Paintings, pottery and mixed media artworks both functional and artistic will be brought together for an exhibition at Taupo Museum in August.
Exhibitions officer Kerence Stephen said five Hawke's Bay artists had contributed to the colourful and diverse exhibition that would appeal to many tastes. "A group of very talented artists have come together to create something that will expose the viewer to some fantastic and varied art," she said. "It includes paintings, mixed media works, clay figurines, contemporary ceramics and plenty more."
Curator Megan Harvey has a varied background that includes designing top selling wallpapers and painting murals. She also has paintings in private collections in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The other contributing artists are Kim Morgan, Jo Wilson, Kay Bazzard and Katie Mines.
Morgan creates unique and function artisan pottery including mugs, jugs, plates, platters and bowls. "Kim's goal is to remain at the leading edge of his craft as he continues to experiment with different techniques and ideas to produce new designs that are both functional and very artistic," Harvey said.
She said Wilson's art style defied any categorisation, with works spanning the genres of contemporary, abstract and surrealist. She saw her art as a creative journey and was constantly exploring new concepts and developing innovative techniques.
Bazzard is a largely self-taught clay artist. She specialises in creating figures of people in clay, and they are sold in galleries in Napier, Hastings, Cambridge, Newmarket and Devonport.
Mines is known for her experimental and heightened use of colour in her paintings. She uses cloth and brushes to apply paint in her landscape paintings as well as dropping paint from different heights and using a hairdryer to manipulate the direction of the paint. "Katie aims to portray a sense of strength in all her works with the intention of making the viewer question traditional concepts and ideals of beauty," Harvey said.
The exhibition runs from August 6 to September 12, with an opening on Friday, August 5 at 5.30pm. The museum is open seven days from 10am to 4.30pm. Entry is free to children and Taupo District residents with proof of address.