Artists Profiles

Designing - Creating and Expressing has been with me from the beginning....as a child I drew, cut, glued, sewed, bonded and constructed objects of beauty (in my eyes) using 'bits and bobs' that I had foraged, found, and squirrelled and stored until I knew their purpose.. 

Fast forward to 2020….I was 43 years old and I had spent the last 25 years in Retail Management tiptoeing my way through industries that offered me a creative element. I designed jewellery, opened a designer clothing store in Wellington, worked in a home and garden centre, dabbled in hairdressing, managed a home décor & furniture store with home staging as an additional service.

Once I began drawing it was evident to me that what I had created was a symbol of flight, freedom and a representation of my fellow Kiwis living abroad. Showing the movement, the challenges….and the journey we are all on. I know that the journey I have taken through life has lead me exactly where I need to be and doing exactly what I meant to…to start Haven Designs NZ.

The studio she established in 2018 (Tittleton Glass Studio) is where she creates contemporary glass pieces using a variety of techniques including glass casting. The studio is located on land that has been in Toni's family for generations. It is nestled in the beautiful Waitākere ranges, Auckland. 

 

Vincente-Lucy Knight is a New Zealand born artist, currently based between Melbourne, Australia and Wellington, Aotearoa. Vin works with Gouache, ink and resin on watercolour and handmade papers to create paintings which are colourful and vibrant.

Inspiration comes in many forms, from the beauty of plants, native birds, local myths and legends or the monsters that parade in super-bright colour through dreams.The blog is updated regularly, as new work is finished – So do stop by regularly to see what else she has in store… Or sign up on the main page to automatically get email updates any time a new post comes out.

In the mean time feel free to scroll back through the archives to see past work, click on images to enlarge and leave a message if you want – Vin loves hearing from you!She also specialises in commission work, which is great if you are after a special piece created as a gift for a Wedding, birthday or even just for that blank space on your wall you’ve been meaning to fill.

Arias Design Co | Auckland | Saira McIntosh

Being able to immerse myself in a creative process became a valuable tool in distracting myself from the world around me, and I soon found I had more earrings that I could reasonably wear. Jewellery making then became an invaluable tool in reconnecting to the world around me as I began to take my earrings to local craft markets, gift them to friends, and talk about them more online.

Since then, I have been designing and making nature inspired polymer clay earrings to lend an ear for better mental health in our communities - donating 20% of profits to the Mental Health Foundation as I go. My designs are often inspired by the beautiful nature we find ourselves surrounded by, and I hope wearing them helps you feel a little more connected to the natural world as we go about our day to day lives.

Limitless Abstracts | Napier | Lucie Anderson

I am now a Napier based artist after living in Dunedin for 20 years. My art has been created using alcohol inks with airbrush and air wave techniques.

A little bit about Alcohol Inks:

Alcohol ink flows in a spontaneous and natural manner on a non-porous surface which renders a completely unique, one-of-a-kind painting. No two artworks are ever the same!

The thrill and excitement I feel when the ink colours flow in harmony with each other. Adding metallic inks brings depthand light to my work. So uplifting!  All my artworks are the original painting, the one that you choose and love will always be unique!  Most of my larger artworks come unframed to reduce the shipping costs and gives you the opportunity to frame to your taste. If you need help with framing or would like it framed, do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you so much for visiting my shop and thank you for supporting small business!

 

Geordie Williamson | Kapiti Coast

 

Having a Pacific Island and Celtic heritage coupled with the emersion that one experiences by growing up in New Zealand of Tikanga Māori, these aspects have influenced my artistic expression, my creativity and my choice of mediums.

You’ll see that my Wall Art, Sculpting and Harakeke Weaving is often accentuating Mother Natures forms and flows with a selection of natural, repurposed and often foraged mediums.

Arathena Kennedy  | Kapiti Coast

I am a Kapiti based artist.

After graduating in Textile Design, I worked in the textile industry for a number of years and launched my own range of designer children's clothing. Continuing with my love of textiles, I collect beautiful vintage fabrics and lovingly create one off artisan hand crafted and printed textile products.

For the past 15 years I have developed my fine art skills, whilst selling my work through galleries, commissions, private sales and a series of highly successful exhibitions. I am passionate about the preservation and care of our native species, in particular native birds.   Exquisitely detailed Tuis and Huias are favourite features in my work.

Being passionate about creativity, personal healing and transformation, I feel called to support others in their personal healing journeys. I am qualified in Intentional Creativity (a transformational guided creative process that combines painting with inquiry, intention, visioning and writing). I also offer individual and group workshops in a range of Intentional Creativity processes.

Jordan Harcourt-Hughes | Kapiti Coast

Jordan is an abstract painter, writer and digital producer. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity and incorporates the practice of mindfulness into many of her programmes. Jordan also leads creative teams and over the last fifteen years has led, coached and developed creative professionals in Sydney, Singapore and Wellington. 

Jordan is passionate about helping others to explore their creative spirit. Her courses invite you to explore elements of creativity, leadership, wellness, personal evolution, digital savvy and artistic expression. 

Her other interests include hiking and reading. Qualifications: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Diploma in Project Management

 

Lisa Hoskins | Wellington

The Stag’s antlers are one of the characteristics that have made it the figure of a sort of spiritual superiority according to some. Like a crown, the antlers grow beyond the body, bringing it closer to the sky and making it sacred. In many cultures, the deer is a symbol of spiritual authority. During a deer’s life the antlers fall off and grow bigger again every year, making the animal a symbol of regeneration.

I use ethically sourced animal skulls and adorn them with beads, tesserae and other upcycled embellishments to pay homage to these incredible creatures. No life was taken for the purposes of my art. Honouring each animal is paramount in my work.

I am a Wellington based artist who owns and lives on a working deer farm. I create one-of-a-kind statement pieces to hang and enjoy inside the home. It is my personal belief that we must treasure what mother nature provides.

 

Tania Dally | Kapiti Coast

Colour, composition and layers are an integral part of my process. I build and scrape back thin and thick layers of paint to reveal texture, shape and form. It’s a complex, ever evolving process that is ever changing and developing. There was a crucial turning point in my journey in 2009 when I visited the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. In the gift shop was a brochure showcasing the work of James Robinson. There was this enormous mural - it must have been several metres high. To this day, no single painting has made such a dramatic impression on me. 

I was blown away at the creativity and raw energy that it contained. Way down near the bottom of the painting was an old wooden hand saw! This revelation completely changed how I wanted to paint, particularly the idea of reusing and revaluing items that others had no more use for. Today my process involves other expressions and materials but I am and always will be, drawn to and inspired by complex and beautiful work that seeks to interpret our reality in a new and exciting way.

 

Mel Darling | Manawatu

 

I have two children; a girl & boy. My partner has an earthworks company which I also help him with in between running my business and our family house on a small lifestyle block. When I have spare time I enjoy reading and spending time with our family and friends. 

I love the uniqueness of what I do and how much joy the art work can bring to people who are looking for a different gift or simply wanting sometime new, yet also old, for the home.  

They are conversation starters because everyone has some nostalgia connecting them to vinyl records. Our records are cut to order from good condition LP vinyls that measure 30cm in diameter. We have customers all over….shipping our vinyl wall art out every week to grace the walls of homes, cafe's, restaurants and businesses around the world.

 

Dani Hedges | Nelson

 

Dani Hedges is an established contemporary New Zealand artist from sunny Motueka. Dani enjoys bringing brightness to her paintings and experimenting with diverse topics and mediums including acrylics, inks and watercolour. Dani adores painting subjects that make people smile or allow admirers to get lost in time. Dani is always learning and progressing her craft. She regularly paints on canvas and wood but enjoys the bigger scale of the mural and how it allows you to create entirely different vision by playing with size and design.

Dani is an advocate for the arts with a track record in attaining funding for public works in the Nelson-Tasman region of Aotearoa New Zealand. Dani was selected to adorn two Chorus telecommunications cabinets with her unique designs as part of the ‘Keep New Zealand Beautiful’ partnership, was commissioned to complete two large murals in her hometown of Motueka, and lead local youth to complete a road mural in Takaka (project funded by the Tasman District Council). More recently, Dani coordinated and taught art classes for youth, where students created pieces to be displayed on a public walkway alongside another collaborative mural by Dani and Melissa Linton, the largest Dani has worked on.

She is more recently coordinating a street art festival in Motueka , Though in her spare time very much enjoys relaxing painting canvases that intrigue her.