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We were pleased to find this stunning painting by Jane Galloway
for our cover. “Perfect Morning, Opito” was inspired by a
beautiful summer sunrise she experienced at Opito Beach a few
years ago. So familiar is the sea, sand and flax blooms of our
summers, that it could remind you of other Coromandel beach
scenes near you – just add a nectar feasting Tui!
At right: Jane is working on another painting,
inspired by the same location.
See these recent Coromancel Life cover artists in their year-round open studios
Jeanne-Marie Cantereau
2016 Spring/Holiday issue
102 Robert St, Tauaru Thames
mob 021 0238 2723
Barbara von Seida
2017 Spring/Holiday issue
600 Wyuna Bay Rd, Coromandel
06 866 8453
Paul Herbert
2017 Autumn/Winter issue
Gallery 27, 27 Fyfe Rd, Waihi Beach
07 863 4114
Liz Hart
2017 Summer issue
64 Manaia Road, Tairua
07 864 7969, mob 022 406 1357
Jane Galloway
Cover Artist
A STRONG COROMANDEL CONNECTION
Jane has been a Coromandel regular for many
years. During her student days, she holidayed
in flatmates’ baches, garages or just ‘slept
rough’ in the dunes at places like Hot Water
Beach or Whangamata.
Many years later, there would be numerous
(more comfortable) holidays with her family
as they often enjoyed the gentler climate of
the peninsula’s east coast. Each visit built on
memories of previous summers as they rented
baches from Whiritoa to Port Jackson, and
took day trips to as many beaches as those
few weeks allowed.
Jane kept her keen artist’s eye on the lookout
for possible subject matter, gathering photos
of beautiful coastal vistas to paint from in the
winter months back at their home in Raglan.
“I had a wonderful summer holiday with my
children a few years back”, she recalls, “one of
those painted into the memory with the intense
light and saturated colours of The Coromandel.
“I ran down to the beach each morning with my
camera in time to catch the first rays skimming
the sand – I took hundreds of inspiring images
over the days we were there. ‘Perfect Morning,
Opito’ is painted from a detail of one of these.
I still have more paintings planned from this
holiday, including the one on my easel above
titled ‘Morning Walk, Opito’, which will be
available at Bread & Butter gallery in Whitianga,
by the autumn.”
Jane visits the Coromandel several times a
year to bring work to galleries, catch up with
her 90-year-old uncle in Tairua, and continue
to visit beaches all along the coast – always
looking for perfect days with perfect light to
inspire new paintings. To her it’s the perfect
getaway and a way to recharge from a busy life.
JANE’S TIME AT ELAM
Jane graduated with Honours from Elam
School of Fine Arts in Auckland, where her
painting tutors were Garth Tapper, Bob Ellis,
and artist/conservationist Don Binney.
Jane shares that “surprisingly, during those
years painting techniques were no longer
taught – you were given a small space to work
and you got on with whatever you wanted to
say. There was an explosion of new media and
avenues of expression at the time, and many
perceived painting as an outdated medium”.
It was an exciting time as a student, and Jane
spent lively evenings at the local Kiwi Tavern,
passionately discussing art and ideas with Don
Binney and her Elam friends.
After graduation, she worked for her brother, at
his successful store, Soul in Hamilton. Painting
was set aside for making leather sandals (with
car tyre soles back then), skills which extended
into bag making, and eventually her own
business in Auckland.
In 1993 Jane moved to Raglan and was drawn
back into painting by doing projects with her
artistic young children. It re-awoke the desire to
do her own work, but where to start? Although
she won a prize at Elam for a watercolour, that
was 20 years before! With no ‘formal’ training
Jane turned to the local library for books on
watercolour techniques and set about doing
paintings on her kitchen table.
This talented artist now works in a myriad of
styles. Many of her paintings are extremely
detailed, however her fine brushwork is most
evident in her print editions featuring vivid
renderings of NZ birds, flowers and leaves.
One series of paintings named ‘There is no
Planet B’, features birds in colourful glory,
flying against a stark background of cities and
motorways. Yet another artistic style is used in
‘graphic design’ prints, flat forms resembling
screenprints, inspired by design and
architecture from the 1940s and ’50s.
Each year Jane produces ranges of prints as
well as several paintings. Some images are
used as greeting cards distributed by Live
Wires NZ Ltd. They are also available in limited
editions at and www.
Besides Bread & Butter Gallery, you’ll find her
work at The Little Gallery in Tairua. See another
of her paintings, Paku from Pumpkin Hill, on
our calendar, page 66.
“There Is No Planet B – Karuhiruhi (Last Exit)”
8 COROMANDEL LIFE LATE SUMMER/EASTER 2018