 Flight Series II - Kingfisher Inspiration: I have been thinking about this flight series for some time. Birds in flight can be so recognisable, even in silhouette seen against the sky with no colour or detail. The silhouette view of birds has drawn my attention since I was working on Stewart Island in the 1980's and fell in love with the kereru there "whoop, whoop, whooping" around Oban. Silhouette Series A few years ago I painted a silhouette series. These are black silhouettes for birds in flight with bright backgrounds. I have four of this series available at $95 plus p+p each. They are acrylic on board, framed in black with glass and are 45 x 33 cm.  Serendipity I have been dabbling in abstract art and the idea of representation via colour and brush stroke (I have a long way to go before any of these dabbling's will seen by the public, but I am having fun!) Then, I was in need of some larger canvas, which Visual Artist Tori Batt, was able to supply for me. One had some previous unfinished work on it and when I was working my new art over it, a wonderfully serendipitous image emerged which sent me off on the flight series.          These are acrylic on canvas and framed behind glass.
Each is 35cm x 43 cm. They are available for $115 plus p+p each.
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We have so many wonderful song birds in Aotearoa/NZ. I have been thinking about two art ideas for a while: how to represent our songbirds in an original way and using paste medium to create interesting painted backgrounds. These ideas have come together in this new Songbird Series.
Although most of my art is graphite work, like most artists, I do love working in other mediums. My watercolour skills are lacking and oil paints of the past required mineral turps for clean up which I could not tolerate, so paint-wise, acrylic is my go to medium. This new series are acrylic paints on large canvas with modelling paste, mod podge and sheet music, resulting in a mixed media artwork. I asked my Facebook followers which native birds they think of when they consider "songbirds" and from the responses chose Tui, Bellbird, Silver Eye, Grey Warbler and Shining Cuckoo.
. Then I got started. I began with the modelling paste and created raised fern patterns in the background. This was painted in multiple layers. The birds were created out of sheet music and attached with mod podge, then painted. When all the highlights were completed, the works were left to dry for a week, then they were coated in a medium that seals the work and allows for dusting and wiping down with a cloth.
There are five artworks in this series: #I Tui #II Bellbird (Sold) #III Silvereye #IV Shining Cuckoo #V Grey Warbler (Sold) Each artwork also has a short verse. It is a lot of fun to create a different form of art, but now I am ready to go back to my graphite work for a while. These are available at $355 each. Send me a message for size and courier costs. Making Mini Art Puzzles I love puzzles. Riddles, mind teasers, codes, crosswords, jigsaw puzzles...I love them all. I'm not exactly great at them, but I do love the challenge. Do you like puzzles?  I also love paper craft. I like origami, card making, journal making, paper arts of many type. So, what does an artist who loves puzzles and paper craft do? They make art puzzles... ...and then they make the boxes and the labels to package them. These will be launched at the Akaroa Night Market and will be available for purchase. $12 each (plus p+p - they are very small so many will fit in the smallest postage size) Send a message if you are interested. While a digger grumbles away out my Studio window sorting the damage from December's devastating flood I prepare for a flood of exhibitions. (See my previous blog "A Summer Flood" for more details of Cyclone Ruby's visit to our valley)  Thanks to those that supported the Aid Through Art online Exhibition raising funds for families impacted by the war in Ukraine. Your support is appreciated by me, the other artists, the organisers and the families who will benefit. I do love these win:win situations.  Upcoming Exhibitions & Events Inside /Out Exhibition Arts Canterbury at Down by The Liffey Gallery Lincoln, Canterbury June 22- July 17th Akaroa Night Market Madeira Hotel, Akaroa 5-11 pm Friday June 24th. ChCh Art Show Te Pae Convention Centre, ChCh Opening at 10am each day June 25-27 You can buy tickets for the ChCh Art Show here: Matariki Exhibition Akaroa Community Arts Council Saturdays and Sundays from June 25 to July 10 Open 10-4 Ashburton Society of Arts 58th Annual Show Ashburton Art Gallery July 4 to July 29th Cashmere Club Cash and Carry Arts Canterbury Exhibition 50 Columbo Street, Cashmere, ChCh 12-14 August Arts Canterbury Open Studio Event Details tbc 26 Nov to 4 Dec Mandeville Craft Festival Mandeville Sports Ground, North Canterbury Sun 4 Dec. 10am to 3pm. Christmas Cash and Carry Akaroa Gallery 1 Rue Pompallier, Akaroa Opening Dec 9  I hope you can visit one or more of these art events to enjoy to displays. My studio has been closed all summer. I have missed the wonderful visitors who call in and share a cuppa on the deck. It all started on Dec 15th.  Entrance to our place post Cyclone Ruby. Cyclone Ruby stalled over the Eastern Bays of Banks Peninsula. It rained. It rained and it just kept on raining. By late afternoon we were flooding. Streams were roaring into torrents and slips were falling. It got worse as the evening came. The water rolled up my 240 square metre vegetable garden, the greenhouses, vegetable cages, garden shed, garden art, the garden edging and all of my beautiful recycled totara post fence. It all disappeared downstream and out to sea. We watched the telephone pole and the power pole very gently slide into the torrent and leave our valley. Looking out the kitchen window I could see Fantail Falls valley disintegrate and fall onto the valley floor. Rocks and trees were tumbled in the waves that fell from the valley each time another gully gave way. It was terrifying. We were trapped. Water covered the valley above the house and below the house. With no power, no phone and no mobile reception we couldn't call for help so we packed ready to evacuate to the chook house with plastic sheets due to the leaking roof, sleeping bags, a cooker, a pot, some teabags and some apples. I put our important things on the top bunk then walked through my studio. I looked around at the art on the walls, the art products on the shelves and the unfinished art on the easel. I turned my back knowing I may not see it again. We stood at the door and watched the water rise ready to escape out the back door if the water got to the doorstep. As quickly as the water rose, it fell again. It no longer threatened the house. The kakariki aviary was still standing. The metre of water that had be gushing through it dropped down to a few inches and the structure stopped shuddering. The water was still rushing in a 40 metre wide torrent from the hedge in front of the house right across the valley. We were lucky Cyclone Ruby had dropped most of her moisture. She continued to rain through the night and into the next day but the flood was ever so slowly receding. The next day we surveyed the damage. What a mess! I'm writing this three months later. Roading crews have been amazing getting us access and they have been out here ever since improving it. As long as it doesn't rain I can now get my little "town" car out. Our road is still closed to non-residents, and we have to allow an extra half hour travel time as the crews move diggers and trucks to let us go by. Independent Line Services 'planted' a new pole and got our power up and running in a week. It took Spark five weeks to get their service folk to string our phone line along a fence and through some trees so we had communication again. Sadly, it is still in that same state with my partner having to patch it when the neighbour's sheep rub against it breaking the connection. After two and a half months we got a septic system again. We could wash dishes without having to take the bucket outside to empty and joy of joys, we could flush the loo. We got the water running again so we could start cleaning up. There will be ongoing issues and we may need a new supply, but friends have been great at letting us "borrow" water when needed. We've had days and weeks of diggers on the property clearing debris and teams clearing fences. There's still more to do, but it is beginning to come together. Civil Defence turned up seven days after the event, followed by the news media. Since then we have had site visits from insurers, assessors, building inspectors, structural engineers, contractors, Ecan, road crews, Council, Chorus, Downers, electrician, the list feels endless. Other visitors have included the wildlife that surrounds us. Despite the pain of losing so many critters, especially in the streams, we still have an abundance of wildlife visitors.  We have a long way to go to be past the flood, but some things are wonderful. My partner cleaned out the slosh and slop from the bottom of the kakariki house when the waters went down. He tipped the debris in a washout across the road. A few weeks later tiny sunflower seedlings popped up. Despite them germinating so late in the summer, they all flowered with their bright, sunny, smiley faces and we have been enjoying stepping out the gate - no longer shocked by the devastation but greeted by the bright sunflowers. Prior to Cyclone Ruby's disruptive visit, I had been preparing for a busy summer of studio visits. I plan to be open again in the spring and would love you to come out for a Studio Visit and a cuppa on the deck. Did you know it costs nothing but a moment of your time to help out a small business? As an artist I am aware that many people who see my art will not be in a position to purchase it. It may not appeal to them, it may not fit their decor or it may not be within their budget. And that is okay. Many of my friends run a small business. Although I don't need what they have on offer I still want to support them. Here are five actions you can take that will cost you nothing yet will support the businesses you like. #1 Sign up for their email newsletters Thank you to all those who have done this for me. (Here is my email sign up link: https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html ) #2 Read the newsletter and if there is anything in it that you think might interest a friend, forward it to them drawing their attention to it. #3 Like/follow the business on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn or any platform they and you share. #4 Like, Comment and Share the small business posts on Social Media. A like is great, a comment is wonderful, but a share is spectacular when it comes to social media algorithms. It means the platform will automatically share that post with others as well. The more people who see it, the more chance of finding a purchaser. #5 Visit the business website occasionally. The more times a website is visited, the more likely it is to be shown in a search engine. And, if you see something on the website a friend might like, forward to it them. Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact,
you can send a message through any of these channels: Post a comment on this blog Email at info@triciahewlettart.nz Visit my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html Find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett  Will you be visiting Banks Peninsula at Easter? If so, plan a trip to the Eastern Bays to visit my studio. Open from 10 to 4 on Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon. You will see original artworks, prints, cards, art mugs, totes and journals. You can meet our Kakariki, stroll through 100 Aker Wood to meet Pooh and friends, have a cuppa on the deck and learn more about Hinewai Reserve. Follow the signs from the scenic route at the Long Bay Road / Summit Road intersection. For enquiries pop online here. Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact, you can send a message ... *post a comment on this blog *email at info@triciahewlettart.nz * my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist *Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett ________________________________________________________________________________________ First, let me thank you all for your support, purchases and goodwill throughout the past year. I raise my glass to you!  Actually, I don't drink alcohol, so my glass is filled with wonderful fresh water run down from the hills of Hinewai Reserve. We have recently had the most refreshing rain. I'm sorry for all those camping over the Christmas holidays. I know rainfalls and tents are not always the greatest friends, hopefully though, you can appreciate how much the whenua, the flora and the fauna were in need of this liquid blessing. Now with some moisture about, we are able to relax and enjoy the abundance of new life in our valley. Since my last blog I've not completed many artworks, but I have been spending time out and about, watching the birds and critters, following their antics and learning so much more from them. I've been attending numerous art events. I've had some folk in learning and sharing their art endeavours and I've had so many wonderful visitors to my studio. Long may it continue. I wish you a healthy and happy 2021, filled with whatever it is that makes your heart sing. Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact,
you can send a message ... *post a comment on this blog *email at info@triciahewlettart.nz * my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist *Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett _______________________________________________________________________________________ Spring and early summer are busy times in New Zealand's art scene. Most of the years exhibitions fall into this time so forward planning is necessary to ensure we have art for each exhibition we have signed up for. It means less art is produced during this time, but more people get to see what we've been working on. It is an exciting time! You can see my exhibition plan here.  Shining Cuckoo by Tricia Hewlett available at Te Huanui Gallery in Darfield until Nov 25th. As a wildlife artist is is also an amazing time to see the critters who are active after their winter quiet. The cicada crawl out of the earth, the frogs produce a raucous night symphony, the shining cuckoo returns from the Solomon Islands and call for mates, the boy stoats roam the countryside and the grey warbler call returns to serenade my gardening tasks. The camera is never far from me and many an hour is spent watching the antics of critters getting on with the seasonal tasks of procreation. People also emerge at this time of year. We have folk visiting for Art Retreats and Studio Visits. Our Wildside Art Group attendance improves along with the better weather and Hinewai Reserve visitors increase exponentially. Despite the numerous tugs on my time, spring and early summer really is a wonderful season! Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact,
you can send a message ... *post a comment on this blog *email at info@triciahewlettart.nz * my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist *Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett
Although, I do have a few works planned out and ready for those times I can't get photos of the birds and critters I am watching. Sometimes it is a request from one of you that actions a certain bird. Currently on the drawing board is a bellbird. I had a message from a woman who likes my style and wondered if I had a bellbird. I replied that it was one I had planned out but not started. Then she told me that the bellbird became special to her during lockdown. There was no traffic noise to overshadow the bellbirds call. She listened and enjoyed them calling near her home. Then we all went back to our busy noisy lives. Now when she hears a bellbird it reminds her to slow down. I love this story! So, instead of finishing my yellow-eyed penguin, I reworked the planning of my bellbird and started layering in the details. About half way through, approximately 10 hours work, I was visited by a bumblebee. This bumblebee reminded me that I have not yet found time to draw it by pooping on the bellbird drawing!  So, back to the start. The good thing about having to restart an artwork is that the little things that were not wrong but could have been better can be made better. If you are keen to see my work, I currently have work on display at the Ashburton Art Society 56th Annual Art Exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery, and the Feathered Friends Exhibition at Te Huanui Gallery in Darfield (which includes the four miniatures above). Prints and cards are available the Artisan Lab in Little River and at Fishermans Bay Garden. Coming up this month I will be a part of the Uno Sqaure Exhibition at Art on Tyne in Oamaru, The Akaroa Gallery Cash and Carry Exhibition and the Ngaio Marsh Retirement Village Exhibition. Then in early Dec I will have my prints and cards at the Mandeville Craft Festival in North Canterbury. More details are here. Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact,
you can send a message ... *post a comment on this blog *email at info@triciahewlettart.nz * my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist *Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett Where to find me...I have a raft of art events booked in between now and Xmas all over Canterbury. Like everyone else, Covid is impacting what I can and can not do. These events are on again - off again, postponed and cancelled on an almost weekly basis so I have been hesitating before sending out information on where I am exhibiting. Today I decided to send out what I have confirmed at this time. I'll keep my website up to date so do check out the About Page, scroll down and you'll see a list of the events I am currently booked in for.    If you are out and about over the next few months, you might like to check out some of these art events. You'll find my work there, alongside other amazing artists, and for some events I will be there in person as well. Upcoming Exhibitions Postponed - New date to be advised Akaroa Winter Market Trinity Church, Akaroa September 18-19, 2020 Mt Pleasant School Art Exhibition Mt Pleasant Community Centre, ChCh September 25 to October 29, 2020 Arts Canterbury at Te Huanui Art Gallery Te Huanui Gallery, Darfield. October 18, 2020 (12 noon to 4 pm) Governors Bay Fete Governors Bay, Banks Peninsula October 19 to November 13, 2020 Ashburton Society of Arts 56th Annual Exhibition Ashburton Art Gallery October 30 to November 26, 2020 Feathered Friends Exhibition Te Huanui Art Gallery in Darfield Opening November 2, 2020 Uno Square - On the Freezer Wall Art on Tyne, Tyne Street, Oamaru November 13 to December 20, 2020 Akaroa Gallery Annual Cash and Carry 1 Rue Pompallier, Akaroa November 20-22, 2020 Forever Art Ngaio March Retirement Home November 28-29, 2020 Akaroa House and Garden Tour Fishermans Bay Garden Artist in Residence Sunday 6 Dec, 2020 Mandeville Craft Festival https://mandevillecraftfestival.co.nz/locate-us/ ***** Other days I'll be back in the studio working towards these events, so feel free to book in a Studio Visit. Details and contact form can be found here. I also have work available at... The Artisan Lab - Little River Cards and Framed Prints Akaroa Gallery Cards Mr Peacock, Akaroa Framed prints Fishermans Bay Garden (from late Sept) Cards, Prints and Framed Prints Supporting me while supporting these local businesses is a win:win for us all. Remember if you are interested in any of my art, have a question or just want to make contact,
you can send a message ... *post a comment on this blog *email at info@triciahewlettart.nz * my website https://www.triciahewlettart.nz/contact.html *Facebook https://www.facebook.com/triciahewlettartist *Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciahewlettartist/ Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Nga mihi, Tricia Hewlett  This friendly fantail wouldn't go outside so got a little helping hand and a photo shoot on the way. In this blog I share my new art venture - Studio Visits - and talk about fantails...
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