Fine Feathers in fibre and birdhouses

The “Fine Feathers” exhibition in May-June 2022 showcases the creativity of our Spinning, Weaving and Knitting and Felting Group members: there are many fibre forms to work with!

We’re also enjoying the quirky crafts of Bill Davies, birdhouse maker.

About Bill – from the Art Shed, Napier:

After hitch-hiking around Australia and working in Western Australia with Aboriginal groups, Bill returned to New Zealand and started a family. As he was always interested in horticulture he ended up running a commercial organic vegetable farm in Te Horo. Back injuries put paid to that so he retrained as a potter.

After 20 years potting he started dyeing fabric using plants and pigments found locally. In the background he was making bird-houses and they have taken on a life of their own. He loves searching for odd bits and pieces to decorate them with. Most are donated by people who have bought houses before. His flock is huge now, and his own house has many sparrow apartments on it!

Jewellery: contemporary—colourful—handcrafted

Opening on Thursday 24 March, our March-April exhibition is jewellery by local artisans – members of our Jewellery Group – and photographs by our guest, Vicky Brandt (more info below).

Here’s a sneak preview of some artworks to look out for:

Vicky is based in Paraparaumu on the beautiful Kāpiti Coast. Her love of photography came about after she and her husband closed their gift and homewares store in Johnsonville in 2015 and moved to Kāpiti. Taking long walks on the beautiful beaches and plentiful walkways in the area, Vicky started taking photos and soon became obsessed with learning more and more. She enjoys still life photography, bird, food photography and challenging herself to learn new techniques and different styles of photography.

W ebsite

Facebook

Instagram

2022 AGM on 23 February

The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday February 23rd from 7.30 pm.

We will be electing a new President and Vice President, and the newly amended Constitution will be presented. If you would like an advance copy, please email the Secretary Anne White.

Notices of Motion should be with the Secretary 14 days prior to the AGM (by Wednesday 9 February).

A copy of the reviewed accounts for the year will be on the notice board in the workroom 14 days prior to
the AGM.

Address and COVID-19 requirements here.

Morning Light or Evening Glow?

Come to Kapiti Gallery’s Exhibition & sale of work by Society members – and see how featured artists Marion Henderson, Pauline Medhurst, Heather Chambers have responded to the challenge of this first exhibition of the year, with the theme “Morning Light or Evening Glow“.

Storm Davenport guest at Clay Expressions exhibition

“Clay Expressions” exhibition is now open at Kapiti Gallery, featuring work by our Pottery Group members, including guest artist Storm Davenport. Storm, a painter and sculptor, has spent fourteen years exhibiting throughout the Wellington region and greater North Island with work being held by many collectors both nationally and internationally.

Showing work her in galleries, art shows, fundraisers, community events and awards, she has won awards in both painting and ceramics.

Specializing in ceramic sculpture, she works from her home studio in Paraparaumu Beach where she has a gallery open to the public by appointment. Her work is inspired by ancient lost civilizations, and traditional firing techniques used to create refined but rustic artworks that tell a story.

From small wall-hung works to seven foot tall outdoor sculptures her works include:

The Warrior series: life sized warrior heads, breast plates and weaponry
Oceanic Life series: with whales, sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and kina
Animal series: white Rhino, bulls, war horses, buffalo, bear, warthog, mammoth, bees

Large outdoor totem series:

Black Arts
Life’s Backbone

Paintings:

Current series exploring themes of human contact and connection

Collaborative lighting artwork series with artist Peter Robson

FUNDRAISING

Some examples of fundraising work are:

5 years of gifted artworks to The Wellington Supper Club Auction for Ronald Ma Donald House with sales of over $10,000 gifted.
Ronald MacDonald Retreat Fundraising event 2015 gifted a painting which sold for
Wellington hospice Art from the Heart exhibition 2020
Kapiti Vaulting art show fundraiser The Vault, set up plus donation of commission 2019
Wellington Free Ambulance Art Show Fundraiser Artrove 2017 & 2018

CURRENTLY SHOWING AT:

Red Peach Gallery, Ahuriri, Napier
Artmospere Gallery, Waipawa
Artel Gallery, Otaki
Kāpiti Gallery, Raumati Beach

Images below include Storm’s current work and items exhibited at Kāpiti Gallery 2017 – 2019.

Oil painters’ monthly challenges

Our group is having a monthly challenge to paint or draw subjects we don’t usually paint.

For February it was a self portrait. We had produced some lovely ones and had a lot of fun showing them to each other. The March subject was a bird and some found that hard but all the same did some great paintings and drawings.

See more of our artworks on our Oil Painting page.

Fabulous Fibre: basket weaving, wool craft and fibre artwork

“Fabulous Fibre” exhibition and sale of work, with guest artist Mary Moon, will showcase the work of our spinners, weavers, knitters, fibre artists and felters. Most of the work on display will be for sale.

Mary has been an artist all her life, trained in oils and watercolour, and also has a lifelong interest in crafts. Now retired, Mary is currently focusing on Raranga (flax weaving). She did a year long course with Te Wananga o Aotearoa, learning all aspects of Māori weaving and its cultural context.

All her weaving is completed according to tikanga, from the harvesting of the harakeke to the final whiri (plait). Mary says, “I love that the items are from locally sourced materials, hand processed and biodegradable. At the end of their useful lives they return to Papatūānuku.”

Mary will be at the Gallery each Sunday of the exhibition, demonstrating the art of Raranga.

As well as spun, woven, knitted, felted and hand-crafted fibre artwork, Vivien Adams‘ prize-winning machine knitting will be on display.

Kapiti Gallery: Thursday 3rd to Sunday 27th June 2021.

Hours: 10 am to 3 pm, Thursday to Sunday.

Home

Groups

Join up!

We have a Woolcraft Winner!

Congratulations from Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Society to Vivien Adams, trophy winner in this year’s NZ Machine Knitter’s Society (NZMKS) competition.

Vivien won the Novice Cup in the 2021 competition which is part of the NZMKS festival, held this year in Stratford. The Machine Knitter’s Society includes members from Australia as well as New Zealand.

To win the cup, entrants have to enter four items: Baby, Adult, Non-garment, and competitor’s own choice. Entries are judged on presentation, fabric and seaming, finishing, design and degree of difficulty. The person who has the most points wins the trophy.

(“Novice” means the member hasn’t entered or won previous competitions, not that they’re a beginning knitter.)

You can see Vivien’s prize-winning work in Kāpiti Gallery’s “Fabulous Fibre” Exhibition in June; it will showcase the work of Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Society spinners, weavers, knitters, fibre artists and felters. Most of the work on display will be for sale.

Vivien, who is a member of Kāpiti Arts and Crafts’ Spinning, Weaving and Knitting group, is also newsletter editor for the NZ Machine Knitter’s Society, and her wonderful children’s knitwear is available through the Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Shop in Raumati Village.

As well as highlighting Vivien’s award-winning creations, the “Fabulous Fibre” exhibition will include traditional kete and other work by our guest artist, basket weaver Mary Moon from Ōtaki. Mary will be at the Gallery on Sundays during the exhibition, demonstrating basket weaving.

Fabulous Fibre exhibition and sale of work – Thursday 3rd to Sunday 27th June 2021

Kāpiti Gallery, 192 Matai Road, Raumati Beach.

Gallery opening hours: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm Thursday to Sunday

Group visits can be arranged outside these hours by contacting the gallery manager.

Local artist guest at Kapiti Gallery

The Guest Artist at the Kapiti Gallery’s latest exhibition is Ernie Stevenson. Ernie’s work will be exhibited alongside work by members of the Kapiti Arts and Crafts Society members with a theme of “Water”.

Ernie will be at the Gallery on Saturday 8^th May from 1.00pm and would love to meet and share his experiences of his painting travels in New Zealand.

Ernie was born into a family of seven siblings and parents who loved nature and a father who loved drawing country scenes. Throughout his working life of 44 years in engineering, wholesaling, retailing and electronics his passion for painting didn’t diminish.

In 2009 he spent 17 months travelling NZ in a caravan visiting back country and mountainous places that many New Zealanders have never seen. He would sit, meditate, sketch and paint in watercolour and then return to his caravan and transform his watercolour sketches into oils on canvas. The reason for this double work was the rivers, lakes and forests attracted masses of sandflies and the oil and turps brought them to the painting.

Today he is greatly pleased if people seeing his paintings feel something of the beauty and splendour of his ‘soul’s experience’.

AGM 24 February 2021

The 2021 Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 24 February at 7.30 pm in the Matai Road workrooms. All members are welcome to attend and vote on nominations and other items of business. Roles to be filled for the 2021 year are Secretary and Deputy President.

Kapiti Arts and Crafts Society, Matai Reserve, 192 Matai Road, Raumati Beach