Whanganui is my hometown, kō Whanganui tāku kainga. The awa and maunga connect the many whanau and towns in the rohe, and the rohe is safeguarded by the ancestral Te Atihaunui a Pāpārangi people.  I love the diverse range of whanau & people and also the variety of businesses here.  From vegetable shops, māori organisations, active companies and art galleries, kura and more, you can usually find what you're looking for in our developing tāone.  Look out, in the future, for the possibility of national passenger trains stopping here too and also the revitalization of Whanganui's port - Te Pūwaha.  Also, our local airport just 8 minutes drive from town is lucky to have Air Chathams as our passenger aircraft service with flights, mainly, to and from Auckland.

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teara.govt.nz

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I am a descendent of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri and Te Roroa on my mums side.  On my dads side, I am blessed with the heritage of the merry Irish and the passionate Scottish.

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From weaving and cooking to joinery and gardening, I have often been surrounded by people who partake in the art of 'making'.  Naturally, making things wasn't just for enjoyment but for necessity.  And from necessity developed strengths in values and things that are important.  Those that were quietly aware of their talents, if you knew who I was talking about, have mostly been an inspiration. 

 

Part of my 2016 - 2018 work is a series of paintings entitled ‘Food, Wine & Company’, exploring how our social interactions are often driven by these elements.  'Food' is sustaining and filling, 'Wine' is taste evoking and 'Company' represents companionship.  You will see the passion I have for art making in this extended series of work.

 

To creatively inspire people around the world, I instinctively draw from my cultural experiences and upbringing to make relatable connections with others.  I am of Māori descent, of indigenous people, from Aotearoa (also known as New Zealand), where mystical stories come from like Papatuānuku (earth mother) and Ranginui (sky father) creating a new world of light and colour within darkness.  This is one of the ancient stories of various creation phenomena.  Māori culture demonstrates manaakitanga, and this very important value is central to our culture.  You can see it in the work of our indigenous artists, and, in many respects, expressed in the work of other artists as well.  

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WHANGANUI ARTIST OPEN STUDIOS is a well known arts trail held here sometime around March every year.  Hundreds of people visit the studios & galleries around the Whanganui district/rohe over two consecutive weekends, to look for art inspiration and hopefully investments of some sort.  This year I'm opening up our hallway gallery for the second time.  I'm honored to have Linzi English also display some of her paintings and drawings with Awarua Gallery this AOS.  I'll update website the closer we get to the dates.  But while you can, check out the organizers cool website that will tell you way more about our AOS.  Kia ora!  

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openstudios.co.nz/

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AWARUA GALLERY - I run this, it is a small hallway gallery located here in Whanganui and it is opened only by appointment at this stage.  At the moment it displays all of my own work.

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Kura Gallery promote art and design.  They have some of my work on display and have been an integral part in promoting my mahi.  Kia ora!

 

kuragallery.co.nz

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Ae, yes, if the description does give you the idea it is for sale then please make an enquiry via contacts.

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EXHIBIT WHAKAPAPA

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2008, TAA Group exhibition, Whanganui

2018, Social Gravy Solo Exhibit at Community Arts @ the Centre, Whanganui

2018, Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review with 'Ake, Ake' painting

2019, Pop-Up (Social Gravy 2) Exhibit at Space Gallery, Whanganui

2019, Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review with 'Driver' painting

2020, Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review with 'Inside, Outside' picture

2021, Kowhiore 19 (Te Oranganui Iwi Health) Group Exhibit at Community Arts @ the Centre, Whanganui

2021, Pattillo Whanganui Arts Review with 'Runga' painting

2023, Awarua Gallery - permanent space of original art works

2023, Patillo Whanganui Arts Review with 'Legacy' painting

2024, Whanganui Artist Open Studios AWARUA GALLERY - mostly new works

2024, Puanga exhibition @ Community Arts @ the Centre, Whanganui. With Te Atinga & Sarjeant Gallery

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Patua te kino ki te rangimārie

Kia tau te rangimārie

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