Blog
Art Week Whakatane
2021 Art Week in Whakatane (19th - 28th March), included exhibitions by Positively Patchwork, School Student art and the Whakatane Art Society. Also running for the whole week is the stone and wood carver symposium, so interesting watching these artists at work, its the whole experience - seeing hearing and smelling . Everyday during art week there is either an artist in residence demonstration or a class where you can join in going on. Thanks to Whakatane Art Society, I was invited to be Fridays guest artist. I had a fabulous day creating Fab Floral #6, and meeting wonderful people. Art week was a family affair too, exhibiting alongside my parents Malcom and Cis Akehurst.
Demo set up; hand painted paper collage “Fab Florals #6”, various hand painted papers ready to use, landscape of the Horomanga River in Galatea (this is my first landscape in this style and I have only collaged across 3/4 of the hills and trees in the background to date), under my trolley are boxes of painted paper in colour order.
One more flower to collage, can you spot it?
Fellow artist Rodney Thompson giving a graphite drawing demonstration.
Barbara Johnson demonstrating Kumihimo Japanese braiding
Kawerau STACKD 2020
It was a privilege and a pleasure to be asked by the Kawerau Art Society to be the guest artist at their recent exhibition STACKD. Part of my participation included a two day demonstration of my hand painted paper collage art.
Left to right: One of the stunning floral arrangements that graced the wood skills hall, Prime space for my art on the stage, Demonstrating my art.
Christmas 2020
Merry Christmas unboxing stock from Liberation Jewellery
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from me to you. Here is a little video with some of the excitement I feel when receiving new stock into Tulip Rose Gallery.
Rotorua lakes Council Galleria
Celebrating diversity in art, this exhibition showcases a variety of styles and mediums by four talented local artists; Joanne Black, Tracey Lee Cassin, Lianne Maxwell and Tania Akehurst.
An exhibition by Ladies of Diversity, of which I am a member, will run until the 3rd of march 2021.
Such an honor to have been accepted to exhibit in this beautiful space. If you are visiting Rotorua you will find the exhibition on the 1st floor, Rotorua Lakes Council, Haupapa Street.
If unable to visit please enjoy these photos.
Composite Elements
An exhibition by Ladies of Diversity
Celebrating diversity in art, this exhibition showcases a variety of styles and mediums by four talented local artists; Joanne Black, Tracey Lee Cassin, Lianne Maxwell and Tania Akehurst.
Composite Elements
An exhibition by Ladies of Diversity
Celebrating diversity in art, this exhibition showcases a variety of styles and mediums by four talented local artists; Joanne Black, Tracey Lee Cassin, Lianne Maxwell and Tania Akehurst.
Ladies of Diversity is a unique group of four women of similar age with very diverse backgrounds. All produce art, but each member has their own distinctive approach and voice.
Composite Elements is their first exhibition together and will be on show at the Rotorua Lakes Council Galleria (1061 Haupapa Street) from 4 December 2020 until 3 March 2021. The Galleria is open Monday – Friday from 8am until 5pm (excluding from 12pm, Tuesday 22 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021 when Rotorua Lakes Council is closed for Christmas).
“Composite Elements” is their first exhibition together. The name was chosen for this exhibition to reflect our different styles, materials and messages.
Composite Elements is their first exhibition together and will be on show at the Rotorua Lakes Council Galleria (1061 Haupapa Street) from 4 December 2020 until 3 March 2021. The Galleria is open Monday – Friday from 8am until 5pm (excluding from 12pm, Tuesday 22 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021 when Rotorua Lakes Council is closed for Christmas).
A Taniwha - Mythical Creature
I spent a fun week working alongside artists Joanne Black and Kate Fennimore, and ten enthusiastic Galatea Primary School children. Our mission was to create a fabulous piece of wearable art.
The children, full of inspiration came up with the idea of building a Taniwha, which is a mythical creature of Maori origin.
It was such a great exercise for learning - the children not only used skills in creativity but also in, team work, negotiation, problem solving and design.
All sorts of recycled materials were found and brought to school by the pupils for the big build. They brought chicken wire, packaging and strapping, table clothes, old silk flowers that had seen their best, mill cardboards off cuts, old sheets, tree pruning’s from near by and a lot more.
Putting our creature together was fun. With one of the students as a model, make up was applied, each part of the constructed creature was fitted onto our model and she was ready for the photo shoot.
It was a great way to spend a creative week helping to facilitate the children’s learning.
Rotorua Art Awards 2019
Finalist at the Rotorua Art Awards 2019 with the acrylic painting “ A Living Tree”
A Living Tree, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas, W 71cm x H 56cm.
Artist - Tania Akehurst.
Standing proudly by my painting on finals night.
This was my first experience at making the finals of an art award - wow such a cool and uplifting experience too.
The painting I entered was titled “A Living Tree”, which is my take on the tree of life. The tree of life has got to be one of the best symbols around, so much meaning around it.
Creating is always exciting but for this piece I pushed the boundaries and became totally engrossed in my happy place. The challenge was to see if I could create a harmonious artwork inspired by several different artists. The subject just a plain old poplar tree on our farm. I was fascinated by the fluffy seeds that lay below it.
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who works with repetitive patterns, especially circles. The fluffy seeds that lie below the tree are depicted in the white circles; circles that suggest a life cycle with no beginning or end.
The Leaves I took from David Hockney’s statement “it’s all about the mark making” and the background trees are inspired by Dick Frizzell’s effective simple shapes.
I am a lover of colour and pattern in art and the trunk of the tree has been inspired by both Gustav Klimt and Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Being able to display your work next so many wonderful and very capable artists is such an encouraging feeling as an artist. Following the awards ceremony all of those present were let into the finalists exhibition at once, this is an experience I will never forget, one of great anticipation.
Miles Art Awards 2020
Who Says So, Black Indian Ink on Watercolour Paper Framed under Glass. Artist - Tania Akehurst
On Awards night next to my painting, which is taking the limelight literally. It was so difficult to get a good photo and not stand in front of the painting.
Who Says So was created using 4 randomly selected magazine pictures. A person, a building, an object and an animal.
The process for the painting was done using a wash method, not unlike a water colour method, to build up the layers. I built up the layers until I was satisfied that the dark’s were dark enough.
Such an honor to be able to have my work on display in such a beautiful gallery as the Tauranga City Gallery.
The Iconic Whakatane Collaborative Multi Canvas Project.
38 adjoining canvases painted by 16 artists each with a style of their own.
This is digital rendition of all the canvases.
This collaborative multi canvas iconic Whakatane scene is brought to you by 16 artists on 38 adjoining canvases. “ The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” - Aristotle.
Each Artist was invited to paint a portion of the photograph as seen on the above page, without knowing what the overall photograph looked like and without knowing clearly what others were painting. Between 1 and 4 canvases were completed by each artist in their own unique painting style using either acrylic or oil paint. The resulting collaborative painting shows a diversity of personalities, interests, viewpoints and painting styles . Each painted canvas stands out as a painting in its own right and yet once all the panels are joined together they represent an image full of rich differences, connected in creative harmony.
The IWCMCP was kindly funded by Creative Communities Whakatane and has been a great boost to local artists, bringing them together and pushing them to work often outside of their comfort zone.
This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to manage such a project and to see my vision come to life. The project took 18 months to complete, from funding application through to the display of the final artwork.
However without my fellow artists this project would not have been possible. The artists enthusiasm during this project was infectious, their painting superb and their support overwhelming.
Collaborative Project Artists:-
Corrie Overdevest, Gerda Corporaal, Joanne Black, Laurie Tapsell, Malcolm Akehurst, Margaret Bowmar, Mary Duggan, Mary Sax, Maureen Gibbs, Robyn Watchorn, Sue Selwyn, Tania Akehurst, Tania Mischefski, Tracey Lee Cassin, and Yvonne Elliot. With special thanks to Adrienne Ranson.
