Artistic treasure trove in natives

Waihi Beach artist Hollie O'Neill has painted all her life, so it makes sense then that she draws inspiration for her work from her surroundings at the idyllic holiday spot. She talks with Kiri Gillespie about coming up with her NZ Natives collection, which is on exhibition at Creative Tauranga this week. When Hollie O'Neill goes for a walk through the bush at Waihi Beach, it's not solely for exercise.
The artist draws inspiration for her work from the flora and fauna around her, which goes some way to explain the concept behind her exhibition NZ Natives - on display at Creative Tauranga this week.
O'Neill has painted her fair share of commissions in her time but when she was 21 she experienced her first sale.
"I didn't focus on the aspect of selling my work until one day an interior designer came to my home in Auckland at the age of 21 and offered to buy a large scale landscape painting I had just completed," she says.
"Through word of mouth other interior designers and their clients began to commission me, not only for one but sometimes four or five paintings for a home or business. This is when I realised others appreciated my painting and I could made a career out of painting as well as teaching."
O'Neill used to teach visual art to 800 children a year as head of art at a school in Auckland's Buckland Beach. She moved on to start her own Inky Fingers Art School.
"I was in my prime being able to teach my own programme as well as continued painting in my own time."
Babies and the move to Waihi Beach have since changed things, but not for the worse.
"These bush walks gave me ... the urge to capture the beauty of our nature on canvas," O'Neill says.
"Native flora of New Zealand is unique, having evolved in isolation for millions of years. With the knowledge that only 1-15 per cent of New Zealand's land area is covered in native flora, I'd like to raise awareness of our beautiful native plants with the dream that people will treasure and plant more natives."
The power art can bring to people is what keeps O'Neill's passion for painting alive.
"I love colour. Colour can heal, it can affect your mood and I love being able to delight others with my work," she says.
Like other artists, there have been "dark patches" where O'Neill used a lot more charcoal grey in her work. This year, she is focusing on creating a new collection of work to be exhibited in 12 months.
"I will be experimenting with a new colour palette, a personal style that is intuitive and painting subject matter that is close to the heart, excites me and raises controversial issues ... I'm just so excited."
O'Neill has painted all her life, thanks to an encouraging mother and grandmother.
She remembers drawing and creating as a young child. At an art exhibition in 2008 an old primary school teacher of O'Neill's approached her to say she still had one of her paintings "from all that time ago".
The teacher said O'Neill had a unique style for a child.
"I don't remember being unique but I do remember drawing and creating," O'Neill says.
O'Neill's ultimate goal is to get her style and collection of paintings well known and appreciated in New Zealand.
"Painting is a lifelong journey for me. It is part of my existence, alongside teaching art, being a mother and wife."
NZ Natives is on display at Creative Tauranga, Willow St, until April 30.