Helene Hall of heysmartypants takes her inspiration from Aotearoa’s rich culture, flora, and fauna to create her original art, which she makes into stunning prints and stationery. Her unique experiences growing up in the South Island, working in conservation, and love of New Zealand nature are the drivers for her work.
The Wanaka community is banding together for Ukraine via an art exhibition on Felt and at the Wanaka Community Hub this month. Aid Through Art has been organised by a group of local artists who were motivated to act when their friend and fellow artist Olga Zoma, who hails from the Sloviansk region in eastern Ukraine, began a Give A Little page to help move her family out of the conflict zone.
Waihi artist Sarah Potton of Mousewhisker Studio had a childhood dream to become an artist and live a self sufficient life in the country, surrounded by as many animals as possible. While that dream (much to her amazement) actually came true, she does find that trying to combine an artistic career with the demands of a large vege garden and thirty-seven furred, feathered and woolly residents has been a bit more challenging than she imagined! Sarah’s creature-inspired artistry manifests on paper and beautiful pebble miniatures, all available in her Felt shop.
Gina Reid of Luxi Home NZ makes macramé art and accessories that have grown out of her exploration of fibre arts and her life experiences. Her pieces are shaped by Aotearoa’s changing natural and built landscapes, Māori designs, and the natural fibres and found materials she incorporates into her pieces, including cotton, New Zealand merino wool and driftwood collected from our beautiful beaches.
Marigold Janezic of Gold Creative is a South Islander born and raised, but has also lived in Western Samoa, Brazil and Ireland. After travelling and exploring, she returned home to Aotearoa to settle in Auckland near the beautiful Waitakere ranges. The beauty of the New Zealand bush and bird life are an ongoing inspiration for her – and she challenges herself to try and put her stamp on this popular design theme. For Marigold, the creative way to meet this challenge has been collaboration, and she has found a fruitful creative partnership with Ronja Schipper of Re:purpose. Together they produce the beautiful Birds of a Feather card range.
Yeong Kyung is an Auckland-based illustrator and artist, originally from South Korea. Yeong creates vibrant images with stunning precision and attention to detail, which she then transforms into beautiful stationery and publications. She studied art in Korea and now finds her inspiration in the flora and fauna of Aotearoa and the the daily life of people and places.
There’s bound to be someone on your shopping list with an appreciation for the arts. Felt has a fine collection of original art, prints, and other goodies to appeal to all arts aficionados and culture connoisseurs. Find you perfect gift in our Gifts for Art Lovers and Culture Junkies collection now.
Catherine Marion of Folklore & Flora is a Canadian artist and designer, now living in the beautiful Taranaki. Trained as a graphic designer, Catherine has followed her heart and her own creative journey to become an independent artist. She loves to create art more than anything else and enjoys producing pieces that connect with people and remind them of the rich diversity of nature surrounding them.
How about this for a Kiwi Christmas gift that’s sure to please? We love these amazingly layered and detailed works of art by Auckland family-run business Antler & Pine. These hand assembled, laser cut 3D wall art pieces with New Zealand themes use multiple layers of bamboo, shaped and engraved in amazing detail, to achieve their stunning effect.
Artist Cathy Hansby is passionate about Aotearoa’s beautiful fauna. Working from her Auckland home, she loves creating stylish, vibrant and modern artworks featuring local birdlife from New Zealand and Australasia, using traditional and digital tools.