By Helen English Feel the fear and do it anyway! I think that when I say this, it is in response to what I have already decided to do, rather than in an effort to persuade myself to do something. I also think that there are...
Are you keen to be part of the Nightmare? Are you creative with a spooky and macabre side? Do you enjoy crafting unique artworks with a ghoulish twist. This year we are offering a unique opportunity for your art to be part of the show. The...
It’s true that artists, in most genres, tend to be sole operators, and there are countless cases of writers, painters, poets and potters who spend impossible lengths of time alone developing concepts or masterpieces in a quiet, detached world. “Writing, at its best, is a lonely...
The shortest day of 2018 is officially behind us – it’s a wonderful thought that we’re over the mid-winter hump and waltzing into summer again. Possibly wishful thinking with a couple of chilly months still to come, but knowing the days are now getting longer somehow...
We sure had some strong winds earlier this week. On Monday night I raced outside at 2.00am, feeling very mortal as 80km gusts pummeled and thrashed the tawas towering over the house. As the trees bent and swayed vigorously in the dark early hours, I stood in...
Last weekend we took the opportunity to join a celebration with family in Queenstown. It sure is a different world down there. On the morning we arrived it was minus 7 degrees, so our first stop was a beanie shop. Indeed, the sun struggles to peek over...
It’s that time of year again when many of us are already lighting fires to soften the onset of winter. As ours flickered into life again recently I pondered on our primal connection to fire. Apparently, human beings have been working with fire for over a...
A couple years back I was asked if I would hold a sketching safari around the Government Gardens for a few delegates attending a national architect’s conference. No worries. Except I figured there wouldn’t be much I could offer these seasoned professionals in the art...
Growing up in the Rotorua lakes region has been a true blessing. After four years studying in Christchurch back in the 90’s, I missed the lakes and bush dearly. The journey back home to start a career and raise a family was a natural progression –...
People have been caring for Bonsai trees for over a thousand years. The practise actually started in China before eventually arriving in Japan in the 14th century. The Japanese then went on to enhance the art and developed the refinements which make bonsai what it...