Michael Duncan Smither Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, b. 1939 -

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      • Attr. to Michael Smither, New Zealand (b.1939), abstract forms, 1957, gouache on paper, 17"H x 22 1/2"W (sight)
        Oct. 07, 2023

        Attr. to Michael Smither, New Zealand (b.1939), abstract forms, 1957, gouache on paper, 17"H x 22 1/2"W (sight)

        Est: $1,200 - $1,800

        Attr. to Michael Smither New Zealand, (b.1939) abstract forms, 1957 gouache on paper Signed with initials MDS in pencil lower right. Signed, titled, dated and inscribed verso.

        Ripley Auctions
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Stay Awake
        Aug. 09, 2021

        MICHAEL SMITHER Stay Awake

        Est: $35,000 - $45,000

        Michael Smither Stay Awake 1972 oil on board signed MDS, dated 1972, and inscribed Stay Awake in graphite verso 475 x 1195mm   PROVENANCE Private collection, Nelson. Acquired privately c1980s; Private collection, Nelson.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER untitled
        Aug. 09, 2021

        MICHAEL SMITHER untitled

        Est: $20,000 - $30,000

        Michael Smither untitled 1979 oil on canvas signed MDS. and dated 1979 in ink verso 2470 x 1810mm   PROVENANCE Private collection, Taranaki.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow
        Aug. 09, 2021

        MICHAEL SMITHER Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow

        Est: $250,000 - $350,000

        Michael Smither Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow 2004 oil and sand on board signed MDS and dated 04 in brushpoint lower right 1260 x 820mm   PROVENANCE Private collection, Taranaki. Acquired directly from the artist, 2005.   Michael Smither – Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow Essay by DAVID MASKILL   In Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow, Smither returns to a motif he first encountered as a child growing up in New Plymouth—the unique rock pools and lava flow of the Taranaki region. After a sixty-year career as one of Aotearoa's leading painters, he brings all of his experience and physical memory to the depiction of his beloved rock pools.   There is a decidedly surreal element to the work. The rocks and boulders, moulded to egg-like smoothness by river and tide over millennia, almost threaten to “hatch”. At the same time, there is a primeval quality in the depiction of a landscape empty of human presence. Here, he seems to be saying, is a better time before human occupation and industrial progress threatened its very survival.   By 2004, the devastating effects of intensive dairy farming had taken their toll on the region’s pristine waterways. Smither’s ecological credentials are impeccable. It is inconceivable that he would not have been aware of the environmental threat to these elemental landscape forms. The primordial splendour that Smither conjures forth in this depiction, cannot help but imply its threatened invasion by the dreaded didymo. Perhaps this explains the intensity of focus in the work. Smither appears to have suspended time in the hope that in painting, at least, he can hold back the tide of destruction.   Smither identifies in a very physical sense with his painted subjects. Of his depictions of stones and water he writes, “the brush takes the place, of the licking of the water, the wrist the rolling of the stone”   Also implied here is a deep spiritual pantheism, which frames the prosaic subject of rocks, water and vegetation. One cannot help but remember that Smither’s favourite saint was St Francis of Assisi. The saint’s famous Canticle of the Sun shines its light on the shallow pools and transforms them into something of wonder and beauty.   It was, after all, in a rocky Taranaki stream that Smither chose to set his Baptism of Christ from 1967. Something of that deep physical spirituality resonates in Three Rock Pools and Lava Flow.   1 Michael Smither, ‘Stones’, in Michael Smither with Trish Gribben, Michael Smither Painter, Auckland: Ron Sang Publications, 2004, p. 238  

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Mountain with Clouds and Hills in Foreground
        Aug. 09, 2021

        MICHAEL SMITHER Mountain with Clouds and Hills in Foreground

        Est: $20,000 - $30,000

        Michael Smither Mountain with Clouds and Hills in Foreground 1975 oil on board signed MD Smither, dated 1975 and inscribed oil/sketch/Mountain with clouds + hills in foreground in ink verso 300 x 345mm   PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland. Acquired from Fine Art, Lot 75, Dunbar Sloane, Wellington, 29 April, 2009.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Red Yacht
        Nov. 23, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER Red Yacht

        Est: $15,000 - $18,000

        Michael Smither Red Yacht 2015 alkyd on canvas signed M.D. Smither in brushpoint verso; inscribed RED YACHT (From Gone Fishing Series) Exhibited Feb-Mar 2018/Signed: M.D.Smither/Alkyd on canvas/2015/Inscribed, signed verso beneath frame in ink in another hand on Diversion Gallery label affixed verso 750 x 750mm PROVENANCE Private collection, Wellington. EXHIBITIONS Pleasure Boats - Michael Smither 2018, The Diversion Gallery, Picton, 14 February - 10 March 2018.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Sarah After Bath
        Nov. 23, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER Sarah After Bath

        Est: $80,000 - $160,000

        Michael Smither Sarah After Bath 1967 oil on board signed M D Smither and dated 1967 in brushpoint lower right; signed M D Smither and dated 67 in brushpoint verso; dated 1968 and inscribed Sarah after bath/300 in graphite on frame 910 x 610mm PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland. Acquired from John Brebner, Fielding, c1971. Michael Smither - Sarah After Bath Essay by CHRISTIE SIMPSON Art historian Bernard Smith appositely describes Michael Smither as an "artist who uses paintings as a language which reveals every aspect of his personal experience." This statement rings particularly true when one considers the present work, an intimate portrayal of Smither's daughter unclothed after bathing. For Smither, the construction of familial scenes began in 1964, when his eldest child, Sarah - the subject of this work - was born. Sarah's birth marked the beginning of a new artistic divergence for Smither, whose subsequent observation-inspired domestic narratives are among his most celebrated works. This significant shift in his personal life to embrace the caring required for parenthood is directly reflected in the care and love for humanity shown in the narrative works post 1964. There is a tangible element of human warmth and emotive intimacy present in Sarah After Bath, a work whose viewing experience is governed by an acute awareness of the relationship present between both painter and subjects, and the two painted figures. This sentiment of fatherly tenderness enhances Sarah's vulnerability and further emphasises the viewer's awareness of her exaggeratedly awkward stature in comparison to the crouching adult form of her mother behind her. Despite the familial closeness of this scene, however, it is crucial to acknowledge that Smither yields no stylistic deference to sentimentality: on the contrary, the tender undertones of the work are brilliantly tempered by the stark, almost jarring quality of Smither's hyper-realistic style. Acknowledging the significance of this realism is key to appreciating the work: the carefully planned and tightly constructed canvas has been stripped down to its essentials. Vividness of colour, extreme linear clarity and painstakingly constructed treatment of human form therefore combine to effect a sense of contrived theatricality in the work. This is present, for example, in the way Sarah is encircled by her mother Elizabeth's arms: the resulting pose, combined with her naked form, is reminiscent of Classicism and the traditional pose of Madonna and child. The subjects glow, luminescent with life, with Sarah central to the framing of embracing arms. There is an obvious close relationship between the figures in the painting and the artist: wife and mother Elizabeth, daughter Sarah, and painter, father and husband Michael Smither. This relationship is emphasised in the careful way Elizabeth drapes the towel over Sarah, her eyeline focused down towards her daughter; and is echoed in the careful way Smither paints the two of them together. Elizabeth's arms and hands, stretched out of proportion and into the foreground, accentuate the protective nature of the gentle embrace. While only the two female figures are visible, Sarah's sharp eyes look slightly right of the viewer, focusing on her father, closing the triangular connection between the three members of the family. The distinctive hard-edged realist style seen here has become emblematic of Smither's painting. The artist has been able to apply his own regionalist realism to a variety of subject matter, from Taranaki landscapes to still life and imagery of his daughter. Sarah After Bath is a triumphant example of Smither's ability to juxtapose a deeply intimate and sentimental moment with a highly realist and formal composition.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Nude in Blue Armchair
        Nov. 23, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER Nude in Blue Armchair

        Est: $15,000 - $25,000

        Michael Smither Nude in Blue Armchair 1971 oil on board signed MDS and dated 71 in brushpoint lower left; signed MDS, dated 71 and inscribed 7 in graphite on frame 315 x 310mm PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland. Acquired from John Brebner, Fielding, c1971.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER Nude in Blue Armchair
        Nov. 23, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER Nude in Blue Armchair

        Est: $15,000 - $25,000

        Michael Smither Nude in Blue Armchair 1971 oil on board signed MDS and dated 71 in brushpoint lower right; signed MDS, dated 1971 and inscribed 6 in graphite on frame 340 x 230mm PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland. Acquired from John Brebner, Fielding, c1971.

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Coastal Sketch, New Plymouth
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Coastal Sketch, New Plymouth

        Est: $1,500 - $2,500

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Coastal Sketch, New Plymouth, Oil on board, , 26 x 57.5

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experimental Clouds, 1989
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experimental Clouds, 1989

        Est: $2,000 - $2,500

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experimental Clouds, 1989, Acrylic on paper, 64 x 47

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experiment in Sound and Colour
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experiment in Sound and Colour

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Experiment in Sound and Colour, Mixed media on photographic paper, , 50.5 x 35

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Portrait of Dale Copeland
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Portrait of Dale Copeland

        Est: $300 - $500

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Portrait of Dale Copeland, Pencil drawing, Signed, 30 x 21

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach, Silk-screenprint, edition of 30, Signed & dated 1975, 45 x 30

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands (Green)
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands (Green)

        Est: $1,000 - $1,500

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands (Green), Silk-screenprint, edition of 60, Signed & dated 1983, 86 x 61

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands, Silk-screenprint, Signed & dated 1984, 45 x 64

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands

        Est: $1,000 - $1,500

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Back Beach Islands, Silk-screenprint, edition unknown, 64 x 90

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Supply Vessel Ngamotu Wharf
        Jun. 30, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Supply Vessel Ngamotu Wharf

        Est: $4,000 - $6,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939), Supply Vessel Ngamotu Wharf, Oil on board, Signed letter from artist to owners affixed verso, 28 x 30.5

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Horseshoe Bay, Matapouri
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Horseshoe Bay, Matapouri

        Est: $3,000 - $4,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Horseshoe Bay, Matapouri, Oil on board, Signed & dated 1985, 27.5 x 33.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) From Kati Kara Studio, Taranaki with Gorse Bush
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) From Kati Kara Studio, Taranaki with Gorse Bush

        Est: $3,000 - $5,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) From Kati Kara Studio, Taranaki with Gorse Bush, Oil on board, Signed & dated 1991, 24.5 x 64cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Summer Evening in Taranaki, 1974
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Summer Evening in Taranaki, 1974

        Est: $180,000 - $240,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Summer Evening in Taranaki, 1974, Oil on board, Signed, 87 x 106.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Chris Cricket Meets Buzzy Bee
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Chris Cricket Meets Buzzy Bee

        Est: $100,000 - $150,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Chris Cricket Meets Buzzy Bee, Oil on board, Signed & dated 1966, 74.5 x 60.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Rock and Pillar Range
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (New Zealand b. 1939) Rock and Pillar Range

        Est: $15,000 - $25,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Rock and Pillar Range, Oil on board, , 17.5 x 90.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Mask and Snorkel
        May. 19, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Mask and Snorkel

        Est: $30,000 - $40,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Mask and Snorkel , Oil on board, Signed & dated 1997, 55.5 x 61cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Untitled
        May. 01, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Untitled

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Untitled, Pencil drawing on paper, Signed & dated 1967

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Back Beach 3
        May. 01, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Back Beach 3

        Est: $600 - $1,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER, (New Zealand b. 1939), Back Beach 3, Screenprint, Signed & dated 2/24/75

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER, Stations of the Cross
        Apr. 16, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER, Stations of the Cross

        Est: $2,000 - $3,000

        Stations of the Cross , Ink on paper, Signed

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER, Stations of the Cross
        Apr. 16, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER, Stations of the Cross

        Est: $2,000 - $3,000

        Stations of the Cross , Ink on paper, Signed

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER GIAN MCGREGOR, Star Shell Ecomage, PVA, sand & shells on canvas
        Feb. 26, 2020

        MICHAEL SMITHER GIAN MCGREGOR, Star Shell Ecomage, PVA, sand & shells on canvas

        Est: $1,000 - $2,000

        Signed, inscribed Star Shell Ecomage & dated 2002 verso

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Harmonic cube
        Nov. 27, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Harmonic cube

        Est: $3,000 - $5,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER Harmonic cube Oil & acrylic on canvas Inscribed, Signed and dated 2015 70 x 70cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) - Cloud Series No. 3, 1988
        Nov. 27, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) - Cloud Series No. 3, 1988

        Est: $8,000 - $12,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Cloud Series No. 3, 1988 Oil on board Signed and dated 1988 71 x 83cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Brancusi Poles (3)
        Nov. 27, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Brancusi Poles (3)

        Est: $2,000 - $3,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER Brancusi Poles (3) Three painted wood and fibreglass sculptures Signed and dated 1990 on base 77 x 10cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Boat Shadows, Orakei
        Nov. 27, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Boat Shadows, Orakei

        Est: $800 - $1,200

        MICHAEL SMITHER Boat Shadows, Orakei Ink on paper Signed 23 x 10.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) - Parihaka, South Taranaki
        Nov. 27, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) - Parihaka, South Taranaki

        Est: $70,000 - $100,000

        MICHAEL SMITHER (b. 1939) Parihaka, South Taranaki Oil on board Signed and dated 1973 59.5 x 96.5cm

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Mother & Child
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Mother & Child

        Est: $5,000 - $10,000

        Oil on hardboard - Signed verso

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - New Plymouth
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - New Plymouth

        Est: $10,000 - $15,000

        Oil on board - Signed & dated 1967

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Egmont & Cloud
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Egmont & Cloud

        Est: $8,000 - $12,000

        Oil on board - Signed & dated 1972 verso

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - G’ian McGregor
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - G’ian McGregor

        Est: $25,000 - $35,000

        Oil and alkyd on board - Signed & dated 2018 - In 2014, Smither asked people from his daily life to sit for him. He cites the images and atrocities in world news as his stimulus for five portraits completed in 2018. This rare self portrait and the one of his partner Gian McGregor are included in this auction. These head shots capture the vitality in faces he knows well. The three other portraits featured Dr David Wilson, Catherine Corcoran and Sue Collins. Despite having to contend with constant pain and depleted stamina, Smither remains engaged and stimulated by the world and his own place in it. He contrasts these exceptional portraits with his 70s and 80s portraits... They are much less about the painter than the painted, he contends, about one human being looking at another human being, and often seeing the younger spirit within the well-worn face. I was thinking the other day about death and all that sort of thing, and I thought when it comes to announcing my death that you can say ‘after a long and painful illness’ because I’ve been in pain now, every day for nine years and it’s actually beginning to wear me down, its worn me down to 1 hour, 2 hours a day, I’m exhausted you know, I find myself shaking my head, but there are pills for pain, so I take em! I realise now how much more I’m putting into a painting now than I did in those days - Smither referring to his 1970s and 80s portraits... it’s taking a lot lot longer, but it’s a lot lot better, even I know its better, I don’t need anybody else to tell me. Michael Smither in Michael Smither Portraits, a documentary by his friend Tony Hiles, 2016 The documentary Michael Smither Portraits can be viewed on the NZIFF website: https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/browse/ film/15441/michael-smither-portraits The other eight films in the series can be accessed here https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/home

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Self Portrait
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Self Portrait

        Est: $25,000 - $35,000

        Oil and alkyd on board - Signed & dated 2018 - In 2014, Smither asked people from his daily life to sit for him. He cites the images and atrocities in world news as his stimulus for five portraits completed in 2018. This rare self portrait and the one of his partner Gian McGregor are included in this auction. These head shots capture the vitality in faces he knows well. The three other portraits featured Dr David Wilson, Catherine Corcoran and Sue Collins. Despite having to contend with constant pain and depleted stamina, Smither remains engaged and stimulated by the world and his own place in it. He contrasts these exceptional portraits with his 70s and 80s portraits... They are much less about the painter than the painted, he contends, about one human being looking at another human being, and often seeing the younger spirit within the well-worn face. I was thinking the other day about death and all that sort of thing, and I thought when it comes to announcing my death that you can say ‘after a long and painful illness’ because I’ve been in pain now, every day for nine years and it’s actually beginning to wear me down, its worn me down to 1 hour, 2 hours a day, I’m exhausted you know, I find myself shaking my head, but there are pills for pain, so I take em! I realise now how much more I’m putting into a painting now than I did in those days - Smither referring to his 1970s and 80s portraits... it’s taking a lot lot longer, but it’s a lot lot better, even I know its better, I don’t need anybody else to tell me. Michael Smither in Michael Smither Portraits, a documentary by his friend Tony Hiles, 2016 The documentary Michael Smither Portraits can be viewed on the NZIFF website: https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/browse/ film/15441/michael-smither-portraits The other eight films in the series can be accessed here https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/home

        International Art Centre
      • MICHAEL SMITHER - Sea Wall and Kingfisher, 1967
        Oct. 23, 2019

        MICHAEL SMITHER - Sea Wall and Kingfisher, 1967

        Est: $250,000 - $350,000

        Oil on board - Signed & dated 1967 Seawall and Kingfisher, 1967 is a sweeping encounter between land, sea and sky. Acquired from Peter McLeavey Gallery in 1967 by the current owners family, this is one of the most important paintings by Michael Smither to have been presented to the market. The concrete seawall which bisects the cliff face and sea was built to protect the Taranaki coastline, and to prevent the erosion of Kawaroa Park. The title draws our attention to the wall, suggesting that this scene is at least partly a reflection on the land’s degeneration, and commenting on the need for man made intervention. The presence of a beautiful gliding kotare in this painting is particularly special because the bird’s inclusion is a tip of the hat to Smither’s contemporary, Don Binney. These two artists had much in common, particularly during this 1960s period of production when their respective hard-edged, realist styles were shaping an emergent language of New Zealand modernism. Their work also shares thematic concerns around conservation and protection of the environment. Rocks along the Taranaki coastline, were a common motif in Michael’s Smither’s work throughout the 1960s, and one which he returned to decades later in his career. In this painting, the luminous arrangement of rocks along the waterfront is as recognisable to Smither’s hand as soaring birds are to Binney’s. They are carefully stacked onto each other. Each rock is smoothly formed, with a sense of clarity and selfcontained coolness. To the viewer, they may seem almost too perfect to be able to connect with physically, as if they exist in a slightly surreal, other-worldly space. One of the striking things about this painting is how the different natural elements appear in exchange with each other. Smither has sculpted the rocks against the seawall, with each of the individual forms existing as part of a larger whole. He has talked about the points of contact that maintained the balance of rock on rock, and it is this sense of integral balance and unity which commands our focus as viewers, and seems to run between the different natural elements in the work. Alongside the rippling waves, and smoothness of the seawall, the rocks’ texture and form is exaggerated. In the title of another of his rock series works, Smither describes the land as suckling the sea, which also feels relevant to this painting. Here, the sea is presented as a life force. Imagine that every rock in this picture has its perfect opposite in the fluid form of the sea, in the colour reflected back from the hardness of form onto an ever-changing, lapping tide. Then, the lines of this work become even more pronounced, with each ripple seemingly connecting to the land. In addition to these visual rhythms, there is strong symbolism within this work – in the oneness of land and sea, and the spiritual, purifying qualities of water. It may be considered baptismal; speaking to the promise of new life. Finally, there is the kingfisher, the only living creature in the scene and a bearer of good fortune. Its presence is a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and hope for the land.

        International Art Centre
      • SMITHER Michael (New Zealand b.1939), Black Rocks, 1983. Inscribed lower left in pencil 'MDS '83'
        Jun. 02, 2019

        SMITHER Michael (New Zealand b.1939), Black Rocks, 1983. Inscribed lower left in pencil 'MDS '83'

        Est: $400 - $600

        SMITHER, Michael (New Zealand b.1939) Black Rocks, 1983. Inscribed lower left in pencil 'MDS '83' S/Print 23/45 64x50cm

        Davidson Auctions
      • SMITHER, Michael (New Zealand b.1939)
        Mar. 31, 2019

        SMITHER, Michael (New Zealand b.1939)

        Est: $500 - $800

        SMITHER, Michael (New Zealand b.1939) Black Rocks, 1983. Inscribed lower left in pencil 'MDS '83' S/Print 23/45 64x50cm

        Davidson Auctions
      • Michael Smither
        May. 09, 2013

        Michael Smither

        Est: -

        Michael Smither Untitled

        International Art Centre
      • Michael Smither
        May. 09, 2013

        Michael Smither

        Est: -

        Michael Smither Recital

        International Art Centre
      • Michael Smither Lava Flow Cave signed MDS and
        Mar. 27, 2013

        Michael Smither Lava Flow Cave signed MDS and

        Est: $80,000 - $100,000

        Michael Smither Lava Flow Cave signed MDS and dated 04 in brushpoint lower left 1130mm x 1100

        Webb’s – Specialist Auctioneers
      • Art Work by Michael Smither
        Aug. 29, 2012

        Art Work by Michael Smither

        Est: -

        Art Work by Michael Smither Dreamboats 1

        International Art Centre
      • Art Work by Michael Smither
        Aug. 29, 2012

        Art Work by Michael Smither

        Est: -

        Art Work by Michael Smither Wave Invading

        International Art Centre
      • Art Work by Michael Smither
        Aug. 29, 2012

        Art Work by Michael Smither

        Est: -

        Art Work by Michael Smither Chris Cricket Meets Buzzy Bee

        International Art Centre
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