New Zealand Mosaic Art Awards won by Whanganui artist

Heina Petzold in front of one of his works together with Dr Helen Bodycomb, the Australian judge. Photo / Supplied

This year's biannual National Mosaic Exhibition and competition is held in Whanganui, showing 72 high-quality contemporary works.

It has been won by nationally and internationally recognised, multi-award-winning local enamel glass artist Heina Petzold.

Due to his unique approach of using enamel glass in a sophisticated mosaic style, Heina is not just the only enamel artist in the whole show, he is also the only big-scale vitreous enamel artist in New Zealand. Vitreous enamel is fired glass powders on a metallic base.

For his entry Mind over Matter, the three judges, Dr Helen Bodycomb (PhD in Mosaic History) from Victoria, Australia, as well as local artists Katie Brown (glass) and Marty Vreede (printing), unanimously decided to award him Best Overall as well as Best in the category "Reflections on New Zealand". They judged it "a powerful triptych, innovative striking concept and design".

He also won Third Overall for his second entry Food for Thought ("Technical ingenuity, humour, very crisp and fresh looking work, strong drawing"). Both pieces reflect on the preciousness of the natural environment as well as the challenges nature is facing in New Zealand and globally.

Enamelling, also called vitreous enamel, is an age-old practice. Appearing already in ancient Egyptian jewellery, then developing more during the middle ages in China, the Middle East, Europe (especially France and Italy), and Russia; in modern times mostly known through Faberge and Battersea creations.

Internationally, there has been a steadily growing revival and acknowledgement of contemporary use of enamels in modern art, especially in the US, Spain and Australia.

Heina has exhibited in all three of them and won a supreme award in the US. It is said that vitreous enamel, with its unique combination of appearance, range of beautiful colours and resistant properties, will still be part of life for the foreseeable future.

Heina started off as a jeweller, moved from Berlin to New Zealand in 1980, and since 1993 has been incorporating his enamel skills in larger scale artworks.

He has exhibited successfully nationally and internationally since. In 2015 he moved, with his wife Eva Busch, an accomplished and award-winning sculptor, from Waiheke Island to Whanganui.

The exhibition is until November 12, at Whanganui Arts at the Centre, 19 Taupo Quay. Monday to Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 10am-2pm.

For more info contact enamelart@actrix .co.nz.