auckland

Making a perfect impression: the patience and persistence of printmaking

Winner of the 2023 Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize, Auckland illustrator and printmaker Alba Gil Celdran favours Japanese tools, techniques, and materials to create her prints. She carves her original designs on a linoleum plate and makes impressions on Awagami washi paper using a baren rather than a press. The highly skillful process takes patience and persistence to master, and results in limited edition series of each design.

Connecting to the joy within: how an Auckland maker found her way with journals

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Guatyen of Mettaville loves journaling, making uniquely hand-bound journals to share her love with others. With the growing awareness of the importance of mental health, she believes that lives can be transformed through the joy and comfort journalling provides. Working from her tiny West Auckland studio, she balances the modern need for technology with retreating to her quiet surroundings where she is most comfortable.

“The rest is just practice, practice, practice.” A lifetime of shaping cane

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Cane weaver Sandy Jameson of Almond Seed Handmade tells us her maker journey feels like two bookends at times. “I began weaving as a young Christchurch city girl, and after a long but richly filled break I’ve picked up the cane again as a wise (ha!) rural Aucklander.” Sandy attends her local Pollok Market every month (COVID permitting), and says it’s really cool to engage with her local community and mix with the talented craftspeople and producers there.

Leather and linen: the twin skillsets of Jennifer Strange

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Talented Auckland leatherworker and embroidery designer Jennifer Strange says her travels have inspired and helped her learn from the very best. She says she feels truly blessed to have acquired her skills, and to be able to share them. Her acorn logo represents new growth, with the resulting tree becoming strong and dependable – values she connect with. Her experience has shown her that the art of creation is rewarding and teaches valuable life skills – and can be a great de-stressor too!

Shapes of nature: drawing natural forms into stunning silverwork

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Suzie Horne of Curlicue NZ produces her wirework jewellery from beautiful Titirangi, West Auckland. When making her jewellery she takes inspiration from the natural environment around her, and places importance on selecting materials on the basis of how local and sustainable they are. Utilising 100% recycled sterling silver wires, semi precious stones, pearls, paua and Swarovski crystals, her pieces often feature the spirals and curlicues that fascinate her.

From Florence to Auckland: the international learnings and local focus of Sonder & Wilde

A lover of the ocean, Rowena Shirtcliff of Sonder & Wilde lived on the sea for three years and visited many remote islands while working as a chef on private yachts in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific. It was here she grew her appreciation for traditional methods of making textiles, food, and products. Recently Rowena spent time at the Scuola del Cuoio (School of Leather) in Florence, Italy, where she worked alongside an artisan leather worker and learned incredibly valuable skills in construction and finishing. Sonder & Wilde comes from that love of creating and the need for honest, quality New Zealand leather goods.