Matariki

'New Beginnings' - the title of this 700mm diameter tondo painting.  It will be shown in an exhibition to celebrate the Maori New Year at the new Te Toi Whakaahu gallery in Cambridge, NZ.
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The inspiration for this work came from the Parapara garden (in the wonderful Hamilton Gardens) which took my breath away when I visited the first time.  It drew me in spiritually and visually.  The pataka and the pattern of kumera planting told of the long history of cultivation in Kirikiriroa - images I have attempted to capture in this mixed media tondo work - together with the Matariki star cluster.  

'New Beginnings' (the title) uses acrylic media in many forms, ti kouka (cabbage tree) leaves used in depicting  the pataka, Japanese gampi paper and gold leaf on stretched canvas.  ​