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Red Beach artist Nicola Warner is still fizzing, a month after winning the Unison Cup – the supreme award at the NZ National Purely Pastel Exhibition.
The exhibition is an annual event held by Pastel Artists of NZ, an organisation that has members from beginners to multiple award winning artists in its ranks.
Nicola has been an artist for more than 20 years, fitting in time in her home studio around raising five children, working in her husband’s building business and running her own interior design company. She is also a tutor at Estuary Arts Centre in Ōrewa.
Art is her complete escape and totally absorbing.
“I say I’m going into my studio for five minutes, and two hours later I’m still there,” she says.
Nicola works in pastels, creating vibrant contemporary landscapes. She says pastels are the perfect mix of painting and drawing.
“They have all the same pigments as paints, but because they’re not liquid you don’t have to wait for them to dry.
“I’m fascinated with light and shadow, big skies, saturated colour and capturing a sense of place,” she says.
The judges noted the “jewel-like” quality of the winning work, saying it captures attention.
Although Nicola has exhibited often and won a number of other awards, she says this is by far the most prestigious.
“It feels like a high point – something you always hope you might attain,” she says. “It’s a thrill to have my name on the cup next to many artists that I admire. I’m excited to join their ranks.”
And it might not be the end – many past winners of this cup have gone on to win at international level.
