Cheerful shot of artist is something to smile about

Virginia Winder tells the stories behind some of the images up for auction to raise money for Hospice Taranaki. This week: Jane Dove Juneau’s photograph of artist Michael Smither in his studio.

Jane Dove Juneau captured this jovial image of artist Michael Smither about 1982 when he was a member of the Taranaki Arts Co-Operative (TACO).

‘‘Tom Mutch was with him too – I think he and Tom are sharing a joke together,’’ she says.

Sitting in his studio in the King St premises of TACO, Smither is backed by three crosses from a series called Memoriam to Rita Angus.

Smither was a founding member of the co-operative, which was formed in the 1970s.

‘‘The (TACO) artists were somewhat renegade in their outlook – it was like an underground art movement almost. They were a little bit intimidating, but you held your ground. They probably enjoyed the young blonde photographer,’’ she laughs.

Dove Juneau, who joined the photography department of Taranaki Newspapers Ltd (TNL) in 1975, met many of the region’s artists.

‘‘The Taranaki Herald ran features on local artists, and I enjoyed meeting and photographing the young artists such as Smither, Don Driver, Dale Copeland, Mutch, Nicholas Brandon, John McLean and John Crawford.’’

During the 10 years Dove Juneau worked at TNL (in between overseas travel), she also photographed Smither at Fitzroy Beach working on a beach restoration project that encouraged the use of existing dunes and natural vegetation to protect the foreshore.

She also took pictures of him painting the original dolphin wall on Devon St East at Strandon.

‘‘He was always very approachable, had a good sense of humour and would usually do what you asked him to.’’

When she started, Dove Juneau was initially guided by chief photographer Alf Brandon, who was a tough critic.

‘‘There’s no life in your photograph,’’ she says, mimicking his voice.

By the time she left TNL, she was the chief photographer.

The Smither portrait and another she captured of Don Driver with a curious collection of items, including drainage pipes, a pram, a doll and phone, will soon go under the hammer. ‘‘I thought they would be of interest to New Zealand art collectors.’’

The two black-and-white portraits are among a collection of more than 120 photojournalism images up for auction at the Plymouth Hotel on September 24 to raise money for Hospice Taranaki.

The idea for the fundraiser came from veteran photojournalist Rob Tucker, who has terminal cancer and is under hospice care.