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In some ways, Lillian Fromont’s life has been bookmarked by painting.
The Warkworth artist will be one of the more than 100 artists exhibiting in the Great Summer Art Exhibition at the Mahurangi East Community Centre, which opens on December 30.
Now 82, Fromont entered her first art competition when she was just 10.
“I wanted to go to art school but couldn’t afford it, so I went to Teachers Training College instead because they had an art course,” she says.
However, her paints and brushes were soon put away when she married and started a family. Six children and many grandchildren later, she rediscovered her love of painting when her husband Alan died.
“A cousin, who is a very good painter in his own right, sent me a parcel full of paints and a note that simply said, ‘Just get on with it’. And so I did.”
Fromont joined Kowhai Arts in Warkworth and remembers it as “the best thing I did”.
“They’ve become like a second family,” she says. “The other artists are so helpful and supportive, and it was through their encouragement that I decided to enter exhibitions such as the Great Summer Art Exhibition and mARTakana. “
She has won several prizes at Snells Beach over the past 10 years, including People’s Choice in 2020.
“I’m not competitive, but I really enjoy the challenge of preparing for an exhibition. I was absolutely gobsmacked when I won People’s Choice and so delighted.”
Fromont uses acrylics, but hopes to find the patience to go back to oils one day. Her paintings are inspired by the places she loves, particularly the NZ bush.
She normally paints for two to three hours a day, and was particularly productive during the Covid lockdowns.
“There were no distractions, there was more time and I was able to focus and concentrate.”
The Great Summer Art Exhibition is in its 29th year and is organised as a fundraiser for the Mahurangi East Tennis Club.
This year, more than 300 artworks will be on display and the show will include a large contingent of work from Mahurangi College students.
It will open with a preview event on December 30, and then will be open to the public from December 31 to January 2, from 10am to 4pm daily.
Exhibiting artists range from emerging to established, and the exhibition includes photography.
Everything on show is available for sale, with part of the sale price going to the tennis club.
Entry to the preview night is $20, then the rest of the exhibition is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
