Mosaic jewels for the walls

Described as "uniquely intricate" by Ferner Galleries' founder Peter Jarvis, Katherine Strevens' first commercial exhibition La Natura is unlike anything the New Zealand art scene has seen.

Using gold and silver-leaf bases on ceramic tiles, Strevens builds up her pieces with layers of paint to create mosaic-like images.

The exhibition's theme, La Natura, celebrates the renewal of life, and the collection includes 18 pieces, featuring still lifes of insects, fish, fruit and vegetables.

Strevens' vivid use of colour adds depth and movement, making the pieces appear almost three-dimensional.

Ferner Galleries' manager Natalie Poland described Strevens' work as "psychedelic, colour-wise".

Depending on her mood, Strevens alters her use of colour to heighten or subdue the reality of the image. "It would be a bit boring if everything looked real. The colours I've brought into it just spike it with interest."

Through bright colours and gold and silver-leaf, Strevens creates what she describes as "jewellery for the walls".

Inspired by French neo-impressionist Georges-Pierre Seurat and Italian renaissance master Andrea Mantegna, Strevens' work has a classical, decorative look.

One piece can take up to three weeks to complete and the collection has taken Strevens more than 18 months to prepare.

While her use of pointillism makes her work visually stunning, Strevens says it is a difficult technique to render.

Art has long been in her family - her sister, Mary Barker, is an accomplished enamelist and her father is a painter. A mother of five, Strevens began painting seven years ago once family commitments had eased.

Her first exhibition was held in her Remuera home seven years ago and included much larger pieces than she paints today.

"I was painting large tables. It was a different style but the colouring was the same."

After holding a further two private exhibitions, she was invited to exhibit at Ferner Galleries by Peter Jarvis, whose late wife, Adrienne, was a friend of Strevens. Jarvis was taken with "the originality and intricate nature of the work".

Strevens was delighted by the offer and says she is growing through the exhibition. "My ideas are being extended, developing. My next exhibition could be quite different, larger squares and different subjects." But Strevens will continue to use her signature gold and silver-leaf in her work. She likes the slightly flawed effect the leaf gives to her pieces through its hand application.

"I don't want absolute perfection."


Exhibition

* What: La Natura, by Katherine Strevens

* Where and when: Ferner Galleries, 367 Parnell Rd, to Oct 10