Kāpiti artists feature in national show

Eight of the 10 Kāpiti artists with some of their art that will be featured in the New Zealand Art Show on Queen's Birthday weekend. Photo / Rosalie Willis

Ten Kāpiti artists are being featured at the New Zealand Art Show, held at TSB Bank Arena in Wellington over Queen's Birthday weekend from June 1-4.

The art show is New Zealand's largest sale of affordable art and is a place for emerging and established artists to come together under one roof in a dynamic and inspiring environment.

Featuring 250 artists this year, there is a selection process and "a lot of artists do get knocked back but there is always a good selection from Kāpiti", New Zealand Art Show regular and Kāpiti co-ordinator Rhonda Thompson said.

"It's certainly a marvellous show."

Sculptural artist Vinny Thompson said, "It was the first art show that was like this.

"There are now a lot more shows like this in New Zealand but it is still very much a national show.

"You spend all year in your studio on your own and it's an opportunity to meet artists from all over New Zealand.

"It's really good exposure and it's interesting to hear feedback, get good publicity, and network with other artists and gallery owners."

The Kāpiti artists range from painters to sculptors, pencil art to encaustic painting, tile work to wood sculpture.

In the lead up to the show Kāpiti News met with the local artists being featured giving you an idea of what to expect on Queen's Birthday weekend.

Michelle Retimana crafts bronze sculptures. Having started in the 1970s back when pottery was in its heyday, following her dad's footsteps, Michelle has refined her art ever since inspired by contemporary and Māori influences.

Adele Souster paints realist landscape paintings. Giving up work a few years ago, Adele decided to paint for herself rather than what other people wanted. "You do commercial art for years and when you finally sit down to paint just what you want it's quite scary. There's no brief but there's no money either!"

Vinny Thompson works with clay, tiles and paint, creating sculptures and works of art on handmade tiles. Vinny was given a set of paints at the age of 12 and has been painting ever since. Having been a part of the art show for many years, this year her art features intricate sculptures of tuatara.

Natalie D'Cunha works with pencil creating drawings mostly of birds and nature. Being a busy person with a young family, this is Natalie's first time being featured in the art show.

Micheline Robinson uses ink and acrylic to create conceptual paintings. Using an idea, Micheline creates a number of works from the same concept with each painting being like a chapter in a book. Her works for the show this year question the felling of healthy mature trees in urban developments.

Rhonda Thompson produces stunning oil paintings using pallets and knifes, only using brushes for the smallest details. Having lived in Wellington for a long time, Rhonda often photographs scenes of Wellington Harbour on her trips into the city, painting from her home in Paekakariki. Having worked at Artel Gallery for a number of years, Rhonda retired so that she could spend more time painting.

Kate Elder creates wall hung sculptural work out of wood. Having studied sculpture at art school and worked as a furniture maker, Kate has combined the two together to create her dynamic art pieces. "The pieces play with concepts and can look different depending on the time of the day. They are more dynamic and look different depending on the light."

Kim Kobialko (Studio Reset) is an encaustic artist. She paints using beeswax and resin which adds texture and depth to images. Starting out as a photographer, Kim has explored many mediums and decided to commit to giving encaustic art a go. "I like this medium because it is organic and sustainable and can be sourced locally."

Ruth Cooper paints landscapes using acrylics on canvas. As a lifelong painter, Ruth's style has grown and changed over the years, "My canvases have grown bigger and I use wide brushes a lot more than when I started." She describes her style as moody, with a tendency to produce oversized mountains, trees and hills and enjoys creating a scene the viewer would like to wander into.