Peace is a Journey

On Anzac Day The Peace Poppy Project Photographic Exhibition opened at the Lakehouse Arts Centre in Takapuna. It represents four years of photographic /video documentation of the Peace Poppy Project.

The show celebrates the numerous children and families who created , shared and displayed hand made peace poppies to commemorate those who served

These poppies were used to create huge peace symbols in public places, one of which is the monumental  Peace Poppy displayed on the Lakehouse Arts Centre front lawn. 

The message conveyed through the Peace Poppy project is :

Peace is not something to fight for: peace is a journey chosen each day by every small action we take. Peace is something to take upon ourselves in the way we look after each other , our global community and  ultimately ourselves and the planet we all share. Projects such as this offer a quiet voice amongst the violence we are presented with every day through the media.

The Peace Poppy project and photographic exhibition were created by two amazing women: Christina Beth and Katharina Kercher.

POPS's Games Park

Holiday fun for kids ! Spread out on the lawn in front of the Lakehouse Arts Centre in Takapuna these giant outdoor games will keep them happily occupied for ages. And while they play you can always sit out on the verandah of this beautiful historic old home with a latte ( as I did).

An Obsessive Pursuit

An Obsessive Pursuit: An exhibition of works by North Shore Studio Potters brought back so many good memories of the days when I was a member of the Pottery Co-operative Pots of Ponsonby and also spent time teaching teenagers on the Steps Programme at Auckland Studio Potters. 

I was familiar with the work of all of these potters at that time. Several of them exhibited at Pots of Ponsonby and Peter Collis was for a time a member. The quality of their work makes these pieces timeless.

To see their work brought together at NorthArt was a special experience.  

North Shore Ceramics
10 April – 3 May

The North Shore’s impressive ceramic tradition is highlighted in a fascinating survey exhibition that explores the local studio pottery movement from its beginnings in early 1950s, through the enormously productive 1970s – during which potters could barely keep up with the popular demand for domestic ware – to the present day as ceramics enjoys a resurgence.

Original pieces by Barry Brickell and Ian Firth, founding members of the North Shore Potters Society, the first of its kind when it was formed in 1951, feature alongside works by other prominent potters through the periods such as Graeme Storm, Merilyn Wiseman, Peter Collis, Peter Shearer and Campbell Hegan.
  

Poppies : Symbols of Peace for Anzac Day

 

 

It was lovely to see children becoming so involved in creating Poppies this morning. This hands on art activity is such a good way for them to create a symbol of Peace for Anzac day and to teach them to remember and honour those who served and their families.


Lake House Arts ( in Fred Thomas Drive, Takapuna) and the Peace Poppy Project are collaborating on a large 5000+ poppy display for ANZAC day 2017. They are having a free poppy making activity in the gallery during the school holidays and kids can either keep their poppy or add it to our massive outdoor display which will be unveiled on Anzac Day, 25 April.

Take Time to Play!

Rebecca Owen''s Merit Award winning quilt in the Auckland Quilt Guild's Exhibition at the Lakehouse Arts Centre. An artful reminder for all of us that play is not just for kids "It is an opportunity to practice, experiment and learn."

An Enchanted Kauri Forest at the Lakehouse

Emma Petterson's Enchanted Forest Series is hanging in the Lakehouse Arts Centre Cafe from 5 April-14 May. Their soft golden glow against mysterious dark backgrounds is enchanting.

Her inspiration for this series of small paintings was "the primordial forest that once covered all of Aotearoa New Zealand before human settlement. "

" I have tried to capture the mystery and magic of a land untouched by human hand" she writes. " It's hard to imagine that where I live in suburban Te Atatu Peninsula was once covered in Kauri and Rewarewa trees.

Her choice of palette and composition was inspired by the oriental art of laquerware.

" My granddad brought back from Japan, a black laquered jewelry box, inlaid with mother of pearl. I used this as a starting point to research laquer and gilding techniques."

 Come in to view them and if you look closely you may recognise herons, weka, eels, fish, ducks, dragonflies and various plant life that existed in the ancient "Enchanted Forest".
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