Mr and Mrs Z Huia

Mr and Mrs Z Huia 2011

This work was so neat to paint, I had gorgeous vintage photographs to work from for the human elements of the paintings. It was sad however working from images of stuffed birds for the huia.

I so love checking out old photographs, the expressions, what people wore and the attention to detailing in the workmanship.

I did this work in response to hearing that the last known breeding pair of huia, who were meant to make it to an offshore Island in the hope of saving the species, ended up in some English gent's managerie back in the Mother Land. Victorian's and their collections! The 'Z' in the title of the work refers to 'Zachariah' which was taken from the title of a very bleak book I read when in my teens.

If you are interested in seeing more images you can find this work on Felt

Piwakawaka Wikitoriana

Piwakawaka Wikitoriana
2011

This is a little work that I completed before the Auckland Artisan Market in Parnell. Again it continues on exploring ideas based on connecting our manu native birds with Victorian society.

Here is the old photograph which I based Piwakawaka (fantail) on, the expression on the lady's face is quite confident and twinkly, just how I see the wee birds themselves.

Piwakawaka traditionally are viewed as being an omen of death, if one flies into your house, it is believed to signify that someone is going to die. When Maui was trying to defeat Hine-nui-te-po, the sleeping Goddess of Death, Piwakawaka was so amused by Maui's technique attempting this, laughing so loudly that Hine-nui-te-po woke up and then killed Maui. This is where this sweet wee bird developed it's terrible reputation from.

Detail of
Piwakawaka Wikitoriana

 When dealing with notions of extinction and conservation, using Piwakawaka symbolically is very appropriate.

Further images and information are available here; ellaQuaint on Felt

Latest Pieces

Well we have been head down tail up getting new work together for the Parnell Mother's Day Market on Sat 7th May.

Oops, taking over the flat . . .

Over the years I have collected a huge range of old fabrics, table linen, inherited sewing trimmings and other pretty stuff I have just hoarded. We thought we could up-cycle these gorgeous snippets of fabric and create a range of works that are more affordable that the original paintings that Ella produces.

This bear was sourced from a vintage etching.

 Lovely old drawn thread-work provides an effective base for this elegant horse.

  

This wee bear has green ideas.

Also we included some images from a book I discovered in my mum's things. 'Alice though the Looking Glass' . It features the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. I love the inscription on the inside of it

Here is one of the works that got created in response to the delightful drawings.

If you are at a loose end on Saturday, come and check out the ellaQuaint stall. We will have cards, printed and original one-offs, illustrated prints, unique up-cycled canvas works (like above) and last but definately not least, some of Ella's fabulous manu paintings. Follow the link for more details

Mother's Day Market

Blue Birds' Moon

Well I have completed a wee series of collages in photoshop based on blue, birds and moons. I think that they are tomtits, not bluebirds and they are not nocturnal . . . but hey.

There are so many amazing resources online that you can add to your own. I had just as much fun creating these images as I do with more lo-tech collage techniques, normally I dislike using the computer too much.

Vintage patterns have been brought into all of them, in some cases ever so subtly, which work wonderfully with the retro imagery. I think these will become a card pack as they lend themselves nicely to that format and are cute and chirpy.

artCards

Finally I got it together to put up some of the artCards that I have made for sale on Felt. They are time-consuming to make, but so much fun. Being a chronic hoarder, you know the ol' 'it can be re-used' adage, these little art works are a fitting end for some of the treasures that I have collected over the years.

daisy rabbit

Old magazines, vintage lace fragments, recycled calendars, handmade paper, inherited silk embroidery thread are just some of the ingredients that go into this range. They are all original designs and lovingly hand-made.

butterfly kisses

The silhouettes of the animals are hand-cut too, using stencils that I have made myself. The way that the light casts shadows upon the ground of the beasties is very effective.

golden birds

The cards will be available shortly for purchase via ellaQuaint on Felt

Huia and Tui

I had been thinking about experimenting with combining old Victorian photographs with our native manu for quite sometime. As usual, I over-researched and then got farrrr to many ideas and images so it took a while longer to get started than I had hoped.

This was the image that I used for Huia and Tui; a diptych that I recently completed. I am stoked with how well it turned out. Subtly layering up the washes to render the fabric of the blouse. I tried to show the fragility of the huia through having it more transparent, symbolising its eventual disappearance.



Huia and Tui 2011

 This work continues on with my Wikitoriana series that I started earlier this year. It is available for purchase from Felt

Aviary Love

I hadn't checked out this site for a wee while, when I stumbled across this set. The wall-paper is just stunning and when you zoom in on it there are actual bird ornaments mounted on the wall also. The crazy hoarder in me can relate to the stack of old newspapers on the desk too!

Follow this link to Anthropologie to find more nature inspired gorgeousness.