Sometime in the mid to late 1930s, New Zealand painter Florence Weir undertook an artist's residency at Villa Margaux in the south of France. Surrounded by other artists, and absorbed in the idiosyncrasies of place caught within this transient community, Weir's time here would go on to shape her artistic practice. Material fragments of this practice are brought together in Villa Margaux, running from 26 September–23 October 2023 at Auckland's Sanderson Contemporary. Much like the watercolour depictions of gardens and landscapes included in the exhibitions Garden Tours with Florence Weir and Schemes for Vibrant Living, these works are resplendent with the rich tonal palette of the Mediterranean.
Weir's artistic practice brings together a range of media, reflecting the holistic integration of artmaking into her life. This is evident in , a watercolour collage created from painted depictions of domestic crockery. Here, a loose wash of monochrome pigment indicates one half of a plate, while a decorative jug is painted with an exuberant botanical design. Ranging across tableware, watercolours, textiles and wallpaper designs, the works included in exploit the slippage between fine art and craft, and between artmaking and lived experience. It is, in fact, this point of slippage which sits at
