Wiki Bidios

Wiki Bidois has been a local school and Te Reo teacher for many years. She was instrumental in starting the Ra Whakangahau kapa haka event at Te Puna over two decades ago. She was also one of the women of Matua Branch of the Maori womens Welfare League who in 1993 were instimental in weaving the Tukutuku Panels that still hang in the stairwell of the Tauranga library today. Each panel has a name and story, which has been documented in a booklet called the Tukutuku Collection.

Janine Campbell

Living many years in Domestic Violence my inevitable search for healing led me to Raranga-Flax Weaving offering Te Kakahu Whakaruruhau -cloak of safety within Te Wananga o Aotearoa, DV leaves ongoing issues weaving is therapeutic I needed to learn confidence peace of mind freedom to be me, weaving ancestral connections wairua moments researching my/our Whakapapa throughout Aotearoa our tribal roots in Te Aitanga a Hauiti – Tolaga Bay on both sides of my parentage being Tuturu – originals. I wan

Vivienne James

I was privileged at the age of 15 to be a young dancer/actress living the dream, travelling the world, experiencing, learning and perfecting, how to turn very little into something aesthetically pleasing. Mine was a world of creativity and artistry, of theatres, art galleries and museums, magnificent architecture, history, discipline and myriad experiences that would prove to be a rich repository for the future. Culture, themes, style, colour, space, patterns and texture are essential ingredient

Nick Eggleston

Nick Eggleston is a full-time artist and art teacher. In my watercolour classes you won’t paint poppies or landscapes. There’s unpredictability to watercolour and ceramics; you can’t control what happens at every stage so you learn to work in partnership with your materials. “ Nick loves teaching all levels. He teaches his students how to process what they see in a manner that allows them to draw what they see in their heads.

Emma Prill

Emma (Bachelor of Visual Arts) is a local artist who has exhibited nationally and internationally.Emma's work uses a rich,bold palette of colour. "Emma's works breathe life.They are celebration. Their bright, playful colours bring therapeutic sunshine into people's homes and hearts. Her works often draw from gardens,and elemental environments. There is always a sense of the dance, or of movement.

Alex Mostyn

As a child I remember making jewellery with my mother and she would teach me the many names of the semi precious stones we used. As a grown up I then studied Silver smithing and Jewellery Design at Chelsea and Kensington College and did a pre-apprenticeship at the London Guildhall University. I am inspired by colour and shape and texture and I adore the combination of silver with soft shades of different coloured gem stones.

Hella Bauer

I read, write and journal incessantly. In addition to fiction, non-fiction and poetry. I devour books on the craft of writing and love to encourage others to simply get started to overcome the fear of the empty page and to silence the inner critic. After years of writing science articles, office procedures, training manuals and web content. I fell in love with poetry 10 years ago and discovered that the continuous practice of making every word count in poetry improves writing in all genres.

Rex O'Brien

Sculptor-Carver Rex was born and raised in Mt Maunganui. Rex was re-introduced to sculpture in 2000 after a childhood love of carving and working with clay. He explored bone carving work in the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. And then his early work from 2000 was working predominantly in stone where he explored bold flowing form with emphasis on shadow and balance. In 2010 he achieved a Diploma in Art at Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic. Rex recently won the 2016 Whangarei Sculpture Symposium.

Cat Thompson

Modeling and sculpting diverse materials into shapes has always entertained and fascinated Cat for as long as she can remember. Growing up on a farm she first used clay dug from the stream’s edges. Cat gained extensive knowledge about clay by working first in a pottery and then completing a four-year diploma in Craft & Design, majoring in ceramics, in Hamilton which she passed with honors, during this time she also experimented extensively with mixed media and papier-mâché.

Jackie Knotts

Diploma in Fine Arts -Ilam Art School Diploma Advanced Studies in Printmaking from Central/St Martins, London Art teacher in Wellington. The co-ordinator of Omokoroa Artists. Exhibited in many group exhibitions locally. I really only started lino cuts when I moved to Omokoroa just over three years ago and stopped work.

Graham Crow

Studied anatomy , portraiture and figure drawing at the Australian University in Canberra . “Although my current art practice is abstract painting (colour field painting) I have over the course of my working life often returned to the human form, and have successfully derived my income from selling figure/drawings/paintings.”

Hannah Wilson

Hannah Wilson BA (Philosophy), BFA (Printmaking), PGDipFA Hannah gained a BA in Philosophy and BFA in Printmaking from Canterbury University in 2008, and a PGDipFA from Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland in 2010. When she finds the time, Hannah specialises in intaglio carborundum techniques in her own printmaking practice, which is rooted in her love of observational drawing and interest in the biological make-up of flora and fauna of the world.

Carol Bisset

Carol moved from the UK in 1988 and has taught Visual Art programmes in both NZ & Australia.Carol has M A Post Graduate (Melbourne) has taught many age groups and abilities. She aims to present exciting challenges and to encourage exploration of a variety of contemporary approaches to Art. As a fully qualified, teacher and artist, Carol enjoys working with people with a sense of humour and enjoy being part of a vibrant group. Gain confidence, take risks, ….. and above all have fun!

Rosey Armstrong

Many of Rosey’s methods in sculpting are derived from a craft genre, such as felting and needle work. Rosey also uses many hand crafted fabrics to build her sculptures, such as second hand knitted garments. She feels there is nostalgia and memory attached to materials worn and loved by others. She enjoys using craft methods as it relates to the history of women in her family who continue to be fervent spinners and knitters supplying all family members with lush woollen items of clothing.

Jo'el Komene

Ngā Puhi / Tapuika BIT, BMVA, MA, Dip. T. Jo’el has a Masters degree (Waikato) focusing on taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments) A musician, carver and educator with whakapapa to Ngā Puhi, Tainui and Tapuika. He teaches Te Reo Māori and whakairo (traditional Māori carving). He performs and teaches taonga .He has performed nationally, internationally for television, radio and live performance. His goal is to assist in the revival of taonga puoro, which was very nearly a lost art form.

Kristian Lomath

Kristian Lomath In the early 1990s Kris studied art at Ilam School of Fine Arts, but stopped painting to work as caregiver, life coach and farmhand. In 2000, while working on the farm, he picked up the paintbrush again, depicting the land he saw in front of him. A full time artist for the last 16 years, Kris’s work developed from landscapes portraying the land he saw in front of him to the more abstract paintings he creates today.

Kirsty Clegg

Nic Clegg

Nic Clegg hails from Manchester in the north of England and moved to New Zealand in 2008. He has established himself as one of the Bays’ leading sculptors and has a following of discerning collectors throughout New Zealand who are looking to acquire  original, creative and exciting sculpture. Nic creates his sculpture from steel. “The processes involved in working steel takes you on an unending voyage of discovery – applications of heat and cooling create a multitude of textures and colour.

Kris Koburn

I’ve been drawing since I was three years old. Over the years I’ve learned techniques and secrets from lots of different places, and have invented some of my own. Having had to learn these steps myself over a long period of time, I’m excited to present these anime/manga drawing techniques in a clear, concise and well-explained manner, so that even the most inexperienced artist will be able to increase their skill exponentially in a short amount of time.

Craig McClure

Inspired by a childhood packed with American comic books and cartoons, I create a cast of fictional stereotypes, focusing on masculinity and superheroes. Influenced by technology, science-fiction, overheard conversations and observing the people around me, I explore ideas around stereotypes, popular culture and mass media. It is a subtle form of social commentary that allows you to have a little chuckle while hinting at something deeper. Bachelor of Media Arts: Honours, Waikato Institute of Tech