Artists Winter Programme. Kaipara lifestyler, Tuesday 22 May, 2018
Photo: Elena Nikolaeva, well-known for her stimulating workshops, skill, and positivity as a tutor
Mangawhai Artists Gallery will be the venue for creative workshops during the winter months with 13 workshops and
demonstrations, and occasions to develop personal art knowledge and skills in a supportive environment.
There are half-day, whole-day, weekend and weekday options beginning Saturday, June 9.
“We hope that people will come and try out different techniques,” said media spokesperson, Lynn Middleton.
Nicola Everett, of Mangawhai Artists Inc, is coordinating the programme. “We have something for all levels of experience; workshops are suitable for beginners, you only need an urge to learn and play.
Our tutors are experienced artists and teachers and welcome people new to art or returning to art.
With the range on offer, there is plenty for more experienced artists as well — this is an opportunity to try something new and be creative.’’
On June 30 there is a free workshop showing people how to make their own T-shirt shopping bags and customise it with a print.
Print week July 14–19 will provide opportunities to explore various printmaking techniques, with participants able to choose from several workshops. On July 23 a repeat of last year’s popular fundraiser, “choose your fish, choose your paper, and print” will be held.
Creative talent on display. Kaipara Lifestyler, May 22, 2018
The Kaipara’s artistic community is a vibrant one, with a wealth of styles representing influences from the whole grand sweep of human culture. From sculpture and abstract paintings to stunning realism and avant-garde photography, in media as varied as wood, steel, canvas, paint, stone and natural fibres — our local artists never fail to impress or inspire.
With such a wide range of styles and such a diverse pool of talent, one of the most difficult jobs of the year must surely be judging the premiere artistic event of the year, the Kaipara Art Awards.
Growing year by year and with a formidable roll-call of artists entering the competition, this annual exhibition of our brightest cultural creators has become the definitive place to bring one’s vision to the public eye. Last year saw a massive response from the artistic community to the call for submissions, and they are steadily coming in for 2018’s gala gallery opening on July 6.
The winning entries for 2018 — Rebecca Clist’s A Walk in the Evening Garden in two-dimensions, and Elena Nikolaeva’s Toni the Tui from Tawharanui — will be an inspiration for this year’s entrants to reach for new heights of acuity and imagination. With only a few weeks left before submissions close, the organisers of the Kaipara Art Awards wish to encourage up-and-coming artists to rise to the challenge.
It’s possible for the first time this year to make a submission without describing the finished work, which the event’s coordinators acknowledge
can change and evolve during the creative process.
Simply make the decision to share your vision with the wider community, and then craft your masterpiece!
With such a wide range of styles and such a diverse pool of talent, one of the most difficult jobs of the year must surely be judging the premiere artistic event of the year, the Kaipara Art Awards.
Growing year by year and with a formidable roll-call of artists entering the competition, this annual exhibition of our brightest cultural creators has become the definitive place to bring one’s vision to the public eye. Last year saw a massive response from the artistic community to the call for submissions, and they are steadily coming in for 2018’s gala gallery opening on July 6.
The winning entries for 2018 — Rebecca Clist’s A Walk in the Evening Garden in two-dimensions, and Elena Nikolaeva’s Toni the Tui from Tawharanui — will be an inspiration for this year’s entrants to reach for new heights of acuity and imagination. With only a few weeks left before submissions close, the organisers of the Kaipara Art Awards wish to encourage up-and-coming artists to rise to the challenge.
It’s possible for the first time this year to make a submission without describing the finished work, which the event’s coordinators acknowledge
can change and evolve during the creative process.
Simply make the decision to share your vision with the wider community, and then craft your masterpiece!
Magic in the Moonlight
Kaipara Lifestyler Tuesday 08 May, 2018, by Ayla Miller
Many of you who are regular readers of Dive will be aware of the watery grave of the 159m luxury liner RMS Niagara which was a casualty of mines laid by the German Raider Orion in the Hauraki Gulf during WWII. Her sinking just north of the Mokohinau Islands in the early hours of the 18th June 1940 was the beginning of various successful attempts to salvage most of the over eight tons of gold bullion on board.
For the voyage to Vancouver, Canada, it is conservatively estimated that between 9–15 tons of fuel oil was on board. The blast from the mine released tons of oil that smothered many kilometres of New Zealand’s North Island coastline, mainly from Whangarei harbour southwards.
It is believed that the amount of oil on the coast was larger than what was deposited on the beaches in the Bay of Plenty when the MV Rena grounded on Astrolabe Reef, south of the city of Tauranga on 5th October 2011.
Interestingly, you can still find remains of Niagara’s oil along the coast today!
On the 10th February 2018 at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, artist Nicola Everett opened to the public her year-long work titled ‘Gold & Oil – The Legacy and Menace of the Niagara’.
Her obvious passion and commitment to bring to life what occurred 78 years ago off the coast of Mangawhai and the possible environmental ticking time bomb within the wreck can only be loudly applauded.
Her work is stunningly creative and her message to her local community and the New Zealand Government was very clear! We need to act now, not wait until we have to clean up the suffocating oil deposited along our coast.
Her collection of woodblock and collagraphic prints tell the story of the mines being laid, Niagara strikingthe mine and sinking, as well as the recovery of the gold and the death of marine and bird life as the result of the oil that was released at the sinking. The artwork that made a strong statement to those who attended was a visual representation of what you could expect from a new release of oil from the wreck.
Hanging from the ceiling over a patch of oil-impregnated sand were the real remains of birds and fish covered in black oil!
Nicola is creative enough to know she needed something that really confronts people in an artistic form of what may happen.
Over a period of a year she had collected dead sea birds and fish skeletons from the shoreline. She then slowly dried these remains in an oven and then coated them in black bitumen which represented the Niagara’s thick smothering bunker oil.
This very visual artwork clearly shows Nicola’s commitment to awakening people’s awareness of the results of an oil spill.
Councillor Mike Lee expresses his concerns re the possible environmental risk that the wreck represents.
Guests included Kaipara’s deputy mayor, Peter Wethey and author Keith Gordon, whose book, Deep Water Gold, details the history of the Niagara’s sinking, the gold recovery and the subsequent first dives by remote operated vehicles (ROVs), followed by the first modern day technical mixed gas divers exploring the wreck in 120 metres of water.
Two contrasting speeches were delivered; Mike Lee the Waitemata and Gulf Ward Councillor, and Belinda Vernon from Maritime New Zealand.
Mike Lee is absolutely passionate about the Gulf’s marine environment and has actively been notifying Government departments, as Keith Gordon has also over many years, re the necessity to survey the fuel tanks’ condition and the amount of fuel oil remaining in the wreck. This means being able to evaluate the possible environmental hazard that the ship’s oil represents. The response to their warnings have largely been ignored by Government departments.
Belinda Vernon from Maritime New Zealand explaining it’s all under control
Belinda Vernon’s speech for me, and I’m sure others in the gathering, made it clear just how much Maritime New Zealand have their heads in the sand. Oil-free sand, of course! We were informed that they are fully capable and prepared to take care of any major oil spill from the wreck! Well, unless Maritime New Zealand has invested millions of dollars in vessels capable of containing and removing the oil since the Rena disaster, I would say “you must be dreaming!”
I got the impression they are fully aware of the situation but just want it to go away. Why? My guess is money!
Artist Nicola Everett and Keith Gordon finally meet. Keith’s book was a valuable reference tool for Nicola
There is a realisation that what needs to be done in the first instance is a non-intrusive investigation of the ship’s fuel tanks to calculate how much oil remains.
This can most likely be done with a combination of ROVs and divers.
Once this is done, the Government will know 100% how big the environmental threat is. What we do know 100% is the wreck is steadily decaying and it is not a matter of WILL the oil be released but WHEN.
Let’s hope the Government heeds the warnings and advice from experts and opens its cheque book to have the required investigations done. As we go to press I understand that Conservation Minister the Honourable Eugenie Sage is considering a meeting with Mike Lee & Keith Gordon.
The oil’s time bomb is ticking 24/7.
Dave Moran
Editor at Large
Nicola Everett’s art work is for sale. Contact her: nicolaeverettartist@outlook.com.
Or via the Mangawhai Artists Gallery: www.mangawhaiartists.co.nz
The Mangawhai Museum has an excellent display of items recovered from the Niagara, courtesy of Keith Gordon.
On display is the ship’s bell, telegraph, speed log and even a replica of the diving bell used to recover the gold. You can step inside and watch a video.
A recovered mine is also on display.
The quality of the museum’s display is world class and I strongly recommend a visit.
Hanging from the ceiling over a patch of oil-impregnated sand were the real remains of birds and fish covered in black oil!
Nicola is creative enough to know she needed something that really confronts people in an artistic form of what may happen.
Over a period of a year she had collected dead sea birds and fish skeletons from the shoreline. She then slowly dried these remains in an oven and then coated them in black bitumen which represented the Niagara’s thick smothering bunker oil.
This very visual artwork clearly shows Nicola’s commitment to awakening people’s awareness of the results of an oil spill.
Councillor Mike Lee expresses his concerns re the possible environmental risk that the wreck represents.
Guests included Kaipara’s deputy mayor, Peter Wethey and author Keith Gordon, whose book, Deep Water Gold, details the history of the Niagara’s sinking, the gold recovery and the subsequent first dives by remote operated vehicles (ROVs), followed by the first modern day technical mixed gas divers exploring the wreck in 120 metres of water.
Two contrasting speeches were delivered; Mike Lee the Waitemata and Gulf Ward Councillor, and Belinda Vernon from Maritime New Zealand.
Mike Lee is absolutely passionate about the Gulf’s marine environment and has actively been notifying Government departments, as Keith Gordon has also over many years, re the necessity to survey the fuel tanks’ condition and the amount of fuel oil remaining in the wreck. This means being able to evaluate the possible environmental hazard that the ship’s oil represents. The response to their warnings have largely been ignored by Government departments.
Belinda Vernon from Maritime New Zealand explaining it’s all under control
Belinda Vernon’s speech for me, and I’m sure others in the gathering, made it clear just how much Maritime New Zealand have their heads in the sand. Oil-free sand, of course! We were informed that they are fully capable and prepared to take care of any major oil spill from the wreck! Well, unless Maritime New Zealand has invested millions of dollars in vessels capable of containing and removing the oil since the Rena disaster, I would say “you must be dreaming!”
I got the impression they are fully aware of the situation but just want it to go away. Why? My guess is money!
Artist Nicola Everett and Keith Gordon finally meet. Keith’s book was a valuable reference tool for Nicola
There is a realisation that what needs to be done in the first instance is a non-intrusive investigation of the ship’s fuel tanks to calculate how much oil remains.
This can most likely be done with a combination of ROVs and divers.
Once this is done, the Government will know 100% how big the environmental threat is. What we do know 100% is the wreck is steadily decaying and it is not a matter of WILL the oil be released but WHEN.
Let’s hope the Government heeds the warnings and advice from experts and opens its cheque book to have the required investigations done. As we go to press I understand that Conservation Minister the Honourable Eugenie Sage is considering a meeting with Mike Lee & Keith Gordon.
The oil’s time bomb is ticking 24/7.
Dave Moran
Editor at Large
Nicola Everett’s art work is for sale. Contact her: nicolaeverettartist@outlook.com.
Or via the Mangawhai Artists Gallery: www.mangawhaiartists.co.nz
The Mangawhai Museum has an excellent display of items recovered from the Niagara, courtesy of Keith Gordon.
On display is the ship’s bell, telegraph, speed log and even a replica of the diving bell used to recover the gold. You can step inside and watch a video.
A recovered mine is also on display.
The quality of the museum’s display is world class and I strongly recommend a visit.
Mahurangi Matters, 26 March 2018
Mangawhai’s many artists will be opening their doors and displaying their talents throughout the Easter weekend during the annual Mangawhai Art Trail.
The work of 48 artists will be on display at 18 separate venues, from cafes and churches to artists’ own studios and the Mangawhai Artists Gallery in Moir Street. Paintings, prints, drawings, pottery and sculpture in a diverse range of media and styles will be exhibited and available for sale.
A map and guide to participating artists and venues is available online, or an illustrated booklet and map can be bought for a gold coin from shops and businesses in Mangawhai Village and Mangawhai Heads, and at the Saturday morning market in Moir Street.
Mangawhai artist Lynn Middleton says the chance to go behind the scenes and see how and where artists produce their work is always popular.
“When artists open their studios, they are always intriguing and revealing,” she says. “They will be on hand to talk about their art and answer questions.”
The Mangawhai Art Trail will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, March 31 and Easter Sunday, April 1.
Info: mangawhaiartists.co.nz/art-trails
Mangawhai’s many artists will be opening their doors and displaying their talents throughout the Easter weekend during the annual Mangawhai Art Trail.
The work of 48 artists will be on display at 18 separate venues, from cafes and churches to artists’ own studios and the Mangawhai Artists Gallery in Moir Street. Paintings, prints, drawings, pottery and sculpture in a diverse range of media and styles will be exhibited and available for sale.
A map and guide to participating artists and venues is available online, or an illustrated booklet and map can be bought for a gold coin from shops and businesses in Mangawhai Village and Mangawhai Heads, and at the Saturday morning market in Moir Street.
Mangawhai artist Lynn Middleton says the chance to go behind the scenes and see how and where artists produce their work is always popular.
“When artists open their studios, they are always intriguing and revealing,” she says. “They will be on hand to talk about their art and answer questions.”
The Mangawhai Art Trail will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, March 31 and Easter Sunday, April 1.
Info: mangawhaiartists.co.nz/art-trails
Kaipara Lifestyler 24 April 2018
The artist behind the successful Stingray Project in Mangawhai last year has organised another community art initiative to celebrate native bush and the flora and fauna that comes with it.
Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush is a free community art project led by Rosina Kamphuis and opened on Friday, April 19.
“We hope that lots of people from every age group will come along and paint, then come back and explore the exhibition’, Rosina says.
“This art project is for the Mangawhai community, families, artists, businesses, everybody.” The Mangawhai Artists Gallery has been transformed into a community art painting centre for the duration of the workshops, and all ages can come along. No art experience or painting skill is required.
‘One moonlit night ...’ will use all of the painted material from the workshop to make an exhibition and installation evoking native bush at night. Mayor Jason Smith will open the exhibition on Saturday, May 5 at 3pm.
The artist behind the successful Stingray Project in Mangawhai last year has organised another community art initiative to celebrate native bush and the flora and fauna that comes with it.
Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush is a free community art project led by Rosina Kamphuis and opened on Friday, April 19.
“We hope that lots of people from every age group will come along and paint, then come back and explore the exhibition’, Rosina says.
“This art project is for the Mangawhai community, families, artists, businesses, everybody.” The Mangawhai Artists Gallery has been transformed into a community art painting centre for the duration of the workshops, and all ages can come along. No art experience or painting skill is required.
‘One moonlit night ...’ will use all of the painted material from the workshop to make an exhibition and installation evoking native bush at night. Mayor Jason Smith will open the exhibition on Saturday, May 5 at 3pm.
Community invited to come in and paint
By Julia Wade, Mangawhai Focus, 23 April 2018
Following the success of last years community art project, Mangawhai residents and visitors are once again invited to come together and merge their imaginations for another united artwork.
Due to the popularity of Project Stingray in April 2017, which celebrated Mangawhai’s iconic stingray and is now mounted on the exterior wall of Mangawhai Artists Gallery, creator and coordinator, multi-talented local artist Rosina Kamphuis, has organised another thought-provoking art event, this time based on the areas natural environment.
She says the ‘new concept sprung to my mind’ after receiving requests for more collaborative artworks by the Mangawhai community. “It’s time to celebrate our native bush and the flora and fauna that inhabit it,” she says. “Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush! One Moonlit Night… is a fantastic native bush scene that is sheer magic. We will then turn it into an exhibition with a wow factor, for everybody to enjoy.”
Deputy mayor Peter Wethey opened the Mangawhai Artists Gallery doors to the public on April 20, inviting people to ‘drop in and paint’ on a variety of nature-made media including stones, real bush materials and trees as well as cloth banners.
Art work will then be collated into a spectacular installation bathed in the night sky inside the Mangawhai Artists Gallery by Rosina and her artist team, to be unveiled by mayor Jason Smith on May 5.
Rosina says the event is an opportunity for people in the community of all ages to paint, talk and have fun together.
“My vision for this project is to inspire each other and raise awareness of our native bush heritage… to enjoy and explore the arts and create some of our own magic on a variety of very different ‘canvasses’, to get to make the art which we had always wanted to do but perhaps never had the chance.”
Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush! One Moonlit Night… is on now, everyday from 10am-3pm at Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir Road, The Village, April 20 - May 3. For more information view mangawhaiartists.co.nz.
Photo: Artist and brainchild behind Mangawhai’s community art projects, Rosina Kamphuis, prepping some of the natural canvasses ready for the community’s creative magic. – PHOTO Jeanette Vickers
By Julia Wade, Mangawhai Focus, 23 April 2018
Following the success of last years community art project, Mangawhai residents and visitors are once again invited to come together and merge their imaginations for another united artwork.
Due to the popularity of Project Stingray in April 2017, which celebrated Mangawhai’s iconic stingray and is now mounted on the exterior wall of Mangawhai Artists Gallery, creator and coordinator, multi-talented local artist Rosina Kamphuis, has organised another thought-provoking art event, this time based on the areas natural environment.
She says the ‘new concept sprung to my mind’ after receiving requests for more collaborative artworks by the Mangawhai community. “It’s time to celebrate our native bush and the flora and fauna that inhabit it,” she says. “Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush! One Moonlit Night… is a fantastic native bush scene that is sheer magic. We will then turn it into an exhibition with a wow factor, for everybody to enjoy.”
Deputy mayor Peter Wethey opened the Mangawhai Artists Gallery doors to the public on April 20, inviting people to ‘drop in and paint’ on a variety of nature-made media including stones, real bush materials and trees as well as cloth banners.
Art work will then be collated into a spectacular installation bathed in the night sky inside the Mangawhai Artists Gallery by Rosina and her artist team, to be unveiled by mayor Jason Smith on May 5.
Rosina says the event is an opportunity for people in the community of all ages to paint, talk and have fun together.
“My vision for this project is to inspire each other and raise awareness of our native bush heritage… to enjoy and explore the arts and create some of our own magic on a variety of very different ‘canvasses’, to get to make the art which we had always wanted to do but perhaps never had the chance.”
Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush! One Moonlit Night… is on now, everyday from 10am-3pm at Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir Road, The Village, April 20 - May 3. For more information view mangawhaiartists.co.nz.
Photo: Artist and brainchild behind Mangawhai’s community art projects, Rosina Kamphuis, prepping some of the natural canvasses ready for the community’s creative magic. – PHOTO Jeanette Vickers
Bounty of art offered on Easter trail
By Julia Wade. Mangawhai Focus, April 2018
Mangawhai came alive with colour and creativity over Easter weekend, with visitors and locals alike treated to a stunning and diverse visual array of the areas vast talent and artistic genius.
The Mangawhai Artists Inc (MAI) annual Easter Art Trail gave viewers an opportunity to view the works of over 50 local artists, from multi-media paintings illustrating the areas natural beauty and dramatic coastline, to landscapes created from pure imagination and provocative graffiti art as well as delicate glass creations and dynamic wood and steel sculptures.
Nineteen venues were included in the trail including the Pioneer Village Heritage Church, Mangawhai Artists Gallery as well as private studios and galleries.
MAI chair, Mary-Anne Boyd, says visitors were overwhelmingly enthusiastic for the art on show and variety of venues.
“The Art Trail was inspiring and diverse… nurturing the wonderful tradition of people being able to see some of the many studios in the area and talk informally with artists,” she says. “Buyers were delighted with the impressive art works at very good prices and all appreciated the new road signs and the positive ambience.”
A number of sales were recorded especially in the last half hour of the Trail with one artist even receiving a phone call on the Sunday night from an enthusiastic buyer, asking to buy an art piece and commission more paintings.
Although numbers were down from previous years due to Mangawhai having a range of activities on over the long weekend, hot sunny beach weather as well as the 12-hour road closure of State Highway 1 on the Saturday, some venues experienced higher than average visitors, Boyd says.
“One of the busiest venues was the Heritage Church near the Museum, with well over 500 people visiting… and Mangawhai Artists Gallery was a buzz, with over 550 visitors in a single day, one of our highest visitor numbers recorded.”
By Julia Wade. Mangawhai Focus, April 2018
Mangawhai came alive with colour and creativity over Easter weekend, with visitors and locals alike treated to a stunning and diverse visual array of the areas vast talent and artistic genius.
The Mangawhai Artists Inc (MAI) annual Easter Art Trail gave viewers an opportunity to view the works of over 50 local artists, from multi-media paintings illustrating the areas natural beauty and dramatic coastline, to landscapes created from pure imagination and provocative graffiti art as well as delicate glass creations and dynamic wood and steel sculptures.
Nineteen venues were included in the trail including the Pioneer Village Heritage Church, Mangawhai Artists Gallery as well as private studios and galleries.
MAI chair, Mary-Anne Boyd, says visitors were overwhelmingly enthusiastic for the art on show and variety of venues.
“The Art Trail was inspiring and diverse… nurturing the wonderful tradition of people being able to see some of the many studios in the area and talk informally with artists,” she says. “Buyers were delighted with the impressive art works at very good prices and all appreciated the new road signs and the positive ambience.”
A number of sales were recorded especially in the last half hour of the Trail with one artist even receiving a phone call on the Sunday night from an enthusiastic buyer, asking to buy an art piece and commission more paintings.
Although numbers were down from previous years due to Mangawhai having a range of activities on over the long weekend, hot sunny beach weather as well as the 12-hour road closure of State Highway 1 on the Saturday, some venues experienced higher than average visitors, Boyd says.
“One of the busiest venues was the Heritage Church near the Museum, with well over 500 people visiting… and Mangawhai Artists Gallery was a buzz, with over 550 visitors in a single day, one of our highest visitor numbers recorded.”
Tuesday 10 Apr, 2018 | By Jill Dickie
Mangawhai artists go bush
Following the success of last year’s Project Stingray art project, the Mangawhai Artists Association is again inviting community involvement for its newest art experience entitled Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush.
The artists are asking the community to celebrate the native New Zealand bush by visiting the gallery between Thursday, April 19 and Tuesday, May 1 to paint a bush theme on natural bush materials, river stones and paper banners. All paints and materials are supplied, and all ages are invited.
The Mangawhai team will then spend four days completing an installation of the pieces within the gallery creating a scene under a night sky, and the exhibition will be officially opened on Saturday, May 5 and close on Sunday, May 13.
Last year over 300 people helped paint the 101 plywood stingrays, 58 of which are now installed on top of the two giant rays on the exterior of the gallery. “They represent all of the 101 painted, all ages, kids and families, artists, businesses, everybody!” says creator of the concept, Rosina Kamphuis.
Mangawhai artists go bush
Following the success of last year’s Project Stingray art project, the Mangawhai Artists Association is again inviting community involvement for its newest art experience entitled Magical Mangawhai Goes Bush.
The artists are asking the community to celebrate the native New Zealand bush by visiting the gallery between Thursday, April 19 and Tuesday, May 1 to paint a bush theme on natural bush materials, river stones and paper banners. All paints and materials are supplied, and all ages are invited.
The Mangawhai team will then spend four days completing an installation of the pieces within the gallery creating a scene under a night sky, and the exhibition will be officially opened on Saturday, May 5 and close on Sunday, May 13.
Last year over 300 people helped paint the 101 plywood stingrays, 58 of which are now installed on top of the two giant rays on the exterior of the gallery. “They represent all of the 101 painted, all ages, kids and families, artists, businesses, everybody!” says creator of the concept, Rosina Kamphuis.
Kaipara Lifestyler. 20 Mar, 2018, by Christine Yardley
Art Trail an Easter Treat
The Mangawhai Art Trail on Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1 offers art lovers the opportunity to enjoy a wide and varied range of work from Mangawhai’s vibrant artistic community.
More than 50 artists will display their work at 19 locations ranging from paintings, ceramics, photography, sculpture, outdoor art and more. The event also offers a unique opportunity to meet with the artists. The event is run by Mangawhai Artists Inc to promote and support art in the community. Members range from full-time professionals to weekend hobbyists.
Painter and printmaker, Lynn Middleton, who moved to Mangawhai after living and working in London for 15 years, is enjoying her new lifestyle and looking forward to the exhibition. “This is my first art trail and my work will be displayed in the heritage church next to the museum. There will be seven of us all together in there.”
The trail will run from 10am to 4pm each day and guide books will be available at retail outlets in Mangawhai village and at the Saturday morning markets.
“I think what I’m looking forward to most,” says Lynn,” is having the chance to meet people and have a chat. It’s going to be a great trail.”
Art Trail an Easter Treat
The Mangawhai Art Trail on Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1 offers art lovers the opportunity to enjoy a wide and varied range of work from Mangawhai’s vibrant artistic community.
More than 50 artists will display their work at 19 locations ranging from paintings, ceramics, photography, sculpture, outdoor art and more. The event also offers a unique opportunity to meet with the artists. The event is run by Mangawhai Artists Inc to promote and support art in the community. Members range from full-time professionals to weekend hobbyists.
Painter and printmaker, Lynn Middleton, who moved to Mangawhai after living and working in London for 15 years, is enjoying her new lifestyle and looking forward to the exhibition. “This is my first art trail and my work will be displayed in the heritage church next to the museum. There will be seven of us all together in there.”
The trail will run from 10am to 4pm each day and guide books will be available at retail outlets in Mangawhai village and at the Saturday morning markets.
“I think what I’m looking forward to most,” says Lynn,” is having the chance to meet people and have a chat. It’s going to be a great trail.”
Kaipara Lifestyler. 20 Mar, 2018, by Christine Yardley
Art over Chocolate
Mangawhai artist, Johnnie Daley, and his partner Becky, opened their Scarlet Art Gallery above Bennett’s Chocolate Factory last Friday, March 16.
“This is a big step up for us,” says Johnnie, who plans to show the work of 15 to 20 artists.
“We have twelve signed up at present, plus myself. It’s also important to Becky and I that local artists are well represented. We have a really good group here and by supporting them there’s an opportunity to make Mangawhai an art buyers’ destination, alongside all the other attractions the area offers.”
The couple, who named the gallery after their daughter, Scarlet, will run it between them. An area has been set aside as a studio and Johnnie will be working there five days a week.
Well known as an exponent of the realism school, Johnnie has always wanted to be an artist.
“I’ve been drawing since I could first hold a pencil and am both self and YouTube taught, which is a great way to learn and why I now share a lot of my techniques on social media to support other budding artists,” he explains.
”Up until three years ago I made my living in other ways, but then I realised it was time to spend my time doing something I loved and here we are."
Art over Chocolate
Mangawhai artist, Johnnie Daley, and his partner Becky, opened their Scarlet Art Gallery above Bennett’s Chocolate Factory last Friday, March 16.
“This is a big step up for us,” says Johnnie, who plans to show the work of 15 to 20 artists.
“We have twelve signed up at present, plus myself. It’s also important to Becky and I that local artists are well represented. We have a really good group here and by supporting them there’s an opportunity to make Mangawhai an art buyers’ destination, alongside all the other attractions the area offers.”
The couple, who named the gallery after their daughter, Scarlet, will run it between them. An area has been set aside as a studio and Johnnie will be working there five days a week.
Well known as an exponent of the realism school, Johnnie has always wanted to be an artist.
“I’ve been drawing since I could first hold a pencil and am both self and YouTube taught, which is a great way to learn and why I now share a lot of my techniques on social media to support other budding artists,” he explains.
”Up until three years ago I made my living in other ways, but then I realised it was time to spend my time doing something I loved and here we are."
Words & Photos by Julia Wade. Mangawhai Focus, March, 2018
Local associations join forces for fundraiser
A collaboration between two significant Mangawhai associations has resulted in a recent successful fundraising event and proved to be yet another testament to the extraordinary and diverse artistic talent that resides in the area.
Social services organisation, Te Whai Community Trust (TWCT) and Mangawhai Art Inc (MAI) joined forces and coordinated the weekend outdoor exhibit, Sculpture in the Park, held on February 24-25, to showcase creations of 22 mainly local artists.
MAI chair, Mary-Anne Boyd, says the sculpture weekend was a wonderful community event with enjoyment and inspiration for all ages. “We are so fortunate in Mangawhai with our artistic and musical talents, great teamwork and caring attitudes," she says. “Bright colours and whimsical art forms in the trees contrasted with works close to nature, including a special memorial tribute to Joy Agar, a highly-regarded local artist leader and MAI founder, who passed away five years ago.”
TWCT member Isabel Hollis and husband Brian opened their home on Moir Street, Mangawhai Village, for the event, allowing visitors to wander around the lush gardens to view a range of sculptures created from a variety of media including driftwood, glass and mosaic as well as more surprising materials such as barbed wire, tinfoil and even beach trash.
Local band Raw Jam, featuring Mangawhai wood artist Larry Park who also had work on display, enticed guests to relax in the grounds and enjoy a freshly prepared Devonshire tea.
With more than 500 people coming through over the two days, raising $2500 with proceeds being split between the two groups, Hollis says the event exceeded the organiser’s expectations.n“We were kept very busy baking scones, think we made over 140 Devonshire teas,” she says. “It was nice to see people enjoying the music, either sitting on the deck or laying out on the lawn with smiles on their faces.”
TWCT’s share will be primarily going towards establishing a foodbank, something Te Whai has been ‘doing on the side’ for a while, Hollis says. “Whenever we’re told of a family struggling we’ll make up a parcel from donations we have and deliver it,” she says. “People are welcome to donate non-perishable foods at Te Whai’s office and can also call us to nominate recipients.”
Local associations join forces for fundraiser
A collaboration between two significant Mangawhai associations has resulted in a recent successful fundraising event and proved to be yet another testament to the extraordinary and diverse artistic talent that resides in the area.
Social services organisation, Te Whai Community Trust (TWCT) and Mangawhai Art Inc (MAI) joined forces and coordinated the weekend outdoor exhibit, Sculpture in the Park, held on February 24-25, to showcase creations of 22 mainly local artists.
MAI chair, Mary-Anne Boyd, says the sculpture weekend was a wonderful community event with enjoyment and inspiration for all ages. “We are so fortunate in Mangawhai with our artistic and musical talents, great teamwork and caring attitudes," she says. “Bright colours and whimsical art forms in the trees contrasted with works close to nature, including a special memorial tribute to Joy Agar, a highly-regarded local artist leader and MAI founder, who passed away five years ago.”
TWCT member Isabel Hollis and husband Brian opened their home on Moir Street, Mangawhai Village, for the event, allowing visitors to wander around the lush gardens to view a range of sculptures created from a variety of media including driftwood, glass and mosaic as well as more surprising materials such as barbed wire, tinfoil and even beach trash.
Local band Raw Jam, featuring Mangawhai wood artist Larry Park who also had work on display, enticed guests to relax in the grounds and enjoy a freshly prepared Devonshire tea.
With more than 500 people coming through over the two days, raising $2500 with proceeds being split between the two groups, Hollis says the event exceeded the organiser’s expectations.n“We were kept very busy baking scones, think we made over 140 Devonshire teas,” she says. “It was nice to see people enjoying the music, either sitting on the deck or laying out on the lawn with smiles on their faces.”
TWCT’s share will be primarily going towards establishing a foodbank, something Te Whai has been ‘doing on the side’ for a while, Hollis says. “Whenever we’re told of a family struggling we’ll make up a parcel from donations we have and deliver it,” she says. “People are welcome to donate non-perishable foods at Te Whai’s office and can also call us to nominate recipients.”
Mangawhai Focus, March, 2018
Mangawhai represented at Northart
Northart’s twice-yearly members’ shows are always much anticipated and very special events, highlighting as they do the considerable achievements of the painters, photographers, print makers and craftspeople who make up the dedicated group of artists associated with the gallery.
Currently running through three galleries, this year’s summer exhibition is particularly diverse and lively, with 58 artists providing works in oil, linen, drumsticks, wood, and decorative cords.
Mangawhai is represented by a vertical exhibit from Gayle Forster (pictured). Entitled ‘Crescendo’ it reflects both intensity of sound and upward movement symbolising the tides of life – the rise and fall and the rise again. The vertical format is based on the Japanese kakemono or kakejiku (hanging scroll) and can be hung then rolled when not in use. Decorative ribbons can also be used as part of the work or tucked in behind to enhance or elicit a change of mood.
Northart, Norman King Square (Opposite the Library), Ernie Mays Street, Northcote, Auckland. Online northart.co.nz.
Mangawhai represented at Northart
Northart’s twice-yearly members’ shows are always much anticipated and very special events, highlighting as they do the considerable achievements of the painters, photographers, print makers and craftspeople who make up the dedicated group of artists associated with the gallery.
Currently running through three galleries, this year’s summer exhibition is particularly diverse and lively, with 58 artists providing works in oil, linen, drumsticks, wood, and decorative cords.
Mangawhai is represented by a vertical exhibit from Gayle Forster (pictured). Entitled ‘Crescendo’ it reflects both intensity of sound and upward movement symbolising the tides of life – the rise and fall and the rise again. The vertical format is based on the Japanese kakemono or kakejiku (hanging scroll) and can be hung then rolled when not in use. Decorative ribbons can also be used as part of the work or tucked in behind to enhance or elicit a change of mood.
Northart, Norman King Square (Opposite the Library), Ernie Mays Street, Northcote, Auckland. Online northart.co.nz.
Wanganui Chronicle, March 4, 2018
North Comes South – Mangawhai meets Whanganui
North Comes South – Mangawhai meets Whanganui is a collection of art that chases away doubts about the standard and quality of local small town art.
The 11 artists contributing to North Comes South show vibrant, diverse and eclectic art – stunning art work. Pauline Neilson offered space at the Yellow House Café, Whanganui and invited Jeanette Vickers of Mangawhai Artists Inc to gather artists who would share their work with Whanganui.
Vickers loved the space and knew Mangawhai Artists could show well in the space available.
Curating a selection of art from the talented pool of Mangawhai artists was a significant challenge for her but, undaunted, she narrowed her selection to 11 out of 130 artist members of Mangawhai Artists Inc. All 11 artists have had successful exhibitions in the Mangawhai Artists Gallery over the last year. They are adept, technically skilled in their field, and, importantly, their work has flair, creativity and captures the viewer.
Jeanette Vickers wanted a rich and diverse mix to show off Mangawhai art. She used colour and form as a selection guide to bind this exhibition into a strong showing of work. The exhibition in the Yellow House Cafe is a fascinating taster into Mangawhai Artists Inc, an art association run by artists for artists.
Mangawhai Artists has a thriving membership active in presenting their work to the community. Around 50 artists are exhibiting their work in this season's busy calendar of exhibitions which change every two weeks from September to June each year. There are two members' exhibitions each year open to all members, an annual art trail when many artists open their studios and a stunning website which profiles members showcasing a busy exhibition calendar, events and learning programme.
North Comes South: Yellow House Café cnr Pitt and Dublin Sts. 8am to 4pm daily until March 31.
North Comes South – Mangawhai meets Whanganui
North Comes South – Mangawhai meets Whanganui is a collection of art that chases away doubts about the standard and quality of local small town art.
The 11 artists contributing to North Comes South show vibrant, diverse and eclectic art – stunning art work. Pauline Neilson offered space at the Yellow House Café, Whanganui and invited Jeanette Vickers of Mangawhai Artists Inc to gather artists who would share their work with Whanganui.
Vickers loved the space and knew Mangawhai Artists could show well in the space available.
Curating a selection of art from the talented pool of Mangawhai artists was a significant challenge for her but, undaunted, she narrowed her selection to 11 out of 130 artist members of Mangawhai Artists Inc. All 11 artists have had successful exhibitions in the Mangawhai Artists Gallery over the last year. They are adept, technically skilled in their field, and, importantly, their work has flair, creativity and captures the viewer.
Jeanette Vickers wanted a rich and diverse mix to show off Mangawhai art. She used colour and form as a selection guide to bind this exhibition into a strong showing of work. The exhibition in the Yellow House Cafe is a fascinating taster into Mangawhai Artists Inc, an art association run by artists for artists.
Mangawhai Artists has a thriving membership active in presenting their work to the community. Around 50 artists are exhibiting their work in this season's busy calendar of exhibitions which change every two weeks from September to June each year. There are two members' exhibitions each year open to all members, an annual art trail when many artists open their studios and a stunning website which profiles members showcasing a busy exhibition calendar, events and learning programme.
North Comes South: Yellow House Café cnr Pitt and Dublin Sts. 8am to 4pm daily until March 31.
By Julia Wade. Mangawhai Focus, February 28 2018
Oil spill art makes an impact
The latest art exhibit to hit Mangawhai has astonished and alerted audiences with its confronting creativity and underlining crucial message. More than 60 locals and visitors attended the official launch of artist Nicola Everett’s confronting exhibit ‘Gold and Oil – The Legacy and Menace of the Niagara’ on February 10.
Viewer’s expressed their surprise and shock of not only learning for the first time about the sinking of the luxury ocean liner but also the current environmental threat from the vast amount of oil still present in the rusting hull.
A victim of the first WWII maritime act of war in the Pacific, RMS Niagara lies 120 metres below the surface on the seabed just north of the Mokohinau and Hen & Chicken Islands, after colliding with a German mine in June 1940.
The volume of oil held in the decaying tanks is estimated to be three or four times more than the MV Rena spill of 2011, New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster.
Included on the guest list was concerned Waitemata and Gulf Ward Councillor Mike Lee (an advocate for government action regarding the oil leakage), Maritime NZ (MNZ) representative Belinda Vernon, Conservation Minister the Honorable Eugenie Sage, Kaipara deputy mayor Peter Wethey, and author Keith Gordon who wrote ‘Deep Water Gold’, a book telling the complete story of the Niagara. Mike Lee says he was impressed although not surprised – given the close location of the wreck to Mangawhai’s shores – at the turnout and the depth of concern from locals regarding the oil threat.
“Nicola’s exhibition is not only a brilliant display of multi-disciplinary art but a political message that has come out of her creative expression, to sound the alarm and send the message: While there is still oil in Niagara, it still poses a threat,” he said to the audience. “’Gold and Oil’ presents the beauty of the natural world she is clearly close to, with the unseen menace that threatens, it leaves no doubt that the artist is driven by a deep sense of looming disaster. This is a woman who has worked very hard to ‘hammer out a warning’ to her community and to the government. Unfortunately the silence from Wellington remains deafening.”
In her speech, Belinda Vernon says the show was a ‘stunning and thought-provoking exhibition’. “Art has a way of communicating… and this exhibit speaks volumes,” she said. “Maritime NZ is having a meeting in ten days time and the Niagara was actually on the agenda but it will be more so now.”
She also said the Crown will be ultimately financially responsible for the costs of investigating and extracting the oil or the cleanup, if the oil suddenly spills from the wreck. Keith Gordon commented that Everett’s artwork accurately portrays the story of the doomed vessel. “The cost to remove the oil does not compare to the cost of an environmental clean-up,” he says.
“Unfortunately it’s actually not a matter of ‘if’ the oil spills but more likely ‘when’.” Everett has written to all MPs and the Maritime NZ Board to ask the government to monitor the wreck more regularly and begin to identify options to safely remove the oil rather than rely on contingency plans as the oil slowly leaks into the environment. “Our priority is saving what we have, not letting it be destroyed,” she says. “However at the moment it is being ignored and we are waiting until a catastrophe happens.”
Oil spill art makes an impact
The latest art exhibit to hit Mangawhai has astonished and alerted audiences with its confronting creativity and underlining crucial message. More than 60 locals and visitors attended the official launch of artist Nicola Everett’s confronting exhibit ‘Gold and Oil – The Legacy and Menace of the Niagara’ on February 10.
Viewer’s expressed their surprise and shock of not only learning for the first time about the sinking of the luxury ocean liner but also the current environmental threat from the vast amount of oil still present in the rusting hull.
A victim of the first WWII maritime act of war in the Pacific, RMS Niagara lies 120 metres below the surface on the seabed just north of the Mokohinau and Hen & Chicken Islands, after colliding with a German mine in June 1940.
The volume of oil held in the decaying tanks is estimated to be three or four times more than the MV Rena spill of 2011, New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster.
Included on the guest list was concerned Waitemata and Gulf Ward Councillor Mike Lee (an advocate for government action regarding the oil leakage), Maritime NZ (MNZ) representative Belinda Vernon, Conservation Minister the Honorable Eugenie Sage, Kaipara deputy mayor Peter Wethey, and author Keith Gordon who wrote ‘Deep Water Gold’, a book telling the complete story of the Niagara. Mike Lee says he was impressed although not surprised – given the close location of the wreck to Mangawhai’s shores – at the turnout and the depth of concern from locals regarding the oil threat.
“Nicola’s exhibition is not only a brilliant display of multi-disciplinary art but a political message that has come out of her creative expression, to sound the alarm and send the message: While there is still oil in Niagara, it still poses a threat,” he said to the audience. “’Gold and Oil’ presents the beauty of the natural world she is clearly close to, with the unseen menace that threatens, it leaves no doubt that the artist is driven by a deep sense of looming disaster. This is a woman who has worked very hard to ‘hammer out a warning’ to her community and to the government. Unfortunately the silence from Wellington remains deafening.”
In her speech, Belinda Vernon says the show was a ‘stunning and thought-provoking exhibition’. “Art has a way of communicating… and this exhibit speaks volumes,” she said. “Maritime NZ is having a meeting in ten days time and the Niagara was actually on the agenda but it will be more so now.”
She also said the Crown will be ultimately financially responsible for the costs of investigating and extracting the oil or the cleanup, if the oil suddenly spills from the wreck. Keith Gordon commented that Everett’s artwork accurately portrays the story of the doomed vessel. “The cost to remove the oil does not compare to the cost of an environmental clean-up,” he says.
“Unfortunately it’s actually not a matter of ‘if’ the oil spills but more likely ‘when’.” Everett has written to all MPs and the Maritime NZ Board to ask the government to monitor the wreck more regularly and begin to identify options to safely remove the oil rather than rely on contingency plans as the oil slowly leaks into the environment. “Our priority is saving what we have, not letting it be destroyed,” she says. “However at the moment it is being ignored and we are waiting until a catastrophe happens.”
Junction Magazine, 19 February 2018
Tatjana Panyoczki
Frequenters of contemporary art galleries in Auckland will be familiar with Tatjana Panyoczki’s work.
She’s been a full-time jeweller for two decades, with work in five galleries nationally and in Melbourne, too. Her deeply crafted pieces blur the lines between jewellery and sculpture. “I think of them really as objects that can be worn on the body,” she says.
We meet in the home she shares with artist Peter Panyoczki and their son Janos in Kaiwaka. It’s a modest, barn-like building externally, but the interior possesses the kind of effortless European style one would expect from a Swiss/Hungarian couple who have spent their lives dedicated to the arts.
Tatjana is dressed in jeans and a plain grey t-shirt, with no makeup and her curly hair tied back: she is wholesome, practical, contained. She makes tea and shows me what she’s putting together – a retrospective display of her work in media ranging from silver to Perspex, wood, wax and wool. “These represent my last 20 years – or maybe my first?” she says quizzically.
She and Peter are finally exhibiting their work together at their local gallery. “Mangawhai Artists Incorporated have asked us a few times, but there was always something going on,” she ruefully admits. Now, from February 22, the Moir Street gallery in Mangawhai will be filled with the couples’ internationally-renowned art.
Some of the first work Tatjana did when she left her four-year Unitec course in 1998 has been her most enduring and continues to enjoys a brisk turnover. It’s her ‘Wrapped’ series: each ‘bead’ is crafted from multiple layers of metals rolled to 0.3mm thick. The top layer is usually textured and must be the right length to wrap the shape so the ends meet exactly. “My maths is quite good now,” she says, wryly. Finally, the inner rims are painted using a technique perfected by long experience.
Other boards show bracelets from 2006 of silver and brightly-coloured Perspex, domestically inspired by preserving seals; silver box necklaces from 2007; colourful woollen pompoms dipped in wax from 2009. And rings of all metals, shapes and sizes. Tatjana receives regular commissions to make wedding rings, including those for what she believes was the first gay marriage in the country.
Her ‘In the Picture’ series features thin cross-sections of elaborate picture frames crafted into extravagant neckpieces. One was a finalist in the 2017 Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery and has now been acquired for the gallery’s permanent collection.
But some of Tatjana’s most recent work is inspired by tragedy – a house fire at her parents’ home in Northland. Luckily, no-one was harmed, but sifting through the ashes she became fascinated by the effect of the extreme heat on various metals.
‘Vestige’ was the title of the first exhibition of this work at Avid in Wellington in November last year: melted, blackened, twisted and flattened, it’s different to anything she’s done before. “This process is organic, random – almost biomorphic,” she says. “So not me!” But a range of single earrings (“it’s hopeless trying to make a pair,”) fashioned from these found materials have flown out the door.
2018 holds potential new directions for the Panyoczkis. Peter has been awarded a 3-month James Wallace residency in Vladivostok, Russia, and Tatjana is going with him (Janos, too, for a month). It’s a vibrant city of 600,000 on the Pacific coast, 100km from the North Korean border. “Who knows what will come of it?” she says. “I’m just going to keep my mind open and soak it all up.” We’re sure there’ll be plenty of inspiration to kick-start the next 20 years of creative excellence.
Exhibition: 22 February - 7 March
Mangawhai Artists Inc, 45 Moir Street, Mangawhai
www.mangawhaiartists.co.nz
Tatjana Panyoczki
Frequenters of contemporary art galleries in Auckland will be familiar with Tatjana Panyoczki’s work.
She’s been a full-time jeweller for two decades, with work in five galleries nationally and in Melbourne, too. Her deeply crafted pieces blur the lines between jewellery and sculpture. “I think of them really as objects that can be worn on the body,” she says.
We meet in the home she shares with artist Peter Panyoczki and their son Janos in Kaiwaka. It’s a modest, barn-like building externally, but the interior possesses the kind of effortless European style one would expect from a Swiss/Hungarian couple who have spent their lives dedicated to the arts.
Tatjana is dressed in jeans and a plain grey t-shirt, with no makeup and her curly hair tied back: she is wholesome, practical, contained. She makes tea and shows me what she’s putting together – a retrospective display of her work in media ranging from silver to Perspex, wood, wax and wool. “These represent my last 20 years – or maybe my first?” she says quizzically.
She and Peter are finally exhibiting their work together at their local gallery. “Mangawhai Artists Incorporated have asked us a few times, but there was always something going on,” she ruefully admits. Now, from February 22, the Moir Street gallery in Mangawhai will be filled with the couples’ internationally-renowned art.
Some of the first work Tatjana did when she left her four-year Unitec course in 1998 has been her most enduring and continues to enjoys a brisk turnover. It’s her ‘Wrapped’ series: each ‘bead’ is crafted from multiple layers of metals rolled to 0.3mm thick. The top layer is usually textured and must be the right length to wrap the shape so the ends meet exactly. “My maths is quite good now,” she says, wryly. Finally, the inner rims are painted using a technique perfected by long experience.
Other boards show bracelets from 2006 of silver and brightly-coloured Perspex, domestically inspired by preserving seals; silver box necklaces from 2007; colourful woollen pompoms dipped in wax from 2009. And rings of all metals, shapes and sizes. Tatjana receives regular commissions to make wedding rings, including those for what she believes was the first gay marriage in the country.
Her ‘In the Picture’ series features thin cross-sections of elaborate picture frames crafted into extravagant neckpieces. One was a finalist in the 2017 Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery and has now been acquired for the gallery’s permanent collection.
But some of Tatjana’s most recent work is inspired by tragedy – a house fire at her parents’ home in Northland. Luckily, no-one was harmed, but sifting through the ashes she became fascinated by the effect of the extreme heat on various metals.
‘Vestige’ was the title of the first exhibition of this work at Avid in Wellington in November last year: melted, blackened, twisted and flattened, it’s different to anything she’s done before. “This process is organic, random – almost biomorphic,” she says. “So not me!” But a range of single earrings (“it’s hopeless trying to make a pair,”) fashioned from these found materials have flown out the door.
2018 holds potential new directions for the Panyoczkis. Peter has been awarded a 3-month James Wallace residency in Vladivostok, Russia, and Tatjana is going with him (Janos, too, for a month). It’s a vibrant city of 600,000 on the Pacific coast, 100km from the North Korean border. “Who knows what will come of it?” she says. “I’m just going to keep my mind open and soak it all up.” We’re sure there’ll be plenty of inspiration to kick-start the next 20 years of creative excellence.
Exhibition: 22 February - 7 March
Mangawhai Artists Inc, 45 Moir Street, Mangawhai
www.mangawhaiartists.co.nz
Kaipara Lifestyler, February 18, 2028
Mahurangi Matters, 12 February 2018
A diverse range of sculptures by more than 20 different artists will be on public display in a Mangawhai garden over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25.
Sculpture in the Garden will take place at 69 Moir Street, the home and garden of Isabel and Brian Hollis.
Mangawhai Artists member Lynn Middleton says this is the first time a sculpture weekend has been held, and many of the works on display will be for sale.
“The beauty of the garden will delight gardeners and non-gardeners. It is a beautiful setting,” she says.
“We’ve never done this before, but there are plans for this to become an annual event.”
There will be a special display of sculptures by the late Joy Agar, the first chair of Mangawhai Artists and a passionate advocate for local arts, who passed away in January, 2013.
Money raised over the weekend will be shared between Te Whai Community Trust’s new office at the old Tara Road schoolhouse in the Pioneer Village, and Mangawhai Artists, who are expanding their gallery to include a new studio and a toilet.
As well as works of art, Sculpture in the Garden will feature music and Devonshire teas. The gates will be open from 9am to 5pm each day, and entry costs $5 per person, or $10 for a family.
Mahurangi Matters, 12 February 2018
A diverse range of sculptures by more than 20 different artists will be on public display in a Mangawhai garden over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25.
Sculpture in the Garden will take place at 69 Moir Street, the home and garden of Isabel and Brian Hollis.
Mangawhai Artists member Lynn Middleton says this is the first time a sculpture weekend has been held, and many of the works on display will be for sale.
“The beauty of the garden will delight gardeners and non-gardeners. It is a beautiful setting,” she says.
“We’ve never done this before, but there are plans for this to become an annual event.”
There will be a special display of sculptures by the late Joy Agar, the first chair of Mangawhai Artists and a passionate advocate for local arts, who passed away in January, 2013.
Money raised over the weekend will be shared between Te Whai Community Trust’s new office at the old Tara Road schoolhouse in the Pioneer Village, and Mangawhai Artists, who are expanding their gallery to include a new studio and a toilet.
As well as works of art, Sculpture in the Garden will feature music and Devonshire teas. The gates will be open from 9am to 5pm each day, and entry costs $5 per person, or $10 for a family.
Appreciating sculpting skills
by Ayla Miller
Kaipara Lifestyler, 13 Feb, 2018
The Mangawhai Sculpture Garden Weekend will be held on February 24-25 and is the first of what organisers hope to be an annual event.
This event will be held at Isabel and Brian Hollis' gardens in Mangawhai, and Mangawhai Artists Inc (MAI) and Te Whai Community Trust are working together to fundraise for development plans.
The works of more than 20 local artists will be on display. There will also be a special part of the sculpture garden displaying sculptures by Joy Agar, who passed away in 2013. Joy was the first chair of Mangawhai Artists Inc and was involved in the first art trail. She also made and designed the Mangawhai Museum stingray. Organiser Pauline Mann says the community groups wanted to honour her memory.
“Joy encouraged artists and wanted the Mangawhai art scene to grow,” says Pauline.
“She'd be thrilled with how art is thriving here and that sculpture is a big part of the Mangawhai art scene.”
The money raised will be equally shared between Te Whai Community Trust Mangawhai, helping to establishing their new office in the old Tara Road school beside the museum, and Mangawhai Artists Inc, who are expanding their gallery in the village to include a year-round studio for workshops and learning activities, plus much-needed facilities.
To support the fundraising, all the artists are making a contribution to have their sculptures exhibited and will pay commission on sales.
Sculpture Garden Weekend will be held over February 24–25 from 9am to 5pm at 69 Moir Street.
Tickets are available at the gate on the day for $5 per person and $10 per family.
by Ayla Miller
Kaipara Lifestyler, 13 Feb, 2018
The Mangawhai Sculpture Garden Weekend will be held on February 24-25 and is the first of what organisers hope to be an annual event.
This event will be held at Isabel and Brian Hollis' gardens in Mangawhai, and Mangawhai Artists Inc (MAI) and Te Whai Community Trust are working together to fundraise for development plans.
The works of more than 20 local artists will be on display. There will also be a special part of the sculpture garden displaying sculptures by Joy Agar, who passed away in 2013. Joy was the first chair of Mangawhai Artists Inc and was involved in the first art trail. She also made and designed the Mangawhai Museum stingray. Organiser Pauline Mann says the community groups wanted to honour her memory.
“Joy encouraged artists and wanted the Mangawhai art scene to grow,” says Pauline.
“She'd be thrilled with how art is thriving here and that sculpture is a big part of the Mangawhai art scene.”
The money raised will be equally shared between Te Whai Community Trust Mangawhai, helping to establishing their new office in the old Tara Road school beside the museum, and Mangawhai Artists Inc, who are expanding their gallery in the village to include a year-round studio for workshops and learning activities, plus much-needed facilities.
To support the fundraising, all the artists are making a contribution to have their sculptures exhibited and will pay commission on sales.
Sculpture Garden Weekend will be held over February 24–25 from 9am to 5pm at 69 Moir Street.
Tickets are available at the gate on the day for $5 per person and $10 per family.
Mangawhai Focus 12 February 2018,
by Julia Wade
From landscape to lines; an artist’s new adventure
Taking a step into the unknown is often a daunting experience for most people, however for one local artist such a journey has liberated her artistic expression and led to her first exhibition in ten years.
Multi-talented Mangawhai Heads artist, Wendy Leach, will showcase her new style - artworks that are vastly different from paintings she was renowned for over a decade ago – in a solo show appropriately titled ‘New Work’, at ArtHAUS Orakei, February 15 - March 4.
“I’ve gone from painting colourful New Zealand landscapes to abstract works, creating intuitively with no clear composition or outcome, sometimes working with the canvas on the floor so my whole body is now moving around the painting,” Leach says. “It is very liberating.”
A graduate of both Elam and Whitecliffe College art schools as well as a qualified high school teacher, Leach has worked as a professional artist since 1996. With twenty successful, sold-out exhibitions and travel adventures around New Zealand and overseas to inspire her art, she says her career was ‘humming along nicely… life was good’.
However in 2005 Leach noticed an internal shift, a dissatisfaction with her work and she began to question herself as an artist. A dramatic change of direction was required.
As a former art teacher Leach says she would always encourage students to challenge themselves in their work and to take risks without thinking too much about the results. However she admits that taking the leap herself was a difficult thing to do.
“It’s a big jump especially when you don’t know where you are jumping too,” she says. “It’s great to have skills and use them but you sometimes have to learn how to not use them… you need to unlearn what you know.”
Leach’s search for ‘more personal relevance and artistic integrity’ led her to become a student once again. Enrolling in a two year Masters of Fine Arts, she began to deconstruct and rebuild her ideas of who she was as well as herself as an artist. The process she says ‘led to a more meaningful and personally relevant way of working’ and resulted in the liberating creation of Leach’s graduation exhibition, ‘Light Paintings’ – photographs caught on slow shutter speed of moving coloured light – ‘which changed my art practise forever’.
Her current work evolved directly from the light paintings and are ‘large, energetic and visually powerful’, illustrating her fascination with lines and how different types influence one another, ‘consider the fragility of thin lines, the strength of thick lines, curved lines express fluid movement, diagonal lines appear unbalanced, filled with restless energy, perhaps even falling over’.
“As an artist I’ve just got to keep evolving,” she says. “There’s no going back.”
by Julia Wade
From landscape to lines; an artist’s new adventure
Taking a step into the unknown is often a daunting experience for most people, however for one local artist such a journey has liberated her artistic expression and led to her first exhibition in ten years.
Multi-talented Mangawhai Heads artist, Wendy Leach, will showcase her new style - artworks that are vastly different from paintings she was renowned for over a decade ago – in a solo show appropriately titled ‘New Work’, at ArtHAUS Orakei, February 15 - March 4.
“I’ve gone from painting colourful New Zealand landscapes to abstract works, creating intuitively with no clear composition or outcome, sometimes working with the canvas on the floor so my whole body is now moving around the painting,” Leach says. “It is very liberating.”
A graduate of both Elam and Whitecliffe College art schools as well as a qualified high school teacher, Leach has worked as a professional artist since 1996. With twenty successful, sold-out exhibitions and travel adventures around New Zealand and overseas to inspire her art, she says her career was ‘humming along nicely… life was good’.
However in 2005 Leach noticed an internal shift, a dissatisfaction with her work and she began to question herself as an artist. A dramatic change of direction was required.
As a former art teacher Leach says she would always encourage students to challenge themselves in their work and to take risks without thinking too much about the results. However she admits that taking the leap herself was a difficult thing to do.
“It’s a big jump especially when you don’t know where you are jumping too,” she says. “It’s great to have skills and use them but you sometimes have to learn how to not use them… you need to unlearn what you know.”
Leach’s search for ‘more personal relevance and artistic integrity’ led her to become a student once again. Enrolling in a two year Masters of Fine Arts, she began to deconstruct and rebuild her ideas of who she was as well as herself as an artist. The process she says ‘led to a more meaningful and personally relevant way of working’ and resulted in the liberating creation of Leach’s graduation exhibition, ‘Light Paintings’ – photographs caught on slow shutter speed of moving coloured light – ‘which changed my art practise forever’.
Her current work evolved directly from the light paintings and are ‘large, energetic and visually powerful’, illustrating her fascination with lines and how different types influence one another, ‘consider the fragility of thin lines, the strength of thick lines, curved lines express fluid movement, diagonal lines appear unbalanced, filled with restless energy, perhaps even falling over’.
“As an artist I’ve just got to keep evolving,” she says. “There’s no going back.”
New Zealand Herald 10 February
The prospect of a devastating oil spill from a sunken World War II wreck along some of our most beautiful coastline has been raised in an artist's exhibition which calls on the government to take action. And new documents show Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is raising conservation questions on an issue which saw little advice provided to her predecessors.
The RMS Niagara - known as the "Titanic of the South Pacific" - lies in 120 metres of water off the Hen and Chicken Islands in the northernmost part of the Hauraki Gulf. It sank after striking a mine in 1940 with $500 million worth of gold on board and an unknown amount of oil. But it is believed at least 1000 tonnes remain in the hulk - more than three times the 300 tonnes MV Rena spilled across beaches and reefs around Tauranga in 2011.
The exhibition is called "Gold and Oil: The Legacy and Menace of the Niagara" and opened on Thursday at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery. It runs until February 21. Artist Nicola Everett said the exhibition came out of a desire to express an opinion on the wreck and the danger it posed to the environment. "I wanted to make more people aware of this issue - this time bomb sitting out there."
She said the story of the Niagara and the threat it posed was not well-known and was something she had only become aware of five years ago. "I have a sense there is a terrible potential there for devastation we could do something about."
Everett said she wanted the wreck to be regularly monitored rather than relying on passing vessels to report any oil that had escaped. But she said ultimately, it had to be removed. "It's not 1940 - the oil won't be carried away into this wondrous ocean that seems to swallow all the rubbish we throw at it. "Better to do something about it than wait and say we will clean it up afterwards."
The exhibition actively seeks to engage politicians on the issue with forms of support for people to fill in which would then be sent to Parliament. For all that, Everett said none of the many MPs invited to attend the opening turned up.
The Auckland Conservation Board and Northland Conservation Board have urged the government to take action on the wreck.
Auckland councillor Mike Lee has been a strong advocate for removing the oil, telling the Herald there was an increasing possibility of the ship's bulkheads collapsing.
"The tanks holding this bunker oil are likely corrupt and a lot of oil will come up at once."
He said there were estimates it contained as much as 1600 tonnes of oil and there was a need to get precise information on the condition of the wreck. An Investigation by the NZ Herald of documents spanning the 78 years since the Niagara sank recorded the extraordinary and secretive efforts to recover the gold.
But similar efforts have not been undertaken to get the oil off the ship and some observers have reported slicks emerging from the wreck, stretching for kilometres. Maritime NZ's assessment of the Niagara found there was no immediate risk of a massive oil spill and there were sufficient containment and clean-up resources if it should disgorge its load. The type of oil and the depth it is at led experts to conclude it was unlikely to come to the surface, although a new plan was developed in 2016 to deal with a potential spill.
New information released under the Official Information Act shows the Department of Conservation conceding that it has had "limited involvement in the management of the Niagara wreck". It had refused to engage in public comment on the issue, deferring to Maritime NZ as the agency responsible for wrecks. In a briefing to Sage, Conservation officials said they expected the government's stance to be criticised in the Herald investigation.
As a result of the briefing to Sage, the department's position was shifting. Conservation Auckland operations director Andrew Baucke said the briefing had led to Sage directly dealing with associate transport minister Julie-Anne Genter on the issue.
"While Department of Conservation staff have been monitoring the situation to assess potential risks to marine and bird life, to date it has not been a subject for a great deal of Ministerial advice."
The prospect of a devastating oil spill from a sunken World War II wreck along some of our most beautiful coastline has been raised in an artist's exhibition which calls on the government to take action. And new documents show Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is raising conservation questions on an issue which saw little advice provided to her predecessors.
The RMS Niagara - known as the "Titanic of the South Pacific" - lies in 120 metres of water off the Hen and Chicken Islands in the northernmost part of the Hauraki Gulf. It sank after striking a mine in 1940 with $500 million worth of gold on board and an unknown amount of oil. But it is believed at least 1000 tonnes remain in the hulk - more than three times the 300 tonnes MV Rena spilled across beaches and reefs around Tauranga in 2011.
The exhibition is called "Gold and Oil: The Legacy and Menace of the Niagara" and opened on Thursday at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery. It runs until February 21. Artist Nicola Everett said the exhibition came out of a desire to express an opinion on the wreck and the danger it posed to the environment. "I wanted to make more people aware of this issue - this time bomb sitting out there."
She said the story of the Niagara and the threat it posed was not well-known and was something she had only become aware of five years ago. "I have a sense there is a terrible potential there for devastation we could do something about."
Everett said she wanted the wreck to be regularly monitored rather than relying on passing vessels to report any oil that had escaped. But she said ultimately, it had to be removed. "It's not 1940 - the oil won't be carried away into this wondrous ocean that seems to swallow all the rubbish we throw at it. "Better to do something about it than wait and say we will clean it up afterwards."
The exhibition actively seeks to engage politicians on the issue with forms of support for people to fill in which would then be sent to Parliament. For all that, Everett said none of the many MPs invited to attend the opening turned up.
The Auckland Conservation Board and Northland Conservation Board have urged the government to take action on the wreck.
Auckland councillor Mike Lee has been a strong advocate for removing the oil, telling the Herald there was an increasing possibility of the ship's bulkheads collapsing.
"The tanks holding this bunker oil are likely corrupt and a lot of oil will come up at once."
He said there were estimates it contained as much as 1600 tonnes of oil and there was a need to get precise information on the condition of the wreck. An Investigation by the NZ Herald of documents spanning the 78 years since the Niagara sank recorded the extraordinary and secretive efforts to recover the gold.
But similar efforts have not been undertaken to get the oil off the ship and some observers have reported slicks emerging from the wreck, stretching for kilometres. Maritime NZ's assessment of the Niagara found there was no immediate risk of a massive oil spill and there were sufficient containment and clean-up resources if it should disgorge its load. The type of oil and the depth it is at led experts to conclude it was unlikely to come to the surface, although a new plan was developed in 2016 to deal with a potential spill.
New information released under the Official Information Act shows the Department of Conservation conceding that it has had "limited involvement in the management of the Niagara wreck". It had refused to engage in public comment on the issue, deferring to Maritime NZ as the agency responsible for wrecks. In a briefing to Sage, Conservation officials said they expected the government's stance to be criticised in the Herald investigation.
As a result of the briefing to Sage, the department's position was shifting. Conservation Auckland operations director Andrew Baucke said the briefing had led to Sage directly dealing with associate transport minister Julie-Anne Genter on the issue.
"While Department of Conservation staff have been monitoring the situation to assess potential risks to marine and bird life, to date it has not been a subject for a great deal of Ministerial advice."
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Charcoal art gets high praise
By Julia Wade
A well-attended art workshop has received rave reviews from the creative individuals who signed up for the recently held event.
Celebrating Charcoal, an intensive ‘black, white and colour’ drawing weekend on August 26 -27, has been praised as ‘fabulous’, ‘totally inspiring’, well-organised and a whole lot of fun. Created and tutored by Mangawhai artist Rosina Kamphuis, the workshop focused on theatrical still life props, organic matter and intriguing inanimate items, selected to unlock the potential and desire of the creator.
Local experienced artist and workshop participant, Wendy Leach says it was a ‘thoroughly stimulating weekend, with a great vibe’.
“It was a lovely creative group of artists of all levels of experience. After two days of working with charcoal… the varied range of artworks were dramatic and energetic,” she says. “Everyone enjoyed working with this medium even though it is a very grubby and smudgy process, but that was all part of the fun.”
Rosina says she was delighted with the enthusiasm and participation of the students.
“What a fantastic weekend it was, sometimes there was not a murmur in the room, then suddenly a box of birds opened up from somewhere,” she says. “Coffee and Dutch biscuits up for grabs any time, art exercises and instructions followed by discussions and collaborative explorations. Fun, hard work and inspiration was on the menu and the results were amazing!”
Art from the workshop can be viewed on Mangawhai Artists Inc Facebook www.facebook.com/mangawhaiartists
Below: Fingertips come in handy when creating original art.
Charcoal art gets high praise
By Julia Wade
A well-attended art workshop has received rave reviews from the creative individuals who signed up for the recently held event.
Celebrating Charcoal, an intensive ‘black, white and colour’ drawing weekend on August 26 -27, has been praised as ‘fabulous’, ‘totally inspiring’, well-organised and a whole lot of fun. Created and tutored by Mangawhai artist Rosina Kamphuis, the workshop focused on theatrical still life props, organic matter and intriguing inanimate items, selected to unlock the potential and desire of the creator.
Local experienced artist and workshop participant, Wendy Leach says it was a ‘thoroughly stimulating weekend, with a great vibe’.
“It was a lovely creative group of artists of all levels of experience. After two days of working with charcoal… the varied range of artworks were dramatic and energetic,” she says. “Everyone enjoyed working with this medium even though it is a very grubby and smudgy process, but that was all part of the fun.”
Rosina says she was delighted with the enthusiasm and participation of the students.
“What a fantastic weekend it was, sometimes there was not a murmur in the room, then suddenly a box of birds opened up from somewhere,” she says. “Coffee and Dutch biscuits up for grabs any time, art exercises and instructions followed by discussions and collaborative explorations. Fun, hard work and inspiration was on the menu and the results were amazing!”
Art from the workshop can be viewed on Mangawhai Artists Inc Facebook www.facebook.com/mangawhaiartists
Below: Fingertips come in handy when creating original art.
Mangawhai Focus Oct 16th 2017
Printmakers exhibition makes an impression
Five local print makers will be showcasing artistic printmaking with examples of their prints and demonstrations of printmaking techniques.
Wendy Clifford, Nicki Everett, Gayle Forster, Rosina Kamphuis and Lynn Middleton are all members of Mangawhai Artists Inc and are experienced printmakers as well as working in other art mediums.
Calling themselves Five Impressions, the group all offer teaching opportunities and Wendy is well known for her winter drawing tutorials in the Mangawhai Artists Gallery.
The current exhibition will show monotypes, collagraphs, etchings, dry point, wood block and traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e.
Demonstrations are on Sunday October 15 and 22 on the hour from 10am, and on Wednesday October 18 from 1-3pm.
Rosina (who lead the recent Mangawhai Stingray project) will be demonstrating etching and explaining how modern solar etching has developed from traditional acid etching.
Gayle will be demonstrating a traditional form of Japanese woodblock prints, called Ukiyo-e which she explored during her time at Yoshida Hanga Academy, Tokyo.
Wendy will be showing how her love of drawing can be extended into monotype printmaking, a simple process with endless possibilities for creative and imaginative expression.
Nicki is exhibiting prints that explore the degradation of the marine environment and will demonstrate wood block and dry point.
Lynn will demonstrate collagraph which is a form of printmaking that combines etching and relief printmaking.
Five Impressions Mangawhai Printmakers First Annual Exhibition, October 13-24, Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir St, Mangawhai. Online mangawhaiartists.co.nz
HIGH FIVE: Photo at top: From the left, Lynn Middleton, Rosina Kamphuis, Gayle Forster, Nicki Everett, Wendy Clifford and Honey. – PHOTO/J Vickers