Page 7 - pākuViews Summer 2013
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Tairua
078647464
Thames
078689063
Our Cover Artist
Rachel Olsen
Who better to capture the essence
of a Kiwi Summer than Rachel Olsen?
“My paintings often depict New Zealand summers and the
beautiful coastlines, but whatever I choose to paint has to
be uplifting. I ‘feel’ it as I paint it”, relates cover artist Rachel
Olsen. “Seaside baches and caravans have been a theme
running through my work for some years now. They are about
my environment here on the Coromandel. A remnant of the
past, these old baches are fast disappearing, and I feel that
this is my way of recording a few of them for history”.
If
Taffy’s Bach
seems to glow right off the cover, it’s no wonder!
Rachel began her substantial art career working in stained glass
for a Leadlight company in Auckland. After several years she
started her own small business, Moonstone Glass, and in 1989,
moved from Auckland’s North Shore to the Coromandel, where it
continued to grow with the support of her partner Scott.
“We supplied galleries throughout New Zealand with a unique
range of glass pieces such as hangings, mirrors, and jewelry
boxes; and we created numerous private commissions for
windows, lamps, and other pieces”.
Glass was obviously “a real passion” for the artist, who learned
the depths of its lessons. “Glass helped me refine my design and
composition skills. And the way changing light affects colour,
how colours affect one another. Even the textures. These are all
important factors I have brought over to my painting work”.
As much as Rachel loved her glasswork, after fifteen years, she
felt the pull to work in a less restrictive medium. In 1997, she
began to paint with a local art group tutored by Tairua artist Paula
McNeill. “During this time, I immersed myself in painting, loving
the freedom of ‘playing’ with paint and learning new techniques”.
It wasn’t long before her own distinctive style began to emerge.
Paint allowed Rachel to break from the flat, two-dimensional look
of glass, to works that created “movement and character and
perspective”. She often uses her camera to capture ideas and
“as a reference for light and form”, then carefully plans her works
in pencil, and once satisfied with the balance and rhythm, she
begins to paint.
Rachel captures subjects as varied as seascapes and
landscapes, figures and portraiture. A good understanding of
light, colour and line, combined with a natural ability to draw and
compose, has given her paintings wide appeal. For our cover,
we were drawn to the nostaligic beach baches or caravans that
represent our “Summer Fun” theme so well.
“I can’t resist painting these,” Rachel shares. “They are all around
us here at Cooks Beach and have such great character–such
a joy to paint. I hope these paintings transport the viewer back
to family holidays in the past, a reminder of somewhere or
something close to their heart ”.
Rachel remembers the story behind “Taffy’s Bach”, our cover
painting: “Scott and I were walking on a small quiet beach on
Waiheke Island where there were a few old character-style
baches. An interesting looking old guy came out from one and
called ‘Have you come to cut my hair?’ Being the only two people
there, we called back, ‘No, we were just going for a walk’.
“His response was ‘Oh, no worries, come in for a glass of my
home brew anyway!’ We spent an enjoyable hour chatting with
‘Taffy’. He told us that originally, many years ago, when his family
was young and living in Auckland, they shared ownership of the
bach with another family and came over only for holidays. At
some point he reluctantly had to sell his share. Time passed, and,
when the bach went on the market again, he managed to buy it
back and now lives there full time. It is likely he is still there. Taffy
was really a delightful character in a delightful bach with a rather
unique story! I hope I captured this in the painting”.
Painting available in limited edition giclee prints.
Rachel currently paints and exhibits
from her Cooks Beach home on the
Coromandel coast. She will open her
studio to the public, along with 50 other
participating artists, during the annual
‘Mercury Bay Art Escape’ tour the first
two weekends of March (see p6).
Rachel’s work is available at The Little
Gallery of Fine Arts, and her prints are in
several other local galleries in the area,
including Bread & Butter and Mosaic
galleries in Whitianga, Beach Habitat in
Hahei and Moko Artspace at Hot Water
Beach. Also online at
Her paintings have been widely seen
in print, from 2004’s series of reusable
shopping bags, Telecom cards in
2006, and an Auckland Regional
Parks promotion of “Bach Escapes’’ in
2009. Several NZ Art books have also
showcased Rachel’s work.
TAFFY & HIS BACH
Hot Water Beach Caravan
