Three artists, three visions

‘Three Visions’, a new exhibition featuring Daphne Davies, Mary-Anne Boyd and Sheryl Jury, has opened at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery.

The exhibition brings together three distinct artistic voices, each exploring nature, abstraction and personal expression through diverse media.

Davies has been passionate about art since her youth, working across pottery, screen printing, painting, pastels, ink and charcoal. Inspired by the natural world, her works reflect both its strength and vulnerability. A retired primary school teacher specialising in specialist education, Daphne found art invaluable in helping students grasp new concepts. She first studied art in Cape Town before moving to New Zealand in 1988.

“Nature constantly reminds me of both resilience and fragility,” Davies says. “Through different media, I try to capture that balance and invite viewers to pause and reflect.”

Mary-Anne Boyd presents works that celebrate simple ways of appreciating the wonder of nature – its colours, scents and seasonal changes. Working predominantly in acrylic and mixed media, she builds layered textures and vibrant colour to create joy-filled compositions. A long-time Mangawhai resident, Mary-Anne chairs Friends of Mangawhai Community Park and has led community art projects and large-scale floral installations. She strongly supports Mangawhai Artists Inc for its contribution to the area’s cultural and social wellbeing.

“Nature offers daily reminders of beauty and connection,” say Boyd says. “Through colour and texture, I hope to spark joy and inspire care for our environment and one another.”

Sheryl Jury lives at Mangawhai Heads. Having exhibited with the group previously, she has moved increasingly into abstract painting. Drawn to fully abstract work, she enjoys creating images open to the viewer’s interpretation. Her works in this exhibition centre on what she calls ‘a pot of pink’.

“I went to a workshop where pink was the prescribed colour, and at first I hated it,” Jury says. “Somehow it has turned up everywhere for this exhibition – I was devastated when I used it all up!”

A bonus in the exhibition is the inclusion of watercolour work created by Clemence Boyd-White, one of the youth members of Mangawhai Artists.

‘Three Visions’ is on show until March 19 at Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir St, open daily 10.30am to 3.30pm (from 9am on Saturdays).