Sold one of my entries at the 2026 Harcourts Challenge

Here are my two pieces at the exhibition. I was thrilled to sell the 'Lotus Orb' on the first day.

'Lotus Orb' - SOLD

Sunset Swirl

My two entries for the 2026 Harcourts Challenge

Here are my two entries for this years Harcourt Challenge (the four categories are North, East, South, West).

'Lotus Orb' (Category: East)

Main shot

Other shots

Sunset Swirl (Category: West)

Main shot - wall hung

Angled shot

2026 Harcourts Challenge and Big Arts Day Out

I always look forward to this annual event. The theme for this years challenge is: North, East, South West.

Picture SOLD on the opening night

I was thrilled to sell my latest mosaic artwork on the opening night of the Harcourts Challenge Exhibition/Big Arts Day Out.

SOLD
"A wonderful day to remember"

My two entries for the Harcourts Challenge 2025

The theme of this years Challenge is 'The Senses'. There are 4 categories: Sight, Smell, Taste and Touch.

Entry 1- Category: Sight

" A wonderful day to remember"
polymer clay mosaic, 40 cm x 60 cm

A cruise ship stop at Mystery Island and my first experience of walking on coral sand, sitting under majestic palm trees, drinking from a fresh coconut. This was a wonderful day to remember on a special holiday, to celebrate my 50th birthday, cruising the Western Pacific Islands.

Entry 2 - Category: Smell

"Kakara" (fragrance bowl)
polymer clay mosaic, 12 cm diameter

Kakara is the Māori word for aromatic, fragrant, sweet-smelling. For the exhibition, I will place a Freesia & Jasmine reed scented diffuser in the bowl, to provide the actual scent that the floral images in the mosaic convey. 

Below is a photograph taken at the exhibition.

Harcourts Challenge & Big Arts Day Out 2025

I have two entries in the Harcourts Challenge and a stand at the Big Arts Day Out, where I will be demonstrating how I make my Swirl-StoNZ. Looking forward to these events over the Auckland Anniversary weekend, it will be a feast of creativity!

Harcourts Challenge 2025 - Entry 2 is progressing very slowly

This will be my main entry, under the category Sight. The mosaic picture, titled "A wonderful day to remember", is from a memory. It is progressing very, very slowly! I have only completed the bottom third of the picture, as I write this before Christmas, and all the palm tree leaves yet to come are daunting. There is only a month left until submission and am seriously worried that I may not get it finished in time. 

I think this is likely to be my last dot mosaic picture, due to the time-consuming nature of the medium, so I have to get it finished for this competition. As I have been spending all my time on this artwork, I have not managed to create any new work to sell on my stand at the Big Arts Day Out, so this entry needs to be impressive.

Harcourts Challenge 2025 - Entry 1 completed

I have completed my first entry for the 2025 Harcourts Challenge. The theme is 'The Senses' and there are four categories: Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch. My piece is "Kakara" and will be entered under the Smell category. I will post photographs once the competition has been judged on 24 January 2025.

Harcourts Challenge & BADO 2024

I have finished my entry for this years Harcourts Challenge. I chose Air (from the four elements Fire, Earth, Water and Air); it is a 3D piece titled "Her scent lingered in the midnight air" (see photo below)

On the Saturday and Sunday (27 & 28 January) I will have a stand at the Big Arts Day Out, where I will be selling some of my dot painted artwork, other one of a kind pieces, and Swirl-StoNZ. I will also be working/demonstrating how I make the Swirl-StoNZ throughout the weekend.

"Her scent lingered in the midnight air"

Big Arts Day Out 2023

Despite the terrible weather over the weekend, with no out of town visitors being able to get to Whangamata on the Sunday due to road slips, this event was quite successful for me. As well as the sales from my stand, I also sold one of my two entries in the Harcourts Challenge, "Making a difference to our Oceans". It was nice to meet the purchasers, as it gave me the opportunity to explain how I made the piece and how it related to the theme of the competition.

Making a difference to our Oceans - SOLD

My two entries for the 2023 Harcourts Challenge

The theme for the 2023 Harcourts Challenge is 'making a difference'.

Making a difference to our Oceans
40 cm diameter, mixed media

Entry #1: ‘Making a difference to our Oceans’ was created with recycled plastic, including some ground down polymer clay mosaic tiles, glitter and resin. (I had to photograph this in quite a dark room, to stop the light reflecting on the glossy resin surface, so unfortunately you cannot see the glitter in the artwork). My thought was that locking the plastic into the artwork means it will not end up finding its way into the oceans.

The Great Barrier Reef
30 cm x 30 cm, acrylic paint

Entry #2: ‘The Great Barrier Reef’ was dot painted with acrylics; the 'making a difference' is intended to be shown by a reef full of coloured coral and fish grading into a colourless version in the distance. It is meant to show that we (humankind) can make a difference to the future of the reef if we try. 

What have I been doing for the last 5 months?

The End of an Era

Since completing 'The End of an Era' (July 2022), with some of my unused round mosaic tiles, I have only made one other artwork. 'Moana' was created with recycled plastic, including some ground down polymer clay mosaic tiles, glitter and resin (photo to be posted in January 2023). I will enter it in the 2023 Harcourts Challenge (judging takes place on 27 January), which has the theme "making a difference". Locking the plastic into the artwork means it will not end up finding its way into the oceans.

The rest of my time has been spent making small hand-crafted items and Swirl-StoNZ for the Christmas/Summer markets. I have also been practicing painting with dots, and a number of small practice pieces, like wall hung hearts, decorative pots, mugs and candle holders are amongst my market stock.

Currently, I am working on a second entry for the 2023 Harcourts Challenge, which is a scaled down version of a Great Barrier Reef painting, inspired by my visit there back in 2017. (A photo of the finished painting will be posted in January 2023). I have decided to paint this with dots, although it is quite fiddly as the canvas is only 30cm x 30cm, as part of the transition from dot mosaics to dot painting. The 'making a difference' is intended to be shown by a reef full of coloured coral and fish grading into a colourless version in the distance. It is meant to show that we (humankind) can make a difference to the future of the reef if we try. 

On another level, my move to expressing artwork with the dot painting, rather than dot mosaics, is hopefully 'making a difference' to my creative productivity. 

2022 Big Arts Day Out/Harcourts Challenge - photos

Really pleased with how this weekend turned out. Here are some photos.

My stand in the Big Arts Day Out hall

My two entries for the Harcourts Challenge - this years theme: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Whangamata News 04.02.2022

 After waiting nervously over the last few weeks, so pleased this event is still going ahead. Can't wait!

Big Arts Day Out and Harcourts Challenge - Waitangi Weekend 2022

This should be a great event over the Waitangi Weekend. I have two entries submitted for the Harcourts Challenge, this years theme is 'Looking Back, Looking Forward'. I will also have a stand in the other BADO hall, where I will be selling a selection of mosaics and Swirl-StoNZ.  In addition, I will be demonstrating how I make the Swirl-StoNZ, and selling $1 raffle tickets to win the picture below. The winning ticket will be drawn at 3.30pm, half an hour before the event closes, on Sunday 6 February 2022.

 

My display at the Big Arts Day Out - Waitangi Weekend 2021

Here is my display on the opening (Friday) night of the exhibition. I will be demonstrating how I make my Swirl-StoNZ throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. 

Exciting event coming up this Waitangi Weekend - 6 & 7 February 2021

 

In addition to my entry in the Harcourts Challenge, a sand painting titled 'Essence of Aotearoa', I will be having a space at the Big Arts Day Out showcasing my polymer clay mosaics and also demonstrating how I make my Swirl-StoNZ.

Exhibition entry gets a mention - Hauraki Coromandel Post 28.01.2021

 

The next Whangamata Arts Collective event is the Harcourts Challenge/Big Arts Day Out, over the Waitangi weekend, 5-7 February 2021. This years Harcourts Challenge theme is Aotearoa Inspired. My entry is titled 'Essence of Aotearoa' and it gets a mention in the local paper. Really looking forward to this event.