Harmony Gaw in Midweek

North Taranaki Midweek. Wed 27th January 2010. p.4.

COMING HOME: Artist returns to Taranaki for solo exhibition

KINA Gallery is proud to present Then, Now & In Between, a solo exhibition by Harmony Gaw on show from 22 January. With her distinctive dream-like quality and meticulous attention to detail, Gaw takes us on a symbolic journey of her reflections of growing up in Taranaki, and where she now resides in Central Otago.

The elaborate vintage designs, old roses and antique gold picture frames all capture the memories of living in old English styled and fitted villas. Birds of prey, clouds, and mountains represent the part of her life in which she has spent more recently in the sky as a professional, competitive paraglider pilot. These romantic designs and space given to each symbolic representation describe Gaw’s desire for beauty, balance and freedom.

Although born and raised in Taranaki, Gaw owns an intense affinity to the Central Otago environment she now resides within. She explains: “the skies and mountain ranges host the inspiration”. Predominantly working in oil on canvas Gaw characteristically floats imagery on a textured or coloured grounding providing a sense of drama to the central motif. Gaw has periodically returned to three dimensional soft sculpture works in a similar vein.

Then, Now & In Between is on show in the KINA gallery until the 17th Febuary 2010.

Please call Kina (06) 759 1201 for further details.

'Thanks for the Memories' - TOM MUTCH auction

Last Friday night (15th Jan 2010) KINA auctioned off some very special pieces by one of New Zealand's leading artists - Tom Mutch. This was a unique night for KINA and this special occasssion was met with crowds of people crammed into gallery and into the shop - right to the doors!

The work in this show dated back to when Tom Mutch lived in Taranaki. Two Limited Edition screen prints were also for sale in this exhibition, dating back to the same year Mutch won the TSB Art Award and whilst he was a member of TACO (Taranaki Arts Co Operative).

In an act of philanthropic spirit, these pieces were originally purchased directly from Mutch himself to fund his residency as an artist in London. Now the current owner believes it’s time to release them back into the art world for other Mutch lovers in the Taranaki community to enjoy.

This was a rare opportunity to view a piece of history - work created at a time Mutch was living in Taranaki and painting alongside his mentor, Michael Smither. This was also a chance for art lovers to purchase some highly collectable pieces that rarely come up for sale.

Many thanks to MONTROSE, who sponsored such beautiful wine for the evening.

KINA's 2009 Xmas Show

To celebrate another year of creativity in Aotearoa the 200 x 200 x 200 Xmas Show returned for the fourth year running at KINA gallery in New Plymouth.

A diverse range of both Taranaki and National artists were invited to partake in 2009's XMAS SHOW. This show encouraged artists to participate together using the same format (200mm x 200mm) and to create works of art that are all for sale for $200 each.

Rebecca Mooney, KINA’s Gallery Director said that “although each artist’s work was grouped together, collectively the works were presented with the idea of one large installation…a bit like what the world should be like”.

This was a great opportunity to purchase an original, affordable piece of art – and to celebrate artistic diversity, imagination and co-operative unity in the festive season.

The 200 x 200 x 200 show was on in the KINA gallery from Friday 4th December until 26th December 2009.