Artists

Kirsty is a full-time artist, exhibiting, participating in major New Zealand art shows, and selling in several leading galleries throughout New Zealand. Since her upbringing on a remote farm in the hills of the Wairarapa, Kirsty has been left with a legacy of love for our landscape and native bush. Attending Massey University, Kirsty gained a Bachelor of Design, falling in love with the print room along the way. Now living on the rugged south coast, Kirsty translates this love of landscape from her sketchbooks into fine art, using layers of texture and tone through multiple printmaking processes. Her work is highly original and imbued with her passion for the beauty and stories of Aotearoa.

Kyle Ratana is a Toi Māori artist who brings his mauri (essence) and style into this taonga art form. He is blessed to be utilising the markings of his ancestors to carve a path forward into the future, honouring his culture. He creates Toi Māori artworks that tell sacred stories of his culture, honour the environment, and all the beautiful creatures that dwell within it.

Kylie Law is a New Zealand-born contemporary artist based in Churton Park, Wellington, where she works from a stand-alone studio at her home. Inspired by the beauty of nature, Kylie's artwork centres predominantly on florals, reinterpreting delicate blooms through expressive, contemporary compositions. Her distinctive style is characterised by a feminine colour palette, bold use of colour, organic shapes and thoughtful composition, creating vibrant, energetic works that are instantly recognisable. Following a successful career in corporate communications and marketing, Kylie chose to pursue her lifelong passion for art. Proudly self-taught, she has spent years refining her practice, transitioning from a part-time artist to a full-time professional. This has enabled her to exhibit regularly, undertake commissioned works and continue evolving her artistic voice. Each painting begins with the careful development of a colour palette, followed by an intuitive, organic composition. Layers of colour and expressive mark-making are then built up to create movement, depth and floral forms that evoke both energy and harmony. At the heart of Kylie's practice is a desire to create artwork that brings beauty, joy and vitality into everyday life. Her paintings are designed to enrich the homes they inhabit, creating spaces that inspire connection and a lasting appreciation for colour and nature. Kylie's work is represented by a select number of galleries throughout New Zealand and is also available directly from her Wellington studio and online at www.kylielaw.co.nz.

Larisa finds inspiration through the often-overlooked beauty of empaths who are grounded in who they are and how they express this quiet confidence in the world. Her work mainly features female subjects in an abstract-realism style, portraying the quiet strength and understated beauty of those with an introspective nature. Larisa’s pieces are often paired with animals, florals, or nature-based landscapes, highlighting the sacred connection between individuals and the natural world. Larisa’s work inspires feelings of empowerment and authenticity, encouraging viewers to radiate their true selves to the world and, in doing so, bringing to light the beauty within.

Laya Rasooli (Afghan-born, based in Tāmaki Makaurau) is a painter whose abstract, textured figurative works explore what home and belonging mean after displacement. Having moved between countries since childhood, she layers colour, gesture, and pattern with memories and family stories to hold moments of vulnerability, resilience, and joy, inviting viewers to find their own journeys inside the work. Laya is this year's awarded King's Trust artist, supported with an Art in the Park sponsored exhibit.

Levi Hawken is a modern painter/sculptor whose work is inextricably tied to the myriad influences that have shaped his life. From the urban subcultural worlds of skateboarding and graffiti, to architecture, landscaping which led to working with concrete. His recent sculptural works revel in their three-dimensional form, exploring scale and the interplay of shadow and light created by their stratified construction. Importantly, these objects are adaptable, their physical realities allowing them to comfortably exist in disparate settings, from galleries to gardens, skate parks to shopping malls, and most recently, returning to the urban environment that ultimately fostered their creation.

Linda McFetridge is a New Zealand artist whose work explores light, reflection, and the quiet strength found in nature’s landscapes. Her paintings capture moments of stillness and transition — places where time, memory, and emotion converge. Often inspired by rivers, coastlines, and lighthouses, Linda’s work invites contemplation and connection, reflecting her interest in how we navigate change and seek balance. With a background in theatre and movement direction, her practice is grounded in rhythm and presence, blending intuition with structure. Each piece is both a meditation and a story — a way of seeing the world anew.

Liz Sofield works mainly with paper and thread. Through her use of geometric patterning and delicate stitching, she evokes a sense of calmness. Trained in interior and textile design, Liz established her artistic practice whilst living in a remote mining town in Western Australia for a short period in 2014 and started using paper and thread as art materials were not readily available. Over the last few years, Liz has been creating earth pigments from Brisbane and Whangarei coastal rocks, as well as naturally dyed cotton thread, which she incorporates into her textile paper art. She runs online workshops through Artisan Queensland and is a member of the international Paper Artist Collective and IAPMA.

Liz’s artwork ventures into an imaginary, beautiful natural world with touches of impression and abstraction. She is passionate about rediscovering and depicting our natural landscape, with a nod to those places we see only in our minds and somewhere we wish to escape to. Her paintings may evoke the memories and emotions held close to the heart. “I paint to bring joy and beauty into lives and homes, to create an emotional connection to my artwork by capturing mood and feeling. My paintings are atmospheric and moody, yet calming and harmonious.” Liz’s artworks have found homes in Hong Kong, the UK, Jersey, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand through exhibitions and galleries. One of her artworks featured recently in NZ Home and Garden magazine in a contemporary Wellington rebuild.

Logan Bow is a Mount Eden-based artist currently studying a con-joint master degree in architecture and urban design at the University of Auckland. Known for captivating sculptural works, Logan's artworks delves into an immersive exploration of natural textures found in hand-picked New Zealand shells. Each piece is an expression of preservation, seeking form by embracing the themes of flow, arrangement and colour. Logan additionally navigates the practice of volumetric origami by thermo-forming polymethyl methacrylate. This dual series of works is a vibrant ode to the cycles and forms existing in the world, ranging from circular motifs to organic figurations.

Lucie Anderson is a Hawke's Bay artist creating Textured Lightworks—intricately hand-crafted illuminated wall sculptures made from recycled corrugated cardboard. Inspired by the beauty of nature, she transforms an everyday material into contemporary artworks that reveal delicate patterns of light, shadow and texture. Every piece is individually designed and hand cut, exploring the relationship between sustainability, craftsmanship and illumination. Originally from Belgium, Lucie's work invites viewers to slow down and experience how light can completely transform a surface, creating sculptures that change throughout the day and become a focal point within an interior.

Lynn is a sculptor exploring the human condition and its deep connections with individuals, communities, and the environment. Inspired by her life experiences, she fosters understanding through her art. Mentored by Betsy Kremer, she later studied Fine Art in London, where exposure to the Young British Artist movement reshaped her approach. While embracing contemporary materials, she remains grounded in classical techniques. After returning to New Zealand, Lynn established her Masterton workshop in 2017. Her work, exhibited globally, reflects her passion for hands-on creation and the evolving relationship between tradition and modern expression.

Madi MacKay is a New Zealand–based mixed media artist inspired by the emotional power of landscape and colour. Her work explores the connection between place and feeling, using layered techniques and intuitive colour palettes to create uplifting, expressive pieces. Rather than replicating specific locations, Madi paints the mood of a moment — the calm of open space, the energy of bold hues, and the quiet shifts of light that shape how we experience the world.

Mandy creates fun, modern, stylised portraits and figurative paintings that blend Pop Art influences with realism. Working in both oils and acrylics, her art is bold, expressive, and full of personality. Mandy loves exploring new ideas and creating different bodies of work rather than sticking to one fixed style. Each series marks a new chapter in her creative journey, while her commissioned pieces subtly shift and grow as her style continues to evolve. After more than 20 years of painting, Mandy is still learning, experimenting, and having fun in the studio. With endless creative possibilities ahead, she feels like she’s only just getting started. Inspired by everyday life, colour, and human connection, she embraces the twists and turns of the artistic journey and invites you to come along for the ride.

Born in Asolo in Northern Italy, Marco Baldisser grew up within a tradition of fine craftsmanship and decorative arts. Now based in New Zealand, he continues this heritage through Venetian plaster and authentic Italian surface techniques, refining historical methods through a contemporary lens. As the master artisan behind Artemani Surfaces, he is known for his bespoke finishes across architectural and interior projects. His current work focuses on sculptural wall artworks and decorative reliefs, developing a visual language that bridges past and present while bringing the expressive depth of Italian plaster into today’s interiors.

Creator of fantastical sculptures in recycled steel and copper.

MAS is delighted to present 12 exciting new and emerging talents at Art in the Park this September, exhibiting in The MAS Emerging Artists' Gallery - Anya Petrukhina, Caleb Kutia, Cayleen Beester, Etehere Rua, Ken Faber, Kyle Ratana, Madi McKay, Natalie Gelder, Reuben Lauridsen, Ruby De Silva, Sam Gilmour and Sara Moana. "MAS is especially proud to sponsor the MAS Emerging Artists’ Gallery. It’s a space that champions emerging talent, and we’re excited to help foster the kind of cultural vibrancy that helps communities thrive. Supporting the next generation of artists is one of the many ways we can invest in a more connected and inspired Aotearoa New Zealand.” - Matt Harvey, Chief Distribution and Marketing Officer.

Auckland based artist Matt Griffin balances his evolving abilities in multiple fields of what can be called Hyperrealism. Doused in creative motivation as a child, to now pursuing a career inside the dynamic systems of the art world. Specialising in realism, Matt works in oils, charcoal, and aerosol.

Having spent over two decades in both fabrication engineering and CAD design, Matt's wife asked that he create a few small art pieces from the remnants of the material used in their core business at the time. From there SteelArt NZ gained momentum at a rapid pace, becoming their main focus in early 2020 and continuing to grow both nationally and internationally. Matt is driven by the sense of achievement from standing back to look at his finished product, and the passion for the process involved in that finished product, always trying to outdo his last creation and push his limits further.

Mauricio Benega, born in São Paulo, Brazil, is a full-time artist based in Okato, New Zealand. He holds degrees in Visual Arts, School Administration, and Motion Graphics. Founder of Studio Benega Ltd, Mauricio creates murals, paintings, illustrations, and more. His work appears in collections across 10+ countries and has earned multiple awards. He’s exhibited in over 40 shows, including EAST Biennial, Imago Mundi, and The Big Hoot. A five-time Contemporary NZ Art Calendar selectee, he’s featured in Auckland Art in the Park (2022–2023, 2025) and continues to inspire through workshops, exhibitions and creative collaborations.

Meg Gaddum grew up on a remote Gisborne farm, surrounded by nature and art. Encouraged by artist relatives, she began painting early, inspired by vivid materials like French pastels. Though a science career led her into agriculture, horticulture, and, via a master’s degree in landscape architecture, she ultimately returned to art. Self-taught through books and online courses, Meg now paints abstract landscapes that reflect environmental and social themes while aiming to evoke joy. She lives with her husband and dogs by Ōhiwa Harbour, exhibits at art shows, and sells her work from her studio. Her art blends observation, critique, and sustainability.

Presented by Bread and Butter Gallery, Michael Smither CNZM (born 1939) is one of New Zealand's most recognised master painters, renowned as a leader of the homegrown hard-edge realism movement. Over a 70-year career inspired by his immediate environment, he has produced iconic works capturing coastal and mountain landscapes, domestic life, and religious symbols. He is also celebrated for incorporating music theory and harmonics into vibrant colour compositions. Smither's paintings are held in prominent private and major public collections, including Te Papa Tongarewa and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and he was awarded the CNZM in 2004 for services to art.

Based in Palmerston North, Michele draws inspiration from everyday interactions and human connections. Working primarily with acrylics, she uses colour and abstract forms to convey emotion and energy. Michele’s art remains open-ended, inviting viewers to interpret and connect with each piece personally. Through her work, she hopes to evoke familiarity and resonance, reminding viewers of the beauty in the world and the connections that bind us all.

..Milarky focuses within the realm of Nomadism and what can be aligned as ’the Return to Nomadity’ of our species due to the misled ability to care for the Earth. Nomadism being a response to the environment, an adaption through a generationally founded ability to attune to nature, as opposed to our societies current mind set to tune the land to our desired ways. Finishing a Masters based on the field between Nomadism and Sedentarization, to decipher the position of contemporary Nomad, and investigate borders and ‘mobility limitations’ on our species Nomadistic tendencies, along with the cause/resistance this has on environmental issues.

Morgan Paige Taitoko is a New Plymouth–based artist whose work explores light, colour, and distortion. Using photographs taken through retro or obscured glass as reference points, she transforms fleeting moments into abstract-realist paintings, resin works, and printed fabric hangings. Her practice blends photography and painting, celebrating the contrast between nature and the man-made.

Natalie Bridges is an Auckland-based painter currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Whitecliffe. Her work explores what it means to be human through figures at rest, domestic interiors, textiles and familiar objects. Moving between figuration and abstraction, she uses layered oil paint, loose drawing and expressive colour to create images that feel both intimate and unsettled. Memory, faith, history and the fragile beauty of ordinary life underpin her practice. Her depictions of sleep and contemplation create space for vulnerability and reflection. Natalie’s paintings invite viewers to consider the emotional and spiritual weight held within everyday moments.

Natalie Gelder is a portrait artist slowly moving away from a focus on technical accuracy and towards creating greater sensory depth, with no strict rules about how marks are made or how paint is applied. Her favourite rule is that there are no rules, and she carries this philosophy through her current body of work as she explores how to visually interpret and translate her colour synesthesia.

Nick is a Bay of Plenty artist whose works are inspired by coastal life around New Zealand and the Pacific. Some of Nick’s works trace the history of 19th-century Polynesian surfboard making and the significance of the artworks incorporated into the boards.

Nicola Warner is known for her vibrant pastel landscapes full of exuberant marks and joyful, saturated colour. She invites people to share her delight in living near the beach and her love of a good road trip. “Like so many of us, beautiful places thrill me,” she says. “I feel them.” Dramatic light is another feature of Nicola’s work. She enjoys creating the illusion of sunlight and shadow using only “little sticks of colour.” Nicola is an Artist Member of Pastel Artists NZ, a national award winner, and has been recognised by the International Association of Pastel Societies.

Nigel has always been interested in art but only started to get involved in recent years as a way to use up and recycle left over steel and materials generated from his engineering business. He loves going outdoors hunting and fishing and especially enjoys the coast line collecting drift wood for art work. Nigel is very interested in creating Sculpture combinations with drift wood and steel and hopes to incorporate elements of Whakairo in future projects.

Pam loves colour — big, bold, and vibrant. She paints with coloured resin. Paint. Cure. Repeat. Layers of luscious colour to bring happiness and joy.

I was born and raised in South Africa. The sub tropical environment that I grew up in was a huge inspiration to me. My love of colour, form and pattern stems from this time. I’ve lived in Northland for the last two decades and love it. My work has evolved over the years into the sculpture that I now hand carve. As well as nature my work is also inspired by some of the cultures I’ve visited and lived in. The symmetry and pattern I aim for are about a feeling of beauty and peace .

Pete Cernis is interested in creating a sense of atmosphere in his work. To produce pieces which are seen but more importantly, felt. Pieces which give a sense of harmony and balance, and which enrich the atmosphere of the places they reside. Nature's light is his subject which he expresses through the use of charcoal, pencil, pastel, paint, clay, photography and ink. Ranging in style from the realistic to the abstract.

Three decades ago, Pierre, of Swiss descent, arrived in New Zealand and was captivated by its stunning landscapes, serene tranquillity, and the genuine warmth of its people. The land’s rugged beauty and peaceful spirit convinced him this was his home. Settling in the South Island, he embraced the grounded Kiwi lifestyle. The Wakatipu region, with its soaring mountains, vast valleys, and ever-changing shadows, ignited Pierre’s artistic passion. This wild yet serene landscape inspired a unique body of work defined by achromatic techniques. Through skilful use of black, white, and countless greys, Pierre captures Wakatipu’s essence, turning the absence of colour into a powerful expression of emotion and form. His work is represented by a number of art galleries in New Zealand.

Rebecca’s work explores quiet, contemplative moments inspired by symbolism and folklore, weaving stories of nature that range from whimsical to painterly and botanical—each created with the intent to reveal beauty. A fine art photographer based in Auckland, New Zealand, she photographs and constructs every element herself, transforming textures and light into layered compositions. Beginning as a painter before discovering photography in 2018, she now paints with light instead of pigment. Her practice blends intuition and experimentation, existing between photography and painting, seeking to evoke serenity and wonder while celebrating nature’s timeless and boundless inspiration.

Rebecca Rose has worked for the last thirty years as a sculptor. Rose’s work is centred on the cyclic nature of life and humanities interconnectedness. In exploring these themes, she has created abstract work using metals and alloys. These are found in public and private collections in New Zealand and internationally. Recent curated exhibitions include Auckland Botanic Gardens Indoors, 2025, Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden 2026, NZ Sculpture on Shore 2025, Granite Island Sculpture Walk South Australia 2020, Minqin Desert Sculpture China 2018, Sculpture by the Sea Perth 2018, Sydney 2018. Rose works from her home studio in the native forest of Titirangi Auckland.

Rebellious Ruby wasn’t a career change — it was a shift in identity. It began when the artist realised, after decades in high-performance roles, that the artwork being created in spare moments wasn’t just creative — it had power. Working in digital mixed media, Rebellious Ruby’s work carries a raw, unapologetic energy, expressing attitude, individuality, and a kind of beauty broken down through distortion and reinvention. It rejects conformity and traditional expectations. Beneath the layers, the work reflects a personal philosophy that values difference, edge, confidence — and yes, rule-breaking. There is something distinctive in the way Rebellious Ruby creates. It’s not about perfection — it’s about expression, capturing a feeling, an attitude that sits outside the expected. The process is intuitive and instinctive, driven by an urge to translate what is seen and felt into work with undeniable visual impact. Once released, the works stand on their own — ready to be recognised, chosen, and owned. Rebellious Ruby isn’t created to sit quietly or simply be observed. It’s designed to be worn, placed, and lived with — becoming part of your world and an extension of your identity. Welcome to the World of Rebellious Ruby.

Reuben has a background in architecture, which inspires his art practice. Working primarily with pen and ink, Reuben creates highly technical and expressive artworks that weave intricate patterns and geometry into dynamic compositions. Reuben is drawn to the simplicity of line and to how proximity, density, repetition, and orientation allow complex, rhythmic patterns to emerge. Reuben’s architectural training has shaped his design approach to balance, restraint, and precision, which is reflected in a resolute attention to detail. Reuben employs a systematic method of making, incorporating algorithms and 3D modelling to generate iterative yet organic results. Influenced by both landscape and abstraction, Reuben’s work explores the tension between structure and emergence. The artworks are intended to be experienced at two scales: from a distance, where the overall composition comes into focus, and up close, where individual lines and geometries reveal their intricacy. This dual mode of viewing encourages slow looking and sustained engagement. Audience response has highlighted a strong connection to both the visual language of the work and the processes behind it. Alongside exhibitions, Reuben’s practice has reached a wide audience through social media, where interest in his methods—particularly the use of robotic technologies—reflects a growing fascination with new forms of creative expression.

Richard’s signature style lays down dense topographical backdrops, bold, colourful and joyful, often on a grand scale. He describes his working method as one where each painting has been generated by the narratives of the one before it; in this way the works constitute something like the screengrabs of a constantly mutating, recombinant project. His work expresses how our currencies, which so often include the pop cultural material that we’ve all assimilated and loved in its various forms, are in some sense tribal and reach beyond mere product or commodity to become shared symbols, a lingua franca.

Originally from Central Otago, award-winning bronze sculptor Richard Wells now lives between Tindalls Beach and Queenstown, working out of his studio and casting all his work himself. Using traditional techniques and the ancient medium of bronze, Richard’s beautiful sculptures tell human stories in a contemporary context. He is especially known for his beautiful bronze dogs of all sizes, which Richard says are “a reflection of ourselves”. Represented by galleries throughout the country, including Parnell Gallery in Auckland and Giraffe in Arrowtown, Richard’s sought-after, collectable works are held in collections both here and overseas, including in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa’s permanent collection. Public sculptures include Kuri, a 3.6 metre bronze dog diving into the pond in Queenstown Gardens, Queenstown; The Dio Girl, Diocesan School for Girls; and Soldier at Rest in the SAS Memorial Garden, Papakura.

Richard Wood is a fine art and commercial photographer working across film and digital media. His work blends carefully composed imagery with subtle surreal elements, creating scenes that are visually engaging and thoughtfully considered. With a background in visual communication design, Wood brings a strong sense of narrative and precision to his photography. He is a five-time NZIPP New Zealand Professional Photographer of the Year and a two-time overall winner of the Asia Pacific Photography Awards. His photographs are presented as collectible works for discerning viewers.

Hailing from the tropical island of Sri Lanka, Ruby immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2008. As she navigated life in a new country, art became a way for her to remain connected to her cultural identity while embracing her new home. Ruby is deeply inspired by the rich traditions of South Asian folk art, continually exploring its diverse forms and histories. She incorporates its vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and symbolic motifs into her work, weaving these influences into each piece as a celebration of heritage, memory, and belonging.

Sam Gilmour is an oil painter based in Auckland, New Zealand, who brings a lifetime of mainly self-taught practice to her compelling canvases. Initially working with water-mixable oils, she recently transitioned to traditional oil painting to achieve a richer depth of colour and luminosity in her work. Her deep connection to her craft extends beyond the brush: she also practises the tactile art of building her own panels and frames, lending a handcrafted quality to her pieces. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature, home, and the evocative haze of nostalgia, her paintings capture scenes that resonate with personal significance.

Sam Leitch is a contemporary artist known for his surreal approach to painting and hand-separated screen printing. His work reimagines everyday objects and symbols, placing them in unexpected contexts that spark curiosity and invite viewers into layered visual narratives. At the heart of Sam’s practice is a fascination with the evolving relationship between artist, artwork, and viewer. Using bold colour and scale, he explores personal experiences and observations, crafting pieces that feel both familiar and disorienting.

Sarah Albisser’s background as a contemporary dancer and choreographer influences her art, blending movement with self-expression. Over the past decade, she has created striking black-and-white portraits of women and recently incorporated metallic tones, adding depth to her visual language. Her work captures fleeting emotions, often leaving elements unfinished to invite viewer interpretation. Embracing a minimalist, surreal style, Albisser balances space and simplicity to evoke nuanced stories. Her works have been exhibited internationally in Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, and Los Angeles and are part of private collections worldwide.

Sara Moana (she/her) is currently based in Auckland | Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa | New Zealand. She is of Welsh and Māori descent (Ngāti Tamaoho, Tainui) and works in illustration, creating art full-time since graduating with her Master’s degree in May 2022. She holds a Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honours from Elam School of Fine Arts | The University of Auckland (2022) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) with First Class Honours (2020). Sara’s practice explores identity, mental health, queerness, body image, existentialism, and feminism, using a subversive yet witty approach to create light-hearted, approachable work that fosters safe spaces and open, everyday conversations.

Belgian-born sculptor Saskia Baetens builds work bound to transformation and sensory memory. Merging rigorous technical precision with a deeply personal iconography, her sculptures capture an interest in dance, subtilties in movement, dynamic form and flowing line. She explores the fluid boundaries between human and animal states through her signature rabbit-human hybrids—playful yet provocative archetypes spanning ancient deities and contemporary icons. By blending the surreal with critical reflection, she interrogates anthropocentrism and inherited ecological hierarchies. Drawing on literary influences and rural experiences, she constructs an evocative mythology of memory, scale, and primal intuition, forging a world shaped by its own strange possibilities.

Shannon Turuwhenua is an award-winning wood sculptor based in North Waikato, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Drawing deeply from his Māori (Tūhoe), Scottish, and Irish descent, his work is a powerful exploration of heritage and identity. His process is intrinsically linked to the land, beginning with the mindful sourcing of native and exotic timbers from across the country. Whenever possible, Shannon uses reclaimed and recycled wood, ensuring every handcrafted piece carries an added layer of history and is truly unique. His work consistently explores themes of cultural transmission and sustainability.

Shawnee Tekii is a contemporary artist whose bold, colour-rich works bridge worlds of classic and contemporary culture. Blending street aesthetics with painterly precision, her art transforms everyday scenes into cinematic moments that radiate energy and emotion. Tekii’s layered compositions draw influence from global urban life, creating pieces that invite both awe and reflection. Through her distinctive fusion of style, narrative, and attitude, she captures the rhythm of modern life — vivid, fearless, and endlessly evolving.

Sherie Kemp has been sculpting for the past 7 years learning under the guidance from her husband Joe Kemp , she enjoys creating offering bowls carved out of hard stone as offerings of appreciation and blessings . She also enjoys carving wood , Pounamu , Obsidian stone, Basalt.

Shirley Cresswell is a full-time artist based in Taupiri. She also spends much of her time in beautiful Matarangi, gaining much inspiration for her always popular beach walkway paintings. “Our beautiful beaches inspire many of my paintings. To feel like you can walk into a painting, feel the sand, the light breeze, and see the waves crashing in. I like to think that the painting is like looking out the window at somewhere you would love to be. It hopefully makes people remember special days they have had enjoying the beach with their families.”

Shortydubs pushes the boundaries of multi-layered stencil painting, blending pop art, street art, and narrative energy. Working on raw wood panels and textured surfaces, he builds deep layers that reveal damaged beauty and vulnerable human experiences beneath the surface. Drawing on his background in music production and songwriting, he samples, slices, and remixes the world around him, creating works that are meant to be both seen and felt.

Simon and Sarah create distinctive art pieces from New Zealand wood and beeswax. After 21 years of beekeeping and years honing their individual skills turning wood and wax into art, they started collaborating together on sculptural pieces, usually using wood and coloured beeswax. Living on a bend of the Wairua River in Tai Tokerau, they are fascinated in and gain inspiration from the shapes and designs that surround them. They work with nature, pouring their aroha, experience and skills into designing beautiful, distinctive, elegant artistic and sculptural pieces. Ki te Atua te kororia katoa.

Mike Paora (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is passionate about upcycling and sustainability and dedicates his craft to breathing new life into donated and salvaged timbers, with a special focus on native timbers that would otherwise end up in landfill. As a seasoned carpenter, Mike embraces the challenge of working with these unique timbers, many of which are no longer readily available. With meticulous care, he invests time in tasks like de-nailing and removing paint or varnish, aiming to restore and highlight the inherent beauty within each piece of timber. Drawing inspiration from his culture, nature, and architecture, he skilfully transforms these timbers into stunning creations that showcase their individual charm and characteristics. What sets Mike’s work apart is his resourcefulness. Each piece he creates is influenced by the timbers he has recently acquired, allowing him to maximise their potential and minimise waste. Even offcuts from previous projects find purpose in new designs, embodying his unwavering commitment to sustainability throughout his artistic journey. Mike Paora is of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent and resides in Whangārei.

Wellington-based artist Stacey Fraser-Allen creates vibrant, playful, and nostalgic works inspired by New Zealand’s culture and architecture. Her art celebrates the memories tied to homes, places, and communities — the spaces that shape who we are. Alongside her well-loved illustrations, she creates acrylic sculptures that bring her drawings to life in a new way. These layered sculptures play with light and shadow, their reflections casting drawings onto the wall behind and inviting viewers to experience her stories from a fresh perspective. Stacey also takes on bespoke commissions and commercial collaborations, working with clients to turn their meaningful spaces and memories into lasting works of art.

Studio Reset’s artwork is a result of combining 3 passions/professions together to create a full circle in her creative processes: beekeeping, photography, and encaustic painting. She starts with a found substrate, usually an old tray or wooden platter to create nature inspired compositions with depth, translucency and environmental meaning. She assembles her imagery by layering portions of transferred photographs with ink, pigment, and building up the layers between many fine sheets of beeswax. The process is very much an organic one; supporting sustainability in her art practice by the material she uses. Working with heat guns, blow torches and molten wax is not for the faint hearted. She is attracted to this medium for its dimensional quality and luminous colour. It also keeps her close to nature.This ancient technique from Egypt dates back to 100-300AD, used to make Fayum mummy portraits. The Encaustic medium encourages experimentation and playfulness, for its capacity to be layered and scraped back.

Susan works from her studio in Waipu , Northland. Her recent works celebrate a fluid landscape occupied by a small but significant life force. Susan works with mixed media to bring shimmer, light and changing perspective to the scene . She enjoys collage. Susan has had several solo exhibitions ,displayed work in group shows , and enjoys commissions.

Susan’s approach is a vibrant one, where colour serves as an essential element in expressing the energy within her artworks. When working on paper, Susan pushes the boundaries of fluid paint tolerance, resulting in an explosion of vivid colours, intricate patterns, and captivating shapes. Susan’s artistic style has evolved to encompass various mediums and genres. Drawing inspiration from a stormy sky, the world of fashion, and the mesmerising beauty of autumn landscapes, Susan is based in the vibrant Wellington region and has had the privilege of being represented in numerous galleries and events across New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore.

Bold and primal, SWEATS creates expressive work that’s rooted in feeling over formula. His pieces begin in abstraction—colour, rhythm, and motion—before faces, figures, and features like eyes, lips, and teeth emerge. The process is instinctive, driven by emotion and energy, aiming to strike the senses first and let meaning follow. At times, the effect edges into synaesthesia—where colour feels like sound and texture carries mood—inviting viewers to connect with the layered, unfiltered experience of being human in their own way. What comes through is a mix of off-beat energy, unusual details, and pure experimentation. Collisions and impulsive imperfections come together to form faces that don’t quite conform but feel raw, alive, and full of character. There’s beauty in the unrefined—a kind of truth that’s as much about what’s left open as what’s intentional. Working across studio, street, and screen, SWEATS plays with high-contrast colour, gestural mark-making, sharp stencils, and fractured typography to keep things pulsing and untamed. Music is a constant driver, shaping the rhythm and movement of each piece and bringing physicality into the process. Textures echo the grit of photocopiers, faxes, and lo-fi print culture, with a playful undercurrent that keeps it all loose and energetic. With a background in painting, illustration, and design, SWEATS works across a variety of media—from fine art and murals to print, sculpture, and collectables. Over the past two decades, he’s shaped a creative life across Aotearoa, Australia, the UK, and Asia. Now based in Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau, he works from a shared studio and co-runs Eyes On Fire Gallery—an artist-led space centred on collaboration, community, and making things happen.

Teimah has been carving for the last 7 years learing under his father Joe Kemp. He has work in Kura Gallery (Wellington, Auckland, Taupo) and the 4Artsake gallery in Ohope, as well as the Kemp home gallery in Lake Rotoma.