Live art from Foxton Beach on display at Te Takere o Kura-hau-pō

A piece from award-winning Foxton Beach artist Paul Anderson.

Foxton artists Paul Anderson, Jill Hammond and Sue Taylor are showing their diverse styles in an exhibition that opened yesterday in Te Takere o Kura-hau-pō.

Hammond began painting nine years ago, with no formal training other than local classes and workshops, and since retiring has had more time to indulge her passion.

She often drew on nature for inspiration and her favoured mediums are oils and acrylics.

"It is an eclectic mix of ideas and colours often drawn from nature, but quite often from my head."

Taylor says she was encouraged by an artist friend to pick up a paintbrush 10 years ago.

The light, colour and unusual forms in her surroundings are her inspiration.

She has a passion for anything old and often incorporates these objects into her work.

Hammond and Taylor will be at the exhibition and the public is welcome to watch them creating new works.

Anderson has been a semi-professional artist for the past 20 years and five of his pieces are in the exhibition.

The self-confessed petrolhead says he plays to his strengths with his funky art, often made from wood combined with recycled metal.

Anderson says he spends as much time thinking about what he'll create as he does planning hands-on.

Old Singer sewing machines have become his signature.

One piece he turned into a racing car won the New Zealand Small Sculpture section at the April Kimbolton Sculpture Festival.

"I started the sewing machine models in September and have made nine."

Anderson said he returned home the other day and someone had left him another two Singer machines.

It's not surprising, he says.

"Everyone had a Singer machine years ago, they would have manufactured a lot."

He has bizarre sculptures in his garden for his own amusement and adds he was making furniture years ago in the style that is today called steampunk.

From grave digger (a tough job eight lifetimes ago) and 20 years driving huge construction vehicles), Anderson, a child of the 70s, says he has a view on life that you can do anything you put your mind to.