New gallery response to abundance of Patea talent

Regional: Bhavik Patel Monday, July 24, 2017 Wanganui Chronicle photograph by Lin Ferguson.

Patea's first art gallery, Gallery Patea has been open for nearly six months.

In the current exhibition titled "Tiramarama" (to shine a light) mixed media work from a wealth of local artists is exciting and vibrant.

Owner Gabrielle Belz said the gallery was needed in because there was so much "sheer talent'' in the area.

Focus exhibitions are her aim, she said.

"And this exhibition is beautiful I'm very proud of it.''

One artist Debbie Dell from Patea is currently displaying photographic work she will be using to illustrate a children's picture book.

"I fell across this technique which makes the pictures look faded and old fashioned which is exactly what I wanted.''

With her theme of plants, gardens and small creatures she laughed when she said she's always lying on the ground to get shots of snails, slugs, ants, butterflies flowers and plants.

"Well toddlers are very low to the ground and they notice all this activity in a garden."

A work of former Wellington artist Johnny de Painter's is on display and carefully lit.

De Painter said earlier that colourful toy-like sculpture was all about standing at the axis of where information met entertainment.

Glowing and exquisite are the beautiful glass sculptures by award winning artist Lisa Walsh of Waverely.

And first time exhibiting in New Zealand is Bhavik Patel who arrived in New Zealand just two years ago.

He came out to help his family running a huge Four Square Supermarket in Patea.

Bhavik had spent 5 years studying a fine Arts degree at Gujarat University in India.

He said he hasn't painted since then because working in the family store kept him too busy.

The two pieces in the exhibition he had sent five years ago as a special gift to his eldest brother in New Zealand.

"I really don't have time to draw and paint these days because we are all so busy. What I would really like to do is tattooing. I would like to have my own tattoo studio in Patea. But I can still work on friends and relatives until then.''

His two works on exhibition are "Warrior" in Ganesha (oil on canvas) and "Beginning" in pencil and pastel.