The artist from Cambridge - now living in Tauranga - was already established as a talented ceramics artist but had never seriously picked up a paintbrush. Now she paints and still creates her ceramic houses which are very Kiwiana-inspired and popular with tourists.
She admits she is preoccupied with houses, especially houses which look uniquely Kiwi. One stand-out moment for Heather is when one of her ceramic pieces, a traditional New Zealand house, was presented by the Governor-General to the late Princess Diana during the 1983 royal tour. The royal "thank you" note remains a treasured memento.
Heather has ticked another thing off her bucket list when she went to France. That trip inspired paintings like the French Connection.
the fine print
What: New Horizons, and exhibition by Heather Anne Atkins
When: From tomorrow until November 23
Where: The Art Lounge, 32 Devonport Rd.
