Art goes under hammer for hospice

Richard Cranenburgh is ready for the auction.

Interest shown in the exhibition of works to go under the hammer in this week's fundraising art auction for North Haven Hospice has Richard Cranenburgh and Shari Pickering hopeful the event might top last year's $8000.

The charity art auction will be held tomorrow evening at the Old Library, where 43 donated works by 28 artists - 27 of them local - are currently on show.

Mr Cranenburgh and Ms Pickering said the success of last year's first Hospice Charity Art Auction, and the encouragement of the sponsors who asked them to do it again, spurred them on to repeat the event.

The couple are running their gallery and arts promotion business, On the Edge Art and Design, from home and through pop-up exhibitions.

"We decided to hire the space at the Old Library for the Charity Art Exhibition and Auction, not only because it gives us a good space to work with, but also because it seemed fitting to have a community event in a community building which has so much history," Ms Pickering said.

More sponsors had come on board this year making it even more of a community affair, she said.

Last year's inaugural auction followed a year during which Mr Cranenburgh's mother and two of his friends died.

"It just felt appropriate to combine what we were doing with the arts with an organisation that had benefited people Richard knew," Ms Pickering said.

The Charity Art Auction exhibition will show from 10am-4pm today and tomorrow, with tomorrow evening's auction opening at 5pm and bidding from 6pm. Entry is by gold coin donation.