Hello, I am Barbara Clegg, mother, grandmother, administrator and ARTIST!
I was born and have lived in Taranaki most of my life apart from sojourns to the South Island, Western Samoa and Australia, but the province of Taranaki and the mountain always call me back.

My participation in art began about four years ago when my son left his paints in my house and I decided to give art a try. Now I paint nearly every day once I am home from my employment as an office administrator. Art has become quite a large part of my life and I find myself travelling in on a very creative journey.

This journey has resulted in great personal satisfaction and many successful sales as I produce my unique interpretation of my environment. I particularly like producing images of our geographical icons such as mountains, our coastline and our off shore islands. To date these images include such featues as Mitre Peak, Young Nicks Head, Taranaki and her sister ranges, Cape Kidnappers, Maunganui Heads, Lyttelton Harbour, Paritutu and the Sugar Loaves.

I have also successfully produced some abstract images either faces, or just streams of energetic colour. The challenge of taking an image to another place is very exciting, all absorbing and my favourite is usually the one I am currently creating.

Sequoia 8 is a group of eight developing and exhibiting artists who meet regularly to support and encourage each other. We are extremely fortunate to have the participation in our group of an international artist ex South Africa - W George Boyes. George exposes us to the endeavours of famous artists, critiques their work, and explains their styles and genres. For myself, these meeting have been my first exposure to art and art history and lead to my reading further about those whose styles I enjoy....another enriching journey!

Participation to date includes -
NZ Affordable Art Show 2005 & 2006, Wellington
Sequoia 8 Art Exhibition, New Plymouth in 2006
Taranaki Art Review 2005 and winner of Rural Section 2006, Opunake.
NZ Landscapes Exhibition, Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford

Most recently, I sold two items from my first participation in an exhibition at NZ Academy of Fine Arts 2007 of which I have just become a member. One of those images has actually travelled overseas. I now have three images in different sites overseas...how exciting is that!

I sell my work, purchase more materials, paint again. And while there is great satisfaction in knowing that others value what you do, there is nothing like the thrill I get when an image moves a viewer to an emotional response!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little. I invite you to visit www.virtualtart.co.nz where you will find me amongst some other talented people taking similar steps, hopefully to success.

Barbara Clegg,
5 B Lindaver Grove, Merrilands, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Ph: 06 7575413
Email: barbara.clegg@xtra.co.nz

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Bronwyn Matthews is well known for her unique depiction of the Taranaki landscape. Icons such as the Pohutukawa and Cabbage tree, and our well-known Mt Taranaki often appear within advancing and receding planes of rich colour.

Bronwyn currently exhibits her work throughout New Zealand. Her work is also in private collections in Ireland, California, Australia and South America.

There is a degree of abstraction and layering in most of Bronwyn's works, creating several viewpoints within a single piece. This style of working means that while Bronwyn does represent actual places she retains a degree of freedom in the presentation of these icons, or landmarks, as she is not bound to the restrains of realism.

In recent works, poetry written by Bronwyn, relates to the work itself and also acts as a visual tool to tie together the multiple images and abstracted forms, which can appear in a single work. It is this loose and comfortable culmination of landscape, colour and verse, which makes Bronwyn's style so appealing and unique.

Bronwyn works from her Studio in Normanby called: The Creative Energy Workshop, where she also holds classes and workshops for up and coming artists.

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There is no artist profile available for Curtis.

Gary was born in Opunake in 1963. He has always lived under Mount Taranaki. He draws his inspiration for his work from the maunga and the ocean.

Volcanic Variations is Gary's unique signature. This unique double v symbol can be found carved into all of his work.

Gary has a talent for bringing out the natural beauty of natures creations. He largely works with volcanic stone, andesite and driftwood.

His personal studio is located at 46 Ngatai Street, Manaia, Taranaki.

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Jim Haywood has been painting with watercolours for 12 years. His main subjects are landscapes and town buildings.

For the past 3 years, Jim has tutored evening classes at the Hawera High School in Taranaki. He also tutors members of the U-3-A at his home studio situated at 47 Dixon Avenue, Hawera.

Jim can be contacted on phone 06 278 7809 or email bacon1@xnet.co.nz

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Thank you for the opportunity to tell you a little about myself and what influences my images. I am originally from Melbourne, Australia, but now my husband, children and I are based in Taranaki.

Over the past few years, I have loved being involved in the ever changing lives of my three young children. I have taken a break from full time Art teaching and organising workshops to concentrate on my own image making. I have been fortunate to work as an Artist in Residence in schools in Australia and have written Art Reviews for commercial publications. I have worked as organiser, exhibitor and curator for many years and am now enjoy ongoing involvement as an artist with retail and gallery spaces in New Zealand - Taranaki in particular.

I find the challenges associated with “Identity” both rewarding and full of ambiguity! As a mother and a daughter I am confronted by questions of identity within my surroundings every day and represent these questions and conflicts with images and symbols relating to “family”. I am also interested in the infinite relationship between forms created by nature and that of the human body and our experiences.

I love discovering detailed moments of the world through my camera and enjoy the experimental nature of printing photographic images to use as emotive backgrounds for found / sourced objects and resin.

There is no artist profile available for Joanne.

There is no artist profile available for Kareen

There is no artist profile available for Marie.

Originally from rural South Australia, I now live in rural Taranaki and have been for nearly seventeen years.

Painting became so strong in my dreams that eventually I started painting! Most often the focus of subject would be whatever I felt strongly about regardless of its emotional demand. It may be despair, anguish or something I wanted to celebrate and enjoy. I have discovered that every type of painting medium speaks and holds an atmosphere of its own. These differences are full of possibilities and are so exciting to work with whether it be acrylic, charcoal, fabric or words.

I find art to be a very powerful tool. Every time I paint I am thankful of the gift of doing so and I do believe that every piece is created for a particular person. I just love the moment when the two meet. The person connects to the art, beautiful.

Writing is another passion of mine. Poems often accompany my painted pieces. A warm hearted children's book is one of my current projects.

I have a studio at home on our Organic Dairy Farm. Visitors are most welcome.

Enjoy your Button Bank discovery. A place of historic significance with an artistic difference.

love Necia.

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Paul Bieleski was the founding artist of The Button Bank Gallery.

The majority of his life has been spent involved in various forms of art. From drawing, painting and sculpting, to stage shows, music and film. He has spent two years studying art at Auckland Unitec but prefers not to be directed in how things should be.

Paul's art is as varied as his interests. Highly detailed and loaded works express that he is definitely not a minimalist. The use of buttons or reference to buttons in his work is a desire to include an element of history, dimension and texture. His wicked sense of humour is often subtly evident in his work!

To Paul, art is an expression of life and is a glimpse into the mind of the artist. Hence art and thought are symbiotic. Paul likes the ability of conceptual art to target subconscious thought. Through his work, he attempts to absorb the viewer, encourage them to think, to feel and to interpret it however they may. If his art results in any form of response from the viewer, he has achieved his aim.

Paul relocated back to Auckland early in 2007 and continues to support The Button Bank Gallery with his work.

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There is no artist profile available for Sobranie.

Tony is a master woodturner who has recently taken his craft down an artistic path. He has developed various techniques with paint to give his work a unique flavour.

Tony regularly undertakes commissions. His work can be found in Hong Kong, South Africa, Ireland, Zimbabwe, America, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Some collaborative pieces have also been completed. In conjuction with Tony, Paul Bieleski has performed pyrography (wood burnt images) and paintings on some of Tony's woodturning

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There is no artist profile available for Trish and Rowan.

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