STUDIO NEWS

What's happening behind the scenes ...

'Stellata Magnolia' 

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The first one off the easel for 2021.

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Stellata Magnolia will be making its way to my beautiful local gallery - Art Matakana Gallery.

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This will be the last of my florals for a while - as I move in a new direction.

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'Ambrosia'

Tui are boisterous birds and they become excited when Winter bows down and they can feast on sweet Spring nectar.

I head outdoors with my camera and watch them darting between the branches. With 10 or more Tui feasting in each tree, and a very brief blossom season, they are often squabbling among themselves. This painting has a lot of petal detail and took me many months to complete.

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 'Waimaru'

 This is the third painting in my Native New Zealand Series.

Waimaru is a Maori word meaning 'sheltered and shaded water'

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This painting captures my love and respect for the Tamahunga native bush and the ancient sandstone boulders in the area.

This painting has found a home above a magnificent fireplace in a local Tamahunga home.

'Ahuru'

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The bird's nest painting shown below was a recent commission for a Canadian couple. 

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I named this piece 'Ahuru' - a Maori word meaning 'to be warm, comfortable, and cosy'

I have used heavy pumice gel, ink, and acrylic to bring texture to this painting.

 'Fantail's Rest'

Has found a beautiful new home.  The painting was originally bound for the United Kingdom for a collector who had inherited money from her New Zealand Uncle and wished to purchase a native New Zealand painting in his memory. But circumstances changed and it has since sold to an international couple who reside in Matakana for a few months each year ... and I will paint a commission piece for my UK collector.

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Fantail's Rest features the NZ native plants of Mount Tamahunga - Kauri, Tairare, Manuka, Ferns, Miro, Nikau etc. 

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'Reverence'

The painting shown below is the second in a body of work featuring the native woodland on Mount Tamahunga.

The name of this painting is ‘Reverence’ which means to ‘regard with deep respect’

This work is intended to express the feeling of reverence for time spent in nature.

For seeking out spaces where we are so quiet we can hear the whisper of our intuition instead of the constant chatter of our ego.

Spaces where we cannot hear the hustle of humanity, just the sounds of the natural world. 

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'Spring Meadow'

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One of the last of my floral pantings - as I move on in a new direction (with more natives and a green colour palette.)

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FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM - aston.gallery

AWARDS

'Nana's Buttons' won a Second Place Ribbon and Award in the 2017 Royal Easter Show Art Competition.

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'Thorndon' won a Merit Ribbon in the 2018 Royal Easter Show Art Competition

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'Washington Orange' won a Merit Award in the 2019 REASC

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GALLERY REPRESENTATION

I am represented and supported by the following galleries:

Art Matakana Gallery in Matakana

OBV Vineyard Gallery, Matakana

Inspirit Gallery in Cambridge, Waikato

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