Michael Smither: Artist in Residence

As this film begins, Smither is expressing relief that his final, and less than commercially successful dealer show, ‘Shared Harmonics’, has come to an end, so he can retreat to his home on the Coromandel.

There we see him working on a commissioned painting; walking the beach, sketchbook in hand; providing a detailed guided tour of the vegetation between the beach and his house; and pitching in for a local artists’ show. He waxes lyrical about aging, the economic realities of an artist’s life, and neighbours who poison ancient trees to improve their view of the sea; and perplexes potential customers by ascribing pitch to colour and picking out one of his paintings on the piano. A long time exponent of synesthesia in art, he also wrote and performed the score that accompanies this engaging slice of his life. - Bill Gosden in the 2010 NZIFF programme