It is featured in many of his works although it might not be immediately obvious to some people. The garden is in a lot of his paintings, birds are a constant feature."

Anne says that Ford's most productive time as an artist was when they moved to the Ashhurst home.

He would spend hours at the dining room table drawing and painting the works that now adorn the walls of some of the most prestigious galleries in the world.

"Because John worked at the table we didn't bother putting carpet on the floor," laughs Anne.

The rough Oregon pine ceiling gives the room a natural outdoors feel and the pale yellow-green colour on the walls was chosen by Ford to echo the green from the garden and create a suitable canvas to display his art work.

Once the decision was made to become a full time artist and make a living from his art Ford was prolific in his production.

"He did hundreds and hundreds of works and always worked on one series at a time. "There were never any preliminary sketches; each piece grew out of the last one."

He would never get attached to his work either.

"He'd say `I'm always doing more'."

The house was used as a gallery and Ford would hold open days for people who wanted to view his work and talk.

"Those days were quite successful, a lot of people have been through this house.

"John was always good at talking to people about his work. Probably because he was a teacher."

Known for his cloak series of work, Ford moved from that imagery in the mid 1990s.

"He went to a symposium in '95 on Pacific rim art and when he came back his work then was very influenced by that."

However, in the final year of his life the cloak re-emerged in his work.

On the walls in the dining and living rooms are three of Ford's pieces from his last year where the cloak is evident alongside figures, birds and landscape elements.

"The figures are styled on cave drawings, the landscape is inspired by parts of Manawatu and the birds come from the garden."

On another wall, a brightly coloured piece at first glance looks as though it is not one of Ford's usual style.

"John called that his Cezanne. He used to stay in a lodge on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and that one is of the Remarkables and Queenstown."

Renowned for his art, Ford was also an avid collector of music.

Anne donated his vast collection of 78s to the National Library of New Zealand after his death where it is now catalogued as the John Bevan Ford Collection.

"I know John would be delighted with that.

"Music is what brought us together.

"I used to work in a music store years ago and John used to come in as a customer.

"All his life John was interested in music alongside his art, mainly opera."

While it is painful for Anne to move from this home she is resolute in her decision.

"It's time and I am heading to Wellington where I will be closer to the galleries and theatre that I love."

However when she takes her husband's art with her she will be taking a little slice of Manawatu too.

- © Fairfax NZ News