Summer art in the hall

WORDS & PHOTOS: JULIA WADE

Looking for a break from the hot sun, and something to do on the area’s one day of summer rain, visitors and locals alike were drawn to a stunning annual exhibition showcased by Mangawhai’s longest running art group.

On January 7 and 8, Mangawhai Senior Citizens Hall was colourfully decked out with a vast range of mixed media creations created by the Monday Art Group (MAG), from paintings inspired by Mangawhai’s scenic beauty and significant relics, to English country scenes and Maori symbols, with still life, wildlife and lifelike portraits, pop culture prints and even a design created with wine bottle tops.

Over 180 people came through the doors in the two days, taking their time to enjoy the large range of artistic talent which resides in Mangawhai and leaving behind a number of the desired ‘red dot’ sold signs.

1: Life-long artist Linda Foster’s interest in dots is clearly shown through her range of work which includes brillantly painted stones and ‘Glow’, featuring over 150 wine bottle tops. ‘I don’t do many of these but people used to bring me the caps...’

2: Known for her signature ‘pop culture digital art’ as well as trying all different sorts of media, Janine Brougham admits she likes things that are 'a bit wonky', inspired by a Leonard Cohen quip 'there is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in'.

3: The show was Ananda aka Heidi Baker’s, joining the Monday group only six months ago and the multi-media artist often uses upcycled and foraged items in her work which is inspired by the environment and sustainabilty.

4: The ‘Peoples Choice’ display, where artists create an original piece of art from the same object or theme and visitors vote on their favourite. This year’s muse was also an extraordinary piece of art itself, Kaiwaka’s Eutopia Cafe, and artist Andrea Gardner says members dr ew or painted what inspired them, not actually what they saw, ‘I don’t think Mickey Mouse was at the cafe on that day…’

5-16: Currently with 30 artists, and co-managed by Linda Foster and Jean Fountain, MAG’s friendly members have been creating and encouraging each other for over 40 years, and Mangawhai Artists Inc was born from the group with many MAGs belonging to both.