Raglan Old School Arts Centre

Wanda Barker

I locate Tantra and the sacred feminine at the centre of my art practice, reflecting bhakti yoga, a yoga of love and devotion. I describe both my art process and finished objects as mandala, hand maid and hand made relics of devotion.

A reclamation of the sacred feminine within everyday domestic forms the context for my art making, my meditation practice and my life as woman and mother.

My art making process and the art object represents symbolically and materially a celebration of the sacred feminine and engagement with a contemporary feminist perspective.

The intersection of these two practices is referenced in my current attention to family, domestic work and the collection of domestic objects. Together with paint and embellishments these form the substance of my current art making.

Susan Flight

Susan Flight (B.A. Advanced Diploma in Ceramics) works as an artist and tutor at the Mountain Dreaming Arts Workshop, in Raglan.  Her specialty is in figurative sculpture in clay, although her curriculum vitae ranges from sculpture, and drawing and design, to textile work.  She has received numerous study awards and grants, including sixteen exhibition awards for sculpture, textiles and printmaking in Australia and New Zealand. 

“Susan Flight is clearly one of those rare artists who isn’t content with repetition, with traditional or fashionable formulas, but continually seeks to expand the expressive qualities of everyday materials”.
G.E. Fairburn (Waikato Times)

Lin Van Craenenbroeck

Belgian born artist, who moved to Raglan in August 2006, was a professional window-dresser for fifteen years, always been fascinated by bringing colors, shapes and different materials together.

Inspired by the Spanish artist Gaudi and being like a creative volcano herself, ready to erupt, she decided to explore the wonders and possibilities of the art of mosaic.  Excited by the elements of nature, she combines recycled treasures like old china together with ceramic tiles and creates a colorful unique style.

Actually she is a creative caterpillar.  Apart from mosaic, she draws, does wallpaintings and interior decorations.
Anything with a creative touch, she will give it a try.....as long as there is color involved.

So, tired of your old china? Why not give it a new life, shaping it into a colorful mosaic.
Inspired? You can try it yourself at one of Lin’s many workshops where she will teach you tricks and techniques to make your own masterpiece.

Clare Wimmer

Clare Wimmer after attending the Maine College of Art (USA) travelled extensively developing her ceramic art skills all over the world.  She specializes in contemporary functional ware, figurative sculpture and garden objects.  Clare’s aim is to push the clay to its limits as a challenge both to herself as a ceramic artist, but to the medium.  Her techniques include hand-built, thrown, or slab technique using porcelain, paper clay or stoneware clays.  She also is experimenting with the local sustainable clay of the Waitetuna Valley.  The finishing glazes have been developed over the past 20 years and are fired in either an electric, wood or gas kiln.

Enfys Bellamy

Enfys is a Welsh born artist who has travelled extensively, laying down her rucksack in Aotearoa in 2004. She gained her B.A.(Hons) and Post Graduate Certificate of Education both from Cardiff University, Wales.
Enfys has both her photographic and painting work in many private and public collections in Aotearoa - New Zealand, Europe and U.S.A..
“My new work is inspired by the landscape of my new home, Whaingaroa-Raglan. The beauty, colours, harmony, rhythms, shapes, textures, my relationship to it and place within it all intrigue me.”

Enfys taught Art in Wales full time for six years and has been teaching at Hamilton’s Fraser High for four years. Her aim for her all classes in school or at home is to provide a safe, comfortable and friendly environment for the creative genius to emerge.

Tai Meuli

This talented sculptor was the driving force behind the impressive Mark Porter Trophy, which took more than four months and 600 hours to carve out from a massive piece of South Island pounamu.

When approached to create the piece by Hamilton 400 event promoter Dean Calvert, he said. "I'm ecstatic, I'm rapt that I could be part of it. I feel honoured to do something like this. I hope Mark's wife (Adrienne) and whanau like it."

Once commissioned to do the piece Mr Meuli and his artist colleagues, including Robert How, decided on a concept then fleshed it out. "We discussed a lot of different mediums and I said if you want the top stuff go for greenstone, so we did." The original piece of natural greenstone weighed almost 15kg and was sourced from Haast on the West Coast of the South Island.

Hot on the heels of producing the trophies for the V8 Hamilton 400 in April, Raglan sculptor Tai Meuli has won the Alfresco Auckland Sculptor of the Year. 15 Sculptors were invited to enter the competition. The brief was to design and build a piece of contemporary Pacific sculpture. The winner and 2 runners up were decided by public vote – the first 2 were so close a recount was done to be assured of the result. Alfresco Magazine sponsored the competition and provided fantastic prize packages which includes substantial advertising opportunities for the winner and runner up.

Tai's workshops cover both soft and hard stone carving.

Ruth Port, Hinemoa Weaver

Ko Orowhana, Ko Whangatauatia oku maunga
Ko Te Oneroa a Tohe toku tai
Ko Te Aupouri, Ko Te Rarawa oku iwi
Ko Karirikura toku moana.

Ruth began her Raranga journey here in beautiful Whaingaroa under the expert tutelage of Gwn Brodie and Grace Mataira in 2001 at the Whaingaroa Kohanga Reo. But it wasn't until 2003 that she made a real commitment to the Art of Raranga! A Te Wananga o Aoteoroa, Toi Paematua full time course was offered was right here in Whaingaroa, very ably tutored by Te Kaahurangi Maioha.

"I love the feel of harakeke and find a rhythm in every part of the process from my relationship with the Pa Harakeke and all the elements that nurture and foster its growth, through to the unique creation that emerges."

Ruth's weaving has taken her to England, Scotland and Ireland along with many stunning spaces here in Aotearoa where she has run wananga and now runs them in Whaingaroa, where we are blessed with an abundance of a truly EXCITING fibre - HARAKEKE!!!! TIHEI MAURI ORA. In 2008 Ruth was appointed as the 2008 artist-in-residence at Hamilton Girls' High School.

Ruth runs a fun two-day workshop, starting at introductory level through to advanced covering both Raranga skills and Tikanga.

Rob Kear, Multi Media

Rob has lived in the Raglan area for the past 17 years. This year has seen a major career change for him after 20 plus years supporting and running services for people with disabilities in and around the Waikato and King Country area.

Rob has always been a person who likes to create things and was taught as a child not to be wasteful of any resource. So it came as no surprise to Rob finding himself involved with a variety of mediums and producing a wide range of creative works: weaving, painting, sculpting and felting.

Rob believes "we all love to learn a new skill and to see quality results for our labours join in with our felt hat making sessions and you won't be disappointed."

Chris Mitchell

Chris and his partner Yann built a twelve metre trimaran in Florida and spent several years sailing the many islands of the Caribbean.  They made a living by selling Chris’s bone carving creations and Yann’s hand made jewellery.  During this time in the islands, Chris discovered the joy of working with children and teaching them in the skills of sailing and swimming.  In 2006 Chris and Yann decided to return to the family property in Raglan.
He has become involved in the Raglan Sailing Club and is teaching children the skills of sailing and developing their self confidence.    
In 2009 he became a tutor and then leader for the children’s holiday programme at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre.  These programmes feature action based arts covering everything from fun games and activities to screen printing.  For this area Chris draws on his time working an accomplished screen printer in Auckland.

Stuart Shepherd

Stuart Shepherd has studied life drawing at art studios and art schools in New Zealand , Australia the U.S.A. and his multi-media art work has been exhibited internationally. For the past 10 years he has taught drawing at Massey University in Wellington