Art Exhibition

Hamurana Lodge gardens exhibition physically displays many pieces of sculpture, by New Zealand sculptors, which are on display in the beautiful gardens of the Lodge in the form of a sculpture trail. Please do not hesitate to visit us (location), we are very proud to present the best of New Zealand artists (official brochure):

Rudi Buchanan Strewe

Born in Auckland (1984) Rudi trained as a motorcycle mechanic, mostly working on restoring classic motorbikes. Often this entailed fabricating or sometimes casting parts. He always had an affinity for working with metal, which lead him to building a forge for blacksmithing when he was 16. Rudi decided that he also wanted to learn the technique of metal casting and so taught himself the lost wax casting process and now can cast jewellery in bronze or silver and sculptures in bronze and aluminium. Rudi also enjoys working with copper as he finds it a good material to fabricate and forge into sculptures.

Marti Wong

Marti Wong is a self-taught artist who has been honing his skills for over 30 years. Drawing and sketching since before he started school, his keen observation and eye for detail all translate beautifully into his sculptures. He has been welding and creating recycled steel sculptures for 13 years and created hundreds of works, ranging from small spoon and fork men to life-size dinosaurs and dragons.

Marti is inspired by the creatures and animals of our amazing planet, past and present, and is strongly influenced by the fantastical and science fiction. Recently he has been experimenting with wood sculpture and glass casting, which he hopes to incorporate into his metal sculpture one day. One of Marti's sculptures won him the title Auckland Sculptor of the Year in 2009

Richard Wells

Richard Wells has been tutored by the prominent and well respected New Zealand artists Matthew Browne, Anton Chapman, Michael Easton and Roderick Burgess in Auckland. He furthered his studies in Paris under the French sculptor Brigitte Brandeau, a senior tutor at the Maubeurge Atelier Gare du Nord in Paris. Richard regards his time in France as highly influential to his current practice.

Di Conway

Born and bred in Wellington in 1944, art has always been an important part of Di's life and she is widely known for her 'fat-lady' sculptures created in her converted "shed" at her home. Di describes these mischievous, earthy figures as having the ability to convey the celebration of "the JOYS and sometimes the 'OY'S' of life". It is through these quirky, humorous figures and the underlying social commentaries about life, and empowerment of women that they embody, that Di has established a cult following in Wellington.

Although Di mainly works with both bronze and clay, she has most recently been working in stoneware. She says she enjoys this medium; taking pleasure in sketching the clay and "just letting what happens, happen". Each sculpture is a unique piece, right down to the individual hand-signed labels she writes for each one. Di has had many successful solo exhibitions and is an elected artist member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Art (NZAFA) and is also a foundation and active member if the Pueto bronze casting group.

Robbie Graham

Robbie Graham's award winning, turned wood art pieces are distinctive in style, showing meticulous attention to the finish. All Robbie's work is beautifully crafted often having been fashioned from native New Zealand timber showing rare character in the grain.

Some of his pieces have been enhanced with subtle touches of acrylic paint, inks, pyrography, texturing or carving, giving unique surface effects. His original creations range from fantasy pieces to unusual lidded containers with various delicate twists and spires adorning the lids, hollow vessels and multi-axis turned pieces.

Liz Sharek

Liz Sharek's current bodies of work are "meant to be placed in contexts where they can act like small interventions initiating conversations about the place or the things they find themselves with. I have been looking at the work of street artists like Slinkachu and Banksy, whose pieces are often placed contextually within the urban environment to create interesting dynamics and juxtapositions."

Liz's work is represented in the National Collection at Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand.

Wendy Whitehead

Wendy Whitehead describes her jewellery as 'contemporary wearable artworks'. She explains her creative process as "absorbing and interpreting my Maoritanga and giving it voice through my artwork". It is certain that her pieces are more than just items of adornment.

As an accredited holder of the Toi Iho trademark, (Maori made), Wendy brings impeccable craftsmanship and guaranteed authenticity to her pieces. This background has provided many major exhibition opportunities and her work are held in collections around the world.

Brenda Hart

With a long standing interest in making jewellery Brenda Hart began her professional career after training at Hungry Creek Art and Craft School, Puhoi; (Diploma, 2005, and Honors, 2006).

"Each piece tells a story that evolves as I work, allowing me artistic expression...I enjoy the research, history, the blend of function and design and the interaction with the wearer".

Robert Rapson

Robert's work has been shown in many exhibitions but notably in Paris at "Work from New Zealand", a month-long exhibition in the Galleries Impaire; and at the New York Outsider Art Fair, where all of his work at the fair sold and he received 15 commissions.

Robert Rapson's obsession with ships and New Zealand shipping, and the meticulous historical detail often documented under the hulls of his enchanting ceramic works make them very collectable objects.

Julie Baverstock

Having spent 20 years living and working throughout the Pacific with her family, Julie Baverstock returned to New Zealand in 1998. Although her background is
predominantly in the medium of paint, four years ago she began to explore the possibilities of cast glass and has recently completed a one year casting course run by Artstation in Auckland.

Julie's work is usually based around everyday objects, taking mundane objects which are often overlooked, and recreating them as something special. Julie's works often possess a slightly whimsical nature, aimed at engaging the viewer.

Joanne Sullivan Gessler

International sculptor, Joanne Sullivan grew up in South Africa and studied sculpture under noted South African sculptors, Etienne de Kock, Andries Botha, and Guy du Toit. This subsequently led to her attending workshops under some of the finest sculptors in the World. In recent years, Joanne's bronze sculptures have been exhibited in several International Museum exhibitions (1999-2008) including the "Master's Invitational" exhibition held at The Marietta-Cobb Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA, USA.

Joanne is known in New Zealand for her life sized Statue of Phar Lap which was unveiled on 25th November 2009 in Timaru, the birthplace of this legendary
racehorse.

Chris Moore

Artist and blacksmith Chris Moore has been sculpting and exhibiting in forged metal for over 10 years. He was trained in traditional blacksmithing and wrought iron restoration in the UK.

His forge work has graced some of England's finest buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace in London.

Chris's work is largely inspired by nature and movement, heating and forging metal over an anvil gives the work a richly textured and organic feel, which is not easily achieved with steel fabrication.