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Harbour Hospice’s 14th annual art exhibition, mARTakana, opens with a flourish this Thursday, with a ticketed preview night including an auction of pieces donated by exhibiting artists.
The exhibition will be held at Matakana School over three days and will feature more than 250 artworks for sale. The event is a fundraiser for Hospice’s palliative care services in the Warkworth Wellsford community.
The sale includes work by more than 50 artists, including Pauline Gough, whose colourful paintings have featured at mARTakana since 2012.
Pauline moved from Dargaville to Matakana 18 months ago and is happy to now describe herself as a local artist and looking forward to opening her own studio in Sharp Road this winter.
She is a prolific painter, and visitors will enjoy a selection of paintings depicting a broad range of subjects – although vibrant landscapes and cows are favourite themes.
Pauline’s distinctive style has developed in the 10 years since she found time, literally by accident, to pursue a passion that started in her teens. She wanted to study art as a student at Rodney College, but with no teacher, her artistic ambitions lay dormant through busy years of farming and raising a family.
Then Pauline broke her foot and her daughter sent her some paints to help stave off boredom. Since then Pauline’s paintings have found a broad audience as she loves to explore different subjects and media, which may explain why she is reluctant to classify her style.
“My painting has an abstract feel to it, but you can recognise what I’m trying to express,” she says.
“People always say how colourful they are, so I suppose you could also use words like ‘colourist’.”
Tickets for the mARTakana preview night and auction on January 16 are $20 and are available online at harbourhospice.org.nz/our-events or by calling Tui House on 425 9535. The exhibition continues from January 17 to 19 with free entry.
Harbour Hospice is the only specialist, palliative care provider for families living in the North Shore, Hibiscus Coast and Warkworth/Wellsford communities.
