Jacqueline Elley POOLS of LIGHT

KINA Gallery is delighted to present new work by Jacqueline Elley on show from 15 July. Elley’s artwork explores water and light in varied ways through realist paintings and abstract light boxes.

Elley is an established artist who has exhibited alongside the likes of ex-Taranaki legendary artists, Michael Smither and Tom Mutch. In fact, Elley describes Mutch as her mentor, saying that he “took her under his wing” and let her know how hard it can be to become an artist. It was through Mutch that Elley became involved in the Birds Nest Studio exhibitions in Kuaotunu. As an invited guest artist in 2003, 2005 and 2010, Elley had near sell-out shows.

Elley graduated from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours and was awarded the painting prize for that year for her minimalist fibre works. Always drawn to the coast, she has lived in Hahei, Raglan, the Far North, the Kapiti Coast and now Taranaki. She says living around different coastal areas has allowed her to explore seascapes and draw in ideas from the environment.

This is the first time Elley has had an opportunity to exhibit both her paintings and light boxes together. She sees this exhibition at KINA as a way of developing some ideas she has had since art school. Robert Eagle, Gallery Manager of Fisher Brown Gallery recently commented to Elley that her lightboxes “were quite watery”. Although she hadn’t related her paintings and light boxes together in a conscious way, Elley believes that the idea of fluidity runs between the two: “realist and abstract art forms are linked and each discipline is enriched by its juxtaposition to the other.”

POOLS OF LIGHT is on show in the KINA gallery until the 10th August 2010.

Earth Mauri NICHOLAS TOA

KINA Gallery is proud to present new work by Waitara stone sculptor Nick Toa, on show from 15 July. Toa’s current work endeavours to draw attention to the energy of the rock. This energy is the rock’s mauri – its presence and reason for existence.

Toa explains mauri as “the driving force that gives things a purpose to exist”. His intuitive carving encourages the viewer to consider the intrinsic qualities of the rock, and the possibility that seemingly inanimate objects are living. He states that his work attempts to “heighten awareness that the earth is a living being, and we need to be more aware of treating it as such”.

Toa graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from WITT in 2005 before taking on the task of building a significant internal structure for the Waitara Arts Space. Toa has also been involved in various Taranaki exhibitions, including the Taranaki Art Review where he was awarded a Highly Commended prize in 2006.

EARTH MAURI is on show in the KINA gallery until the 10th August 2010.

ANDI REGAN: Spiro - an exhibition with a twist

KINA Gallery is delighted to present innovative, up-cycled work by Andi Regan. Regan is a multi-media artist based in Wanaka who employs discarded or everyday materials and turns them into beautiful, desirable and decorative objects. Her current work utilises cable ties to create 3 Dimensional Wall Sculptures.

Regan has a background in textile design, which is evident in the way she plays with texture and pattern in her work. Her work transcends the boundaries of conventional textile design, taking on an experimental approach using unconventional materials. Using techniques such as fusing, tying and folding, Regan states that her work seems to always evolve into something symmetrical and decorative: “I have an obsession for circular objects which I balance with a fascination of materials being used in an unconventional way; each material takes on a new form as the work evolves and is ultimately re-created”.

Regan’s most recent work on show at KINA has been inspired by Spirographs: “I was fascinated by them as a child, loving the symmetry and patterns they could make, I recently found an old set from the 70’s and have found it to a constant point of reference”.