Mr G painting a portrait of respected elder Tarere Wai O Rangi McMillan on the highest peak of Matakana Island. Photo/Melissa Hoete
Mr G painting a portrait of respected elder Tarere Wai O Rangi McMillan on the highest peak of Matakana Island. Photo/Melissa Hoete
Renowned mural artist Mr G is back home and has already painted three new murals on Matakana Island.
Graham "Mr G" Hoete returned to Tauranga to embark on a new art project - painting 100 New Zealand portraits for a book.
After a five-year stint in Sydney Mr G returnedhome two weeks ago and was already three murals down in his new project which was "close to my heart".
From the tip of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island Mr G was planning on travelling to paint portraits in "picturesque, stunning" rural areas to tell the story of people and places.
Mr G drawing Te Kahu Rolleston, a local poet and orator from Matakana Island on a stranded ammunition barge. Photo/supplied
He put the call out on his social media page for people to send in locations for him to paint portraits of people connected to the land.
The criteria was threefold: a beautiful location, good quality photo of the subject of the portrait and a great story to go along with how the person was connected to the land.
"The buildings I want to paint on are old abandoned homesteads, old cowsheds, milking sheds or water tanks - places with a rural feel - and transforming these obscure locations into a setting for amazing art pieces and photos."
Mr G spent Labour Weekend on Matakana Island, where his mother was from, painting three portraits on a water tank, an old homestead and a stranded ammunition barge.
"The three portraits on Matakana were people connected to the island because they were from there," he said.
Mr G finishing Tom Paul on the remains of the Paul family home built by Tom Te Tomi Paul near Matakana Point. Photo/supplied
His cousins living on the island and cousin James Rolleston helped set up the trip.
Over the next three to four years Mr G would spend time doing portraits - for free - and already had some "goodies" set up in Darfield, Tokomaru Bay and Manawatu.
It was not the only project he was working on, with a trip to New Orleans in November, but Mr G said it was the project closest to his heart.
"I always had the idea in mind and I thought I had the opportunity now so I'm going to do it."
