Art taking flight in Clevedon

The Clevedon Art Trail is back, giving visitors a chance to explore and learn about different
art styles.

From March 28 to 29, visitors get to experience Clevedon’s vibrant art scene as well as enjoy the sights of the area. Fifteen local artists will be present, showcasing their various art styles and will be available to answer any questions.

People have the chance to visit the artists’ studios to learn about their art and what inspires
them. Some of the artists on this year’s trail include:

• Helen Morrison

Morrison, who’s based in Clevedon, has been a serious artist for the last eight years but has been a passionate artist since high school, where she discovered her love of oil painting.

“My art style is expressionist,” she says. “I want my brush strokes to be seen, I want to try
and put feelings and emotion into my work. It’s not realist, it’s not abstract, I call it
expressionist.”

This will be Morrison’s seventh time on the art trail, and she also helps to organise the event.

• Gracie Matthews

Gracie Matthews owns the Clevedon Costumes and Vintage Apparel store, where she used to make costumes for movies, television, and theatre productions. She now makes bespoke
costumes for private clientele.

Matthews has always been creative, but it’s only been in the last few years that she’s dedicated herself to being truly artistic. She enjoys recycling old material that would otherwise be discarded and turns it into something new that people can enjoy.

“It’s always an enjoyable process when someone has loved something for a long time, and the texture or the image has a fond memory,” she says. “It’s good to be able to repurpose that textile into a new memory they can continue to enjoy.”

For Matthews, the trail is a chance to remind visitors and the next generation of artists that
sewing is still a viable and creative artistic expression.

• Ginny Fisher

A painter, photographer, and printmaker, Fisher has made a name for herself as an artist first in New York City, where she lived for 10 years, and most recently as art editor for the
magazine Viva.

Fisher draws her inspiration from her own life experiences. Whether it’s at her garden at
home or from the breathtaking wild horses of the Kaimanawa Ranges. A lot of her other work deals directly with her domestic environment and the wild Clevedon area around her.

“I like looking at the tension between the two, things that are so contrived and controlled.”

This will be about her fourth time at the Clevedon Art Trail.

The event is run on March 28 and 29, starting at 10am. Art trails and art studio locations can be found online here: www.clevedon.co.nz/clevedon-art-trail-guide/.

Please note that each artist may have different opening times.