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Harbour Hospice’s annual Art Exhibition & Sale fundraiser is on over King’s Birthday Weekend at Estuary Arts Centre in Ōrewa, featuring 300 pieces of art from more than 70 local and national artists.
Several new artists are taking part and a wide range of media will be included, from oils on canvas to watercolours, ceramics, photography and sculptures.
Wainui mixed media artist Amanda Morton, 67, who hangs exhibitions and teaches life drawing at Estuary Arts, clearly loves supporting the exhibition – she is contributing her work for the third time.
Amanda grew up in Australia and the United Kingdom and says she and her five siblings were all considered “fairly talented artists”. In her 20s she was billed as “up-and-coming” after one of her paintings made waves in the Adelaide Festival of Arts. She took up studies in interior design but “then life got in the way”.
“I wanted to travel so I became a flight attendant, then lived in America for 17 years and had a family,” Amanda says.
She didn’t pick up a paintbrush again until 20 years later when her mother died and Amanda inherited her pastels and art supplies. By this point, she and her husband had emigrated to New Zealand.
“I took some classes to brush up on my skills and began experimenting,” she says. “Nothing’s off limits as far as I’m concerned, so whether I’m using charcoal, pastels, acrylics, or making a sculpture, I don’t want to be restricted by any one medium.”
Amanda begins every piece with an idea or emotion and says each brings frustration as well as joy.
“They become like mini love affairs. You start working on them and it’s exciting, then it gets hard, and then it’s over. You look back and take the good from that experience and leave behind what didn’t work.”
All proceeds will support hospice’s work in the community.
The Art Exhibition & Sale is on at Estuary Arts Centre, Ōrewa from June 2-5. For more information, or to buy preview tickets: https://harbourhospice.org.nz/event/hibiscus-coast-art-exhibition/
