Emerge Exhibition, Charity Art Auction, Bloom Unveiling

You're all invited!!

What: NZ Art Guild Members Exhibition and Charity Art Auction

When: July 2nd 6:30pm

Where: Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland

For the third year in a row artists from the New Zealand Art Guild are joining forces to raise money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation through a unique charity art project and auction.

On July 2, the NZ Art Guild will unveil their 2010 collaborative project titled ‘Bloom’ during the opening night of their exhibition “Emerge”. This one of a kind project is compiled from 64 individual artworks created by 62 NZ artists who each interpreted the theme “New Beginnings and Growth” into their piece.

When combined these individual panels will create a stunning artwork measuring 1.3m x 1.3m that will then be auctioned on TradeMe with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the Mental Health Foundation.

The opening night of ‘Emerge’ will also see 12 fantastic artworks by some of New Zealand’s top artists auctioned off to benefit the Foundation. More information on these can be found on the NZ Art Guild website (http://www.nzartguild.co.nz/Emerge-Exhibition.html). To view the auction catalogue go to www.nzartguild.blogspot.com

"We are once again thrilled to be working with the New Zealand Art Guild on such an exciting project," says Judi Clements, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation. “We are truly appreciative of the commitment we have received from the Guild’s members over the last three years”.

“The Mental Health Foundation relies heavily on donations to help provide resources and support to New Zealanders affected by mental health issues and it is the support of such events that not only helps us to do this but also brings us closer to our aim of making mental health everybody’s business”

“Emerge” opens on 2 July at 6:30pm at the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland.
Come along and support people with experience of a mental illness, and their friends and families, by bidding on the artwork.

Huge honour .... Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards

Last week was the 2010 Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards - and I was one of three finalist in the Outstanding Business Citizenship Award - what a fabulous category to be a finalist in - and the competition was very high! Unfortunately I didn't win it - BUT Biddy who did is amazing - CEO of Hospice - great work! As friends and family keep saying - there is always next year :-) I'm just happy to have achieved the position as finalist this year!

The two day Bloom Conference was very inspirational - amazing speakers - fantastic women to spend two days with - and the energy was phenomenal. Was great to be part of it all.

Recession is ...... over!!

Yes well that is def the feeling I'm getting here - art sales and commissions are on the rise again and that is usually a good sign that people are feeling more comfortable about their money and financial situations.

I've been very fortunate since the beginning of April to have sold 10 artworks and gained a couple of commissions too. Many artists will tell you that if they have artworks sitting around for months on end and they aren't making any sales then it can start to sap your creativity - you just can feel very down and question what the point is ... makes you doubt your talent ... your ability and style. So this is why the increased sales are doubly exciting.

The torso that I did for Legato has proved really popular and have had many enquiries including a couple of commissions - unfortunately the commissions for these are on the back burner while I try and clear some of my work - thank goodness for patient buyers!!! You know who you are. ;-)

It certainly has been full on with exhibitions for me this year I currently have work being exhibited in Napier and this weekend in Auckland at the Original Art Sale and then next week is the opening of our annual members exhibition in Takapuna - not to mention that I have an exhibition in Dunedin next month, Auckland again in September, October, November and December!

I will try to load the details BEFORE the events so that people can come along if they wish. :-)

Italy ... Legato Exhibition .... art

Venice at night

Venice at day


Well it seems a distant memory now but it has been less than a month since we got back from Italy. What a fabulous trip!! It started in Roccasecca and Cassino Italy with the Legato exhibition - then we started the amazing race .. well that's what it felt like! We went from Cassino to Naples - then to Pompeii - Sorrento - Amalfi Coast - Rome - Florence - Venice - Vatican City - we didn't spend more than two night anywhere and hit the ground running every day. (ok not literally!!) such an amazing experience and one that we shared with other fabulous Kiwis at different legs of the trip. We made many very special life long friends and had a ball along the way. I took 680 photos - my wonderful man was more restrained and only took 500. I couldn't get enough of the churches, buildings, architecture and the art works in them. Really were breathtaking and despite the photos you just couldn't capture the sheer magnificence of them.

Commonwealth War Cemetry at Cassino

Inside Casserta Palace

Grounds of Casserta Palace

The downside to the holiday ... I missed my babies .... we managed a few texts, emails and two phone calls - the phone calls were absolute gold - I never slept well the night before - set as many alarms as possible so scared I would miss the small window of time to phone them. How wonderful just to hear their voices.

I feel so grateful to have been given the opportunity to exhibit in Italy along with 39 other artists and to travel there with a dozen of the artists. This was only possible because I had a fantastic team of family, friends and volunteers back in NZ that looked after every aspect of the NZ Art Guild for me and kept everything running smoothly. for the first time in 6 years I actually was away from work - I had PC access only on a couple of days - and managed to really get my head out of work. Huge thanks to all those amazing people in my life.

Pompeii

Florence by Night

Amalfi Coast beach

I've jsut shared a few photos from the trip ... still have hundreds to sort through!

Just do it ....

I've been agonising over the fact that I haven't updated my blog for nearly two months - I know I've needed to update it - fill in the blanks - where I've been - what I've been doing - what's coming up - sharing thoughts - ideas - sayings I heard and loved - artworks and more. Everytime I stop and think - right better start I get paralysed by where to start - it just seems like such an enormous task that I close the screen down and do something else. Well today - I decided - so what if I don't update what I've done - the past is past - but what I can do is start from today and share where I'm going.

So today is brief .... I want to share two quotes ....

"Scars remind us of where we've been but don't dictate where we are going"

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." -- Elizabeth Kubler Ross