An abstract masterpiece in lipstick across the expanse of my parents bedspread around the age of 3 and my art journey began.

Art is always calling me, the joy of colour and texture, being in a space of unlimited possibilities and childlike freedom.

My goal is to create joyful and uplifting paintings, capturing the light and spirit in bold and vibrant landscapes.

Working in acrylic and mixed media on canvas or board I find inspiration everywhere and the paintings emerge through an unpredictable process, depending on what I see and how I am feeling.

Northland based artist Amy Whyte has been using her skills in ink and oil paint for several years. Whyte has honed in on memory, the present and location to depict domesticated scenes from everyday life, past and childhood experiences.

Whyte introduces layers upon layers of oil paint over ink into her work as an effort to provide a statement to the audience of the many facets of life, as though each layer is a chapter and each painting is many chapters in one.

Scenes and objects that either surround the artist or are etched in her memory are combined with precise composition to create a landscape painting that is both interior and exterior.

Whyte continues to challenge the boundaries of her work by observing and adapting to new environments that create an extension to be United with the past, present, memory and place that already is.

Click on the images below to see examples of her work.

Belinda is an emerging artist, having been a high school English teacher for 25 years - all words, no time for images.

Once she quit teaching, she discovered there is an artist inside of her. It turned on like a light switch, to her surprise and delight.

Her paintings are abstracts, featuring large scale pattern in an embossed overlay of acrylic on the ink background. She uses quite a lot of pearlescent and iridescent paints, and love playing with the translucency of the inks, so the originals take on a life of their own in different light settings.

In essence, they are about light, from the cosmic fabric to the innermost microcosmic, with an overlay of the structures and forms our consciousness brings to that cosmic foundation.

She has also made a recent foray into spray painting mannequins. So much fun!

Please click on the examples of Belinda's work to see enlargements.

Beryl is self-taught gaining inspiration from relocating to the beautiful Bay of Island about 7 years ago.

Her work is mainly in acrylic on canvas depicting fantasy seaside villages, animals, boats, flowers and water scenes

Please click on the images below to see examples of her work.

I am an artist who enjoys using found objects to create an art piece - as my form of recycling!

Over the past two years I have completed an artist's residency and have held two solo exhibitions in the Hokianga.

Birds, boats, landscapes and life are my subjects.

Please click on the thumbnails below to see enlargements of examples of Brenda's work.

Catherine Dunn is a full-time contemporary Artist based in Northland.

She has been a practising painter and sculptor for over 3 decades working mostly in acrylic as well as oils and cold wax medium.

As an aside from painting, Catherine enjoys building assemblage sculpture from recycled wood and metal.

Catherine's work is held in private collections abroad and in New Zealand.

"I am motivated and inspired by my connection to the environment and those around me and how they shape
the various layers of awareness and growth within myself and others. Much of my work especially in recent years is an expression of an inner landscape, explored through layers of oil and cold wax medium, pigments, charcoal and texture".

Click on the images below to see enlargements of Catherine's work.

The images I create come from ideas I have had swirling around in my mind for the past 50 odd years.

They are subjects you often walk past everyday but only notice when you stop and take a closer look.

Mainly created with acrylics on canvas board, they are then finished with hand crafted frames made from locally sourced, old rustic fence posts.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of my work.

Elisabeth Wakeford prefers to work in water colour, water colour inks and acrylic inks.

It is challenging, but nevertheless rewarding when the sparkling colours appear to tell the story, and lead the viewer on a path of their own.

She has exhibited in several countries, including Africa, Europe (Spain), and New Zealand, and her work has been dispatched to buyers in Africa, Canada, China, Japan, Central America, UK.....

In the past she was a Floral Art Designer, having participated in International exhibitions and Competitions, and the study of that art has contributed to her understanding of the elements and principles of design.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of some of her work.

Erika loves to draw, paint, sculpt, build, and generally create new cool things!

She makes her paintings, woodcuts, resin art, illustrations, and maps in her home workshop while the kids are at school. She also makes digital designs which can be printed on apparel and accessories.

For KOAST, she will be focusing on Acrylic paintings and Resin art. She has spent many years traveling the globe, working as a sailor and wilderness guide, and get her artistic inspiration from these travels, as well as the beauty that surrounds us in the Bay of Islands! She is very happy to be able to share her art with you.

Fiona loves to paint. Her inspiration comes from sunsets and beach scenes, especially creating foamy waves.

She is very much drawn to the sea so nearly all of my work is of the ocean and on big canvases.

Seed The beginning of creation
Life is Art
Art is life
Celebrating light

A 24-year career as a full time artist in several mediums has enabled me to participate in art events and exhibit in galleries throughout New Zealand resulting in many pieces going to private collections internationally and nationwide. My passion for the last 7 years has settled with copper in which I achieve a bold colour pallet using a variety of ingredients to oxidize; offering a completely unique contemporary art piece each time.

The use of beautifully changeable copper enables me to express my interest of connection and growth in relation to our environment and the interaction of man and his impact...or lack of impact, the lapsing of time forming historical changes in habitats and behaviour.

For something light-hearted, I adore the way our human tongue creates a play on words or when I get that earworm song title or lyrics which sits inside my head for days like a little beating drum, I release it by breathing life into it using my hands and tools.

I marvel at the magnificent space, light and clarity that N.Z. offers us. I marvel also at the details in the smallest of pebbles in the darkest of corners. I can’t help but pause to observe the minute patterns that hide wrapped in the cloak of large wide-open spaces. I delight to spend a while wondering where the folklore people live, I find this an easy pleasure to transfer to my art pieces.

I deliver to you works of a rugged raw industrial finish, often set off with delicate embellishments to highlight our earths precious and near forgotten ‘gifts’. Allow yourself to travel into landscapes deep within.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

Jennifer is a creative passionate person who loves drawing, painting, and creating people's faces, hands, and bodies.
Diploma Level 5 & 6 Of Specialised Animation 2019
Bachelor of Fine Arts 2003 - 2006

She has travelled, relocated, and worked in different environments. Australia, Asia, Peru, Japan, Europe, the UK, Scotland, and the USA. She grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in Moeraki, North Otago, and worked and lived in the tourist town Kaikoura. Now delivering post in the rural areas of Kerikeri.

Exploring the magic of serendipity and  the satisfaction of a well-crafted line or shape or form is what it’s about for me,” Joan says.

“…And, all in fabulous, mouth-watering color!  It really is like life: some measure of comfort & control along with another sizeable measure of surprise & unpredictability. ”

Click on the images below to see enlargements of Joan's work.

A member of Bay of Islands Painting Group since 2016. Self-taught artist working mainly in acrylic. Subjects range from scenery to animal and human portraits.

Judi was born in  London and showed an interest in painting and drawing at an early age, dropping domestic science and needlework in favour of extra art classes and technical drawing. Her first commission (unpaid) was for a mural for the school entrance hall.

She was trained initially  by The Patents Office, London in Technical illustration. Over the years she has worked variously for advertising agencies, architects, a studio pottery, even had a stint in the Fleet Air Arm, all the time keeping up her interest in the arts.

She retired early in 1986 having had her own printing business in Auckland, New Zealand. She took up painting again and became a member of a cooperative art gallery where her works sold consistently to purchasers both local and overseas plus government institutions and were in constant demand. She was involved for some years promoting the arts arranging many exhibitions for local and national artists and galleries.

She says "There is no deep meaning or philosophy to my work, even or recognisable style, I just paint for my own enjoyment and pleasure and hopefully for others too!"
Her talents include graphic design, classic and traditional painting influenced by the Dutch masters and has even been known to paint some "Genuine Fakes".

Judi is a Kerikeri artist who  works in oil, acrylic, watercolour and currently coloured pencils.

She was a member of Art Upstairs gallery. and currently teaches at Cherry Park House and Kerikeri Retirement Village.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of Judi's work.

Happiness in her artistic adventures is key to how Judy King enjoys living her life. She finds herself  in her late fifties having a huge adventure at art school as an adult student. Judy am studying at the School of Media Arts, Wintec in Hamilton and are due to complete a Bachelor in Contemporary Art at the end of this year, 2023. Her art is flourishing, expanding, developing, growing and has become so much fun. The resulting works are a move away from her early realistic portrayals of a subject and have instead become a painterly impression open to viewer interpretation.

Inspiration for Judy's work comes from her years sailing the world, the beaches, bays, people, weather, colour and the textures seen, felt and enjoyed. Taking these life experiences to canvas and contextualizing the warmth, colour and subject with oil medium is such a challenge. She  continues to enjoy the marine environment living in the Far North and thinks this will always be an important aspect to her work. However, this is not the only aspect reflected in her paintings, as her latest Wintec project embraced more freedom of brushwork along with an exploration into the aspect of 'Openness'.

Kellie Edwards is a figurative and landscape artist based in Kaeo, Northland. A full time artist producing work in both oil paintings and pastel paintings. Her work is known for its emotive translucent quality from her attention to the play of light on colour and subject.

Kellie has won awards in national and international art competitions most recently the winner of the 2023 National Exhibition, Pastel Artists of New Zealand.

She studied Art and Design full time at Auckland Technical Institute, then took up a scholarship at Auckland Society of Arts majoring in painting.

Kellie says her aim is to create beautiful reminders to prioritise the moments in the everyday that give the lift we need to nourish our spirit. Moments of awe in the landscape, moments of connection, special quiet moments of reflection and moments celebrating big leaps of faith - all points to remember and treasure.

Whangaroa Studio/Gallery visits by appointment.

Watercolours, acrylics, charcoal & pencil

Art has always been part of Lin's life. She has always sketched in pencil and charcoal. Since living in Kerikeri, she has studied watercolours with Maxine Bell, loving the free flowing colours and gestural, expressive brush strokes that watercolours entail.

Her style is realism whether she is  painting in watercolour or using pencil or charcoal. She enjoys the challenges of a variety of subjects: still life, our local fruits, seascapes, horses, the human figure and scenes of life. Recently she has  been experimenting with acrylics and mixed media, a new stage, but still in her style of realism.

Her working art studio is Valencia Art on Valencia Lane in Kerikeri.  Call her for an appointment anytime

Click on the images below to see enlargements of my work.

Logan White, a self-taught artist hailing from the picturesque town of Paihia, New Zealand, embodies the perfect fusion of fine art and graffiti. From humble beginnings as a street artist, Logan has carved his own path in the art world, channelling his raw talent and passion into a full-time career.

Drawing inspiration from the vibrant street art scene that initially captivated his imagination, Logan has honed his skills over the years, transitioning from walls to canvases. His artistic evolution has led him to specialize in painting native New Zealand birds, capturing their intricate beauty and essence in a whimsical surreal way.

With a unique approach, Logan seamlessly blends the elements of traditional fine art techniques with the energy and urban flavour of graffiti. Each stroke of his brush tells a story, inviting viewers into a world where nature and street art coexist harmoniously.

His artworks are a visual feast, with vivid colours and striking compositions that breathe life into the canvas. Logan's passion for his craft shines through in every piece, showcasing his deep connection to the natural world and his desire to preserve its wonders through art.

Lynette Taylor always loved art.

It wasn't until she had time in retirement that encouraged her to participate in what was always a glowing ember in the hearth of her life. After a traumatic head injury and long recovery period, Lynette was gifted a set of pastels and art classes with Brent Redding, a passion ignited and there was no turning back.

With several art prizes under her belt, Lynette is once again opening her home studio for the KOAST - Tai Tokerau Art Trail.
Click on the images below to see enlargements of their work and scroll through the slideshow.

My work is colourful and expressive, usually focused on landscapes and the forms of nature including plants, rock formations, native forests and flowers.

I love to paint - there is no deep meaning behind my paintings and no philosophy, it is my pleasure and fun to paint and to hopefully bring the same pleasure to the viewers.

I work mainly in acrylics on canvas, but dabble in water colours and oils as well.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of my work and scroll through the slideshow.

My style of painting is mostly gestural realism, taking inspiration from observation of people, places, nature and surroundings. My passion is for watercolour and in more recent years Acrylic.

The paint is flowing and there seems to be a bit of a retro vibe going on with my colour palette. Many years of teaching and being part of students creative journey has been very rewarding and inspirational. Ultimately I realise the importance of the feeling of wellness and contentment that creating art brings.

To put it simply - Painting makes me happy.

I have loved art all my life, enjoying time spent with my father whilst he painted many beautiful New Zealand scenes.  I elarnt a lot from him and have also developed my own use of acrylic paint.

I studied art and classical studies at school.  My love for colours, design and interiors have all come into play giving  me focus to achieve my desire to become an artist.

My love for the New Zealand sea, bush and bird life, influences my art greatly.  As well, having been a dancer in my youth, I use the musical flow and movement when painting , letting the layering and passion develop in my brushwork.

Seeing the pleasure on people's faces as they view my art is one of my greatest enjoyments.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of my work.

From a child Mike’s passion has been music and art. His style is eclectic with a focus on the abstract as well as realism.

His art is heavily influenced by music which allows flow and layering develop in his brushwork.

I am a ‘ finder’, treasure seeker, observer, collector of the neglected and overlooked, examiner of shape and shadow. I am also a colourist who imagines she paints with a mature and limited palette. ( has not happened to date.)

I am ‘reborning’ myself back in to the artworld. A hiatus involving social conscience, community connection and assisting those in need, has kept my artwork at a lesser priority for the last six years. This year I decided I need to raise that priority, and to give my art love the playful respect and necessary indulgence it deserves.

So here we go again. This time, an honest admittance in declaring, that I have no idea what will result for this KOAST exhibition. I have included photos of painting fragments. You may or many not see any of these in the exhibition .....but these are honestly my first scrawls on many canvases. . By the time we open in October......they will look stupendous and you will be marvellously enthralled and want to buy the entire collection. That’s the goal.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of my work

Having gained much satisfaction from teaching art for many years in NZ primary schools I felt inspired to begin a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.

My studies were interrupted when I was offered a great job, spending 6 years as an Art Specialist, teaching in International Schools in China, and Malaysia. My first paintings came from that time.

I have established myself as an artist and art teacher in Kerikeri, currently running customized art workshops and one on one art coaching for private clients.

Portraiture has become part of my oeuvre. The recent discovery of my half sister Ella has inspired a personal journey. I paint her portrait in its many guises. She died before I had a chance to meet her but expressing my feelings for her and her preciousness through paint has enabled her spirit to be captured.

My most recent body of work focuses on the fragility and purity of magnolias, the delicateness of gardenias and the voluptuous fullness of hydrangeas.

Current work in progress provides the viewer with a reckless extravagance and looseness in shape and colour of Calla Lilies.

My paintings have been exhibited in New Zealand, China and Malaysia and are currently held in private collections here in New Zealand as well as England, China, Malaysia, Belgrade and Italy.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of some of my work.

Nicki hails from Te Awamutu originally where she studied art through at high school, achieving Bursary Art.

Following school she moved into business made, returning to painting after several years for personal pleasure.

Inspired by nature, Nicki has always “layered” her paints as she loves to introduce texture into her work.  Being very tactile herself NIcki is always happy for her work to be touched as she believes that touch/feel and sight/vision are inextricably linked in the pleasure of art.

Nicki's art can be seen at The Little Black Gallery during KOAST and at times during the rest of the year.

Click on the images below to see enlargements of her work.

I am inspired by the work of the Masters: Picasso, Cezanne and Vermeer whose influence comes through in my style and subject matter. I am currently fascinated by the power of relationship, particularly between women.

I continue to explore complex composition in some paintings but am also experimenting with greater simplicity in others. A softer brush stroke brings light to my work while my love of colour shows more clarity.

Whilst living in England in my early forties, I had time to develop art as my primary creative outlet. After leaving Heatherley’s School of Fine Art in Chelsea, London, I began a fruitful six year student/ teacher relationship with Israel Zohar, a contemporary artist of international standing who teaches in the old renaissance style. During this time, I accepted portrait commissions and sold still life paintings from my London home.

Returning to New Zealand in 2003, I taught and sold from my garden studio in Kerikeri. In 2013, my wife and I moved to Cromwell where I continued to paint, exhibit and sell locally. In 2021 we returned to the north, living once again in Kerikeri, closer to the many women in my whanau.

I've been working in the art world for almost 40 years and in that time I've had the pleasure of seeing a lot of art.

I've also spent a lot of my adult life on the water, observing the sea, sky and light. So this seems like a good opportunity to put my interpretation on to canvas.

I hope you can taste the salt!

Rachel is an abstract painter based in Fern Flat, Peria. For the past three years she has been painting, developing her style and expressing herself through high contrast, energetic abstractions and portraits that evoke many layers of feeling and emotion as you journey through the potent kaleidoscope of colours. In addition to creating pieces for local galleries and online followers, she welcomes commissions.

Rachel Brooks works with illusory and atmospheric space, creating heavy edged, uneven forms which appear to slide off her canvases.

She combines the use of a palette knife with fingertips swirling repeatedly into the paint: smaller concentrated motions increase the illusory space while larger sweeping marks work to lighten and flatten the space. The works can be read from a number of vantage points what is one large block of colour from a distance becomes a subtly variegated, meditative pattern on closer inspection.

Recent paintings have moved towards abstract colour works with oil on Perspex and copper edging.

Rachel Brooks holds a bachelor of media arts degree in Painting with honours and currently paints from her studio in Taupo Bay.

Rachel is a self-taught artist who enjoys working in many different mediums - from oils and acrylics to ink and pencil.

Her first love is portraiture, trying to capture a moment on paper from faces with a story to tell. She has to be very disciplined and precise when she is practicing this.

Her second love is colour and the enjoyment of putting down paint and seeing where it leads her - learning to let go and experimenting has been very rewarding. These pieces are mainly abstract flowers which she finishes with a layer of resin which gives the piece movement and also really pops the colours. They are finished off with a handmade frame, which she also takes a lot of pleasure in making.

And her last great love is ink. Her current obsession is dip pen ink illustrations, which are a total absence of colour with just the ink and the white of the paper. This is a combination of being very precise in putting down your ink and also loose with the marks you put on the paper - careful and confident at the same time can be daunting.

Rachel can only create when she is happy, and has been told that this is reflected in her work. Art brings her such joy and has led her down a wonderful new path.

Ruth has enjoyed painting from a young age, and was a keen art student at school. When attending teachers College, she took art as one of my "personal development" subjects, which gave her exposure to many different aspects including outdoor sketching, portrait painting and pottery. Art then took a back seat until 2001 when she joined the Bay of Islands Painting Group.

At that time, Cherry Lawrie was giving lessons to new members which helped her get back into the wonderful world of art. She loves being part of the painting group, and appreciates the company, advice and friendship it offers. Painting is still only a hobby, but gives her a lot of enjoyment, and as she nears retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with a paintbrush (or palette knife) in her hand.

Sandy is an artist and author. She works mainly in acrylic and focuses on native birds. Imaginative and quirky, to make you smile.

Sarah picked up a few painting lessons in acrylic medium in 2019 from two established well known artists in Singapore. Both of them urged her to continue in NZ as they see the potential in her.

After emigrated to NZ in 2021, she is captured by the beautiful sceneries and nature. It is her desire to portray these awesome creations in her paintings.

She will be painting more landscapes, birds, flowers etc and hope to venture into other medium in the future. She look forward and hope people will enjoy her paintings.

My art journey began as a youth when I did a year in Art and design, focusing on painting. I embraced a love for colour and the expressive freedom painting allowed me. I lose myself for many hours with music loud and my paintbrush ago = my happy place!

I became a mum of four children took up finger painting and put the brushes on the shelf for a decade or so until two years ago when I joined the BOI painting group. This rekindled my love for painting and an appreciation for the sense of community and friendship the group brings. Through it, I am gratefully learning and developing new skills and ideas. I have contributed works exhibited both in Nelson and Northland and some mural and commission work.

I primarily work in acrylic paint and spray-paints, mixing large brushstrokes, some detail work, with palette knife, stencils and wording relevant to the subjects.

I draw inspiration from my Christian faith through the healing it brings, the love and development of ideas with my family, shared life experiences and nature.
I see painting as an opportunity to interpret the world around me and within me as a visual story.

A love of the outdoors led to a desire to paint the mountains, coasts, streams and huts of NZ, and later native birds. Eventually a discovery of the versatility of acrylics gave fruition to that desire and Tessa began painting about 10 years ago. Self-taught, she loves the excitement of starting a painting, it going wrong, coming back to it, and eventually the satisfaction of the finished product.

Tessa studied Graphic Design for 3 years at The London School of Printing. In our last year 4 students, including Tessa, won a nationwide advertising competition, The Layton Awards.

She worked in London for a group of Graphic Designers working at the BBC on documentaries and also annual reports (no computers then!!) before emigrating to NZ in 1968.  Moving to Ohope after marriage Tessa  took up silk-screening, designing wraparound skirts, bags, hangings etc.  She took up painting late in life.

I am a self taught painter. I have nurtured my love of painting with references to tutorial matter, observation and plenty of practice. My thanks to Judi Soutar and others from Cherry Park for their critique and helpful advise.

My first recollection with painting is as a teenager, looking out our lounge window and admiring the rural outlook. I bought myself a cheap set of waterpaints and proceeded to paint the landscape. Not bad for a first effort. I was encouraged to do more by my parents. Sketches of hands and feet were my favourites.

I took up painting again when the children were at school or asleep. This time trying a new medium- acrylics. A credit to my husband for his patience and encouragement as I set up the easel, made by my father-in-law, in the lounge. Many of these works were distributed to the family and some still on their walls. Then there was no more as family, life and work took priority.

it was only after we moved to Kerikeri and I semi retired that I took up painting again. My subjects have become more varied and I enjoy the challenge of something new. Nothing better than sitting behind my easel, brush in hand and listening to the radio. I am in another world!