Martin Poulsen + Barbara Schaefer

April 2025

Leila Lees

Leila Lees is an artist and writer living on Waiheke Island. She practised printmaking for four years with Alexis Neal at the Browne School of Art, completing the Browne School of Art mentoring year with Alexis Neal. She did a summer school in woodcuts at the Leith School of Art in Edinburgh. Her book Into the World, a book on shamanic and mystical practice was runner up for the 2019 Ashton Wylie Mind Body and Spirit book awards. She has illustrated three books with writer and poet Mike Johnson and is the author of Piripai a natural history as prose poetry, ferry crossing a book of poetry and Hekete, experimental essay-poetry that leads the reader on a journey into the natural world, and into the essence of minerals, plants and animals.

Avi Duckor-Jones

Avi is an Auckland based writer. Although trained as a lawyer, Avi gained his MA in creative writing from Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters in 2013. His travel writing and essays have been published with BBC Travel, The NZ Listener and Lonely Planet, among others. Avi has worked as a writing instructor and trip leader for National Geographic, directed a school in Ghana, and is the winner of the television reality show, Survivor New Zealand. His first novel “Swim” won the 2018 Viva la Novella award and second novel “Max” was published last year with Affirm Press. He lives on Waiheke Island with his wife and two children where he works as a High school English teacher.

Avi says... My topic is the circuitous route into writing – the inspiration and experiences that acted as the foundation of my novels..”

Leila Lees - hihi and taurepo, hihi and taurepo 2

Martin Poulsen + Barbara Schaefer

March 2025

Barbara Schaefer

Barbara has been weaving and working with textiles for over 50 years starting at the Chicago Weaving Workshop where she bought her first loom in 1975. She has developed her own approach to making textiles through her independent study of cloth construction with master weavers and cloth makers world-wide. The influence of these varied artisan cultures permeates her textile expressions. She has a particular interest in transforming forgotten fibers, yarn and cloth into complex and original fibre compositions. Her work has been displayed in national and regional fibre shows including those hosted by Creative Fibre New Zealand. She shows her work in local galleries on the island and has had work displayed at the Waiheke Community Gallery and Upcycle Redesign cooperative.

Martin Poulsen

I have always drawn and painted and have had a number of trips to Florence where fantastic teachers in classical realism have taught me how to see, how to draw, and how to implement the Renaissance techniques of campitura and the grisaille, painting the form, layering and glazing. Workshops by Maestro John Angel (taught by Pietro Annigoni) were incredible….painting in oil is unforgiving! The business of art for most painters demands productivity and I am continually surprised by the way this is achieved. Courses in Auckland at Browne mostly at night have also been very useful for my practice. Occasionally I will use the portrait principles for landscapes. No hard edges. Recently I have built a Waiheke studio and my art is my personal passion and will become a bigger influence on what I do.

My current focus is to make a sublime portrait. To create the illusion of form. This will be the theme of my talk.

Eddie Clemens, Cognitive Reorientation 2024, Sculpture on the Gulf

Peter Rees + Vinita Khanna

February 2025

Peter Rees – With over 40 years of experience in drawing, painting, printmaking, and gallery management, Peter reflected on his artistic evolution and his transition to painterly photography. He discussed the influence of art history, the giants who inspired him, and how he translates traditional pictorial techniques into his photographic work. Peter also demonstrated his digital post-processing methods, revealing how he brings his images to life.

Vinita Khanna – A multidisciplinary artist, Vinita shared her journey of exploring abstract philosophical concepts through her work. Her series Imponderabilia reflects her deep meditation on nature, cosmology, and the interconnectedness of all things. Using painting, sculpture, installation, and poetry, Vinita’s practice seeks to capture the intangible rhythms of existence, blending Eastern philosophy with a contemporary artistic vision.

Leaving - Peter Rees

Imponderable Vinita Khanna

Eddie Clemens + Baz Caitcheon

January 2025

Eddie Clemens – The Auckland-based artist shared insights into his multidisciplinary practice, which spans film, photography, performance, and sculpture. Eddie’s work explores how physical artefacts can carry narratives, often drawing inspiration from film and television to interrogate the stories objects tell. With a background in painting and sculpture from the Elam School of Fine Arts, Eddie has created numerous public artworks, including pieces for Sculpture on the Gulf (2024) and the inaugural Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennale (2024-25). His works are held in prestigious collections, including the Chartwell Trust and Christchurch Art Gallery.

Baz Caitcheon – The ever-eclectic Baz took us on a journey through his unconventional career, from teaching Shakespeare and forming a punk band to becoming an exec producer for TVNZ and guitarist for The Mockers. Through his company Bazzacam, Baz now teaches smartphone video production to organisations while continuing to perform solo music gigs. His story is a testament to embracing creativity and defying convention.

Eddie Clemens, Cognitive Reorientation 2024, Sculpture on the Gulf

Anton Forde + Rachel Mataira

December 2024

Anton Forde – A sculptor with roots in Taranaki, Ireland, and Waiheke Island, Anton shared his artistic journey, which began at age 18. Studying under renowned sculptors like Paul Dibble and Gary Whiting, Anton honed his craft and later earned a Post Graduate Diploma and Masters in Māori Visual Arts under the guidance of Professor Robert Jahnke. His work is deeply influenced by his heritage, the majestic Maunga Taranaki, and his time in Ireland, where he explored ancient art histories. Anton’s sculptures have been exhibited internationally and are held in public and private collections worldwide.

Rachel Mataira – A fine-art photographer based on Waiheke Island, Rachel shared her journey from the corporate world to becoming a full-time artist. With a background in software design and corporate tax, Rachel always turned to photography as a source of inspiration and connection to nature. What began as a small side project selling her fine-art prints grew into a thriving business, eventually leading her to leave her corporate career behind. Rachel recently opened Mataira Gallery on Waiheke Island, a space dedicated to showcasing her work and that of other artists who celebrate the relationship between people and the natural world.

Anton Forde with his work Papare - Protection shown in Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke island

Rachel with her work at Maitara Gallery in Surfdale, Waiheke island

Oliver Stretton-Pow

November 2024

Oliver Stretton-Pow – With a career spanning over four decades, Oliver shared the origins of his recent body of work, tracing his creative journey from early impulses to dynamic artist residencies and large-scale sculpture projects. Trained in Perth and holding an MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts, Oliver has worked across Europe, Israel, the UK, and Australia before settling on Waiheke Island in 2007. His practice explores collaborative, interactive, kinetic, and haptic elements in sculpture, installation, performance art, and beyond.

Oliver’s 2024 work, Hard Graft, won the People’s Choice Award at Waiheke’s prestigious Sculpture on the Gulf exhibition, curated by Brett Graham and Robert Leonard. He also delved into his diversions into film props and his recent, deeply researched projects. Alongside his son Leonardo, Oliver recently opened Studio Ten81, a gallery in Oneroa that serves as a creative hub for the Waiheke community.

Oliver with his Award winning sculpture 'Hard Graft' 2024

Louis Flint + Tracey Sullivan

October 2024

Tracey Sullivan – A poet, visual artist, and creative educator, Tracey’s work is deeply rooted in her immediate environment. Since returning to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019, she has lived and worked on Waiheke Island, where the people, place, and natural resources have profoundly influenced her practice. In this talk, Tracey will share how this connection to her surroundings has shaped her creative process, direction, and artistic expression.

🎤 Louis Flint – A painter born in Auckland, Louis explores the mysticism of the self through his work. Using a raw and primitive approach, he embraces chaos and reduction to uncover imagery within the unordered and unorthodox. His fast, energetic paintings are created through flow rather than overthought, resulting in dynamic and evocative pieces that invite viewers to delve into the depths of the subconscious.

Louis Flint - 'The Dual'

Tracey Sullivan 'Cloud Stories'

Mindspaces - The Artists Studio

September 2024

Narrated by Denis O’Connor, one of New Zealand’s foremost sculptors, the film offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the creative sanctuaries of two of the 20th century’s most iconic artists: Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Denis, who has occupied the same studio for 40 years, guides us through these hallowed spaces, exploring how these artists fiercely guarded their privacy and how their studios became extensions of their minds and creative processes.

The film also pays tribute to Denis’ late daughter, Dr. Blaze O’Connor, a distinguished archaeologist who surveyed Bacon’s studio. Her contributions to the film and her work in archaeology remain a lasting legacy. Additionally, Conor Lovett, acclaimed as the greatest living performer of Samuel Beckett’s plays, portrays Denis’ “other-self,” adding a profound layer of introspection to the narrative.

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