Buxom beauties grace garden

For most artists, preparing their work for the Garden and Artfest is a mammoth task in itself.
But Maungatapu sculptor Liz Montgomery has also volunteered her garden as a venue, so has the added task of getting it ship-shape in time for hundreds of visitors.
It's no small order, considering Liz spends the best part of three months preparing sculptures for the festival.
Liz is best known for her "bathing buxom beauties" - unique characters wearing 1950s-style one-pieces or bikinis.
Each piece is individually crafted in her two home studios, in a laborious process that involves sculpting, heating in the kiln, and hand-painting.
And despite the "madness" of doing both garden and art, it turns out Liz's cottage garden is the best place to see "her girls" in their natural environment.
Liz's art is dotted throughout the garden, with plenty of buxom beauties nestled in with pukeko, plant holders and other delightful hand-crafted pieces.
And visitors to her garden and studio get the full artist experience, from Liz's constant companion Lacy the cat, to taking in the 1950s-style pin-up girls on the studio wall.
This is the third time Liz has been involved in the festival, and she said preparing her garden was almost easier than packing up all her work and moving it off-site.
She made her first buxom bathing beauty nine years ago, and realised she'd hit on something special.
People love the sculptures - their first reaction tended to be laughter and "wow", Liz laughed.
"For me the neatest thing is when people come and see my girls, and say 'that looks like me'. Everybody says it reminds them of themselves or their mothers. Young people buy them too and love them.
"Old people call them girls, and young people call them ladies."
As a "child of the 1960s", the era appeals to Liz, who says she is "a bit of a buxom bathing beauty myself, but I don't know about the beauty".
"I can remember my mother and my grandmother on the beach a million years ago at Papamoa ... and now I've turned into my mother.
Each one of the sculptures has its own name and unique bathing costume.
One of her favourites, Itsy Bitsy - wearing a polka-dot bikini, of course - sits in her garden by the studio, near a friend in a lime-green one-piece.
"The names don't come till the end when I look at them.
"Because they are 50s-60s girls I try to keep the names from the era."
Liz is passionate about bringing more colour and laughter into people's lives. And something about the buxom bathing beauties has struck a chord with the people who love them.
"They have endured. Sales trends change, but they just keep on selling - people still want them.
"It's humour, it's not serious, yet it's a serious business."
That business keeps Liz busy trying to keep up with demand for her pieces.
Her works also include what she calls her "crazy critters" - pukeko, seagulls and cats - and the slightly risque "buxom bad girls".
All pieces are made with top quality materials, and are designed to withstand all weather conditions.
Liz's brightly coloured artworks stand out even in her brightly coloured garden, which has plenty of pops of colour.
The artist also loves gardening, and says to have one of her "girls' in the garden is a welcome burst of colour, especially in the winter when the garden is predominantly green.
From purple pansies and a white pompom tree to a wine-bottle wall, Liz's eclectic cottage garden is a drawcard even without the art.
"There's lots of surprises and nooks and crannies of delightful places," she said.
Visitors can also see the unique black and pink studio which Liz built herself. She also built a deck on the property, and a sculptured outdoor sofa.
Meeting the artist and learning the history of the pieces was what the garden and artfest was all about, Liz said.
And the event had always provided good sales and favourable reactions from art lovers.
"At the Elms, people come round to my display and laugh. It's so nice to provide enjoyment for people.
"I don't call it work, because it's fun."
Liz's art is sold at galleries around New Zealand, including Pohutukawa Gallery at Mount Maunganui.
The Garden and Artfest runs from November 8-14.
For full event details, go to www.gardenandartfest.co.nz