Lead by the Heart for Mother’s Day

Saturday 6 May - Sunday 14 May | 10am-2pm
At Raglan Old School Arts Centre Gallery, 5 Stewart Street, Raglan 3225

Artist and Creative Market stallholder Colleen Vickers has collaborated with market coordinator Deb King to share her limited-edition prints, original artwork and cards at a Raglan Old School Gallery exhibition. Mainly painting watercolours, Colleen continues to do some work with graphite pencil, the medium she used first in her creative journey. “I started painting in watercolour about eight months ago when my daughter told me that my graphite drawings were too boring and that I needed to add colour,” she says. Borrowing her daughter's set of $5 watercolours, Colleen soon realised she enjoyed working with the medium.

Thinking she was just going to do it for fun and that she wasn’t really an artist, Colleen took to heart the wise words from her daughter – ‘Mum, you said I could be anything I wanted with passion and hard work, so why can’t you?’ With those words ringing in her ears, she set up a Facebook page and website, and started going to the Creative Markets in January this year. Colleen named her business ‘Lead by the Heart’ because, she says, all her artwork is inspired from emotion and it is also a subtle nod to her creative starts with ‘lead’ pencils. Her artistic passions include depicting emotion or emotion evoking images linked to motherhood and love, and New Zealand’s eclectic mix of native species. “I feel a strong connection to the native flora and fauna of New Zealand and you will see my affection for our country’s unique eclectic mix of species woven throughout my work.” The Lead by the Heart exhibition is dedicated to her daughter who provides the impetus for Colleens creative endeavors. “I felt it was fitting for us to celebrate over the Mother’s Day weekend, because if it weren’t for my daughter my journey may not have even begun as an artist.”

Colleen will be joined by artists and creative market stallholders Miriam Collins, whose illustrative works are a delightful melange of rich jewel tones, animalistic themes and graphic iconography, and Bridget Pride who enjoys colour, texture in oils on canvas and various subjects, depending on what is happening in life at the time.

For more market information email Deb at market@raglanartscentre.co.nz