Tutors

Alexandra is a practicing artist, living in the bush in a tiny home crammed with an eclectic mix of found items, treasures, collections, and rubbish ready to be repurposed into art. She likes to create very neat and tidy, pretty art that is the opposite of the tornado style in which she lives her life!

Alexandra uses her arts practice to exercise accepting mistakes and imperfections. She loves learning new things and feeling inspired, and often becomes obsessed with the creative projects that she is so adept at planning, hoarding and collecting materials for.

Chloe Lam is an artist who recently moved to Auckland. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication (Graphic Design), and a Master's degree in Art and Education from Birmingham City University. She completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in Visual Art at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Chloe enjoys writing songs on piano, guitar and ukulele. She is interested in multiple disciplines, studying both arts and music in her Master's.

With more than 10 years teaching experience, she has taught a variety of art projects in schools and studios. Chloe uses multidisciplinary and innovative art activities to elicit each student’s talent and ability to express feelings, emotions and ideas.

@chloel.artist

chloelam.weebly.com

Ko Elise Sadlier tōku ingoa.
As a recent Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) Elam School of Fine Arts graduate, I am a critical and creative thinker, a confident leader, writer, and orator.

I am experienced in working with Rangatahi, which I enjoy immensely. 

Over the past few years my writing has been published in a book, journals, and online. My style is poetic, vivid, sometimes self-deprecating, humorous, deep, interwoven with pūrakau and grounded in Te Ao Māori. My recent exhibition Where day and night shall meet and not be one at Papakura Art Gallery showcased an installation and four original paintings. The works examined the relationship between the physical world and the spiritual metaphysical world through a Te Ao Māori lens. Foraging and repurposing is an important aspect of the overall work in which mundane objects are given new life.

I am currently studying a Diploma of Māori Language Fluency at Te Wananga Takiura while teaching and continuing to develop my multifaceted arts practice. 

Montaña was born in Uruguay and was raised in Barcelona before recently moving to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2017, where she is currently based at Te Henga.

As an artist, she takes inspiration from the local native bush in the Waitakere Ranges, creating a range of jewellery made from the seeds and leaves from native trees such as Kauri and Pōhutukawa, titled The Fallen Leaf.

Her workshops often focus on enviromenatl awearness and sustainability, working with natural materials. Eloiza is a member of West Auckland Montessori Trust and collaborates on designing and delivering workshops for children at the Huapai Montessori Primary School.

@thefallenleafnz

Eric Soakai is an artist, activist and academic of Samoan, Tongan, German, Scottish and Irish descent. An award-winning poet, Eric was the 2019 New Zealand National Slam Champion, 2021 the University of Auckland Slam Champion and has been published in Knowledge Makers journal in Canada and online magazine Oscen.

A contributor to our annual Word Up events and workshops, Eric is also a member of Te Kāhui Creative Writing Programme (under the umbrella of Youth Arts New Zealand). Te Kāhui curate culturally safe, equitable and accessible spaces for youth self-expression through creative writing.

@soakaiser
@te_kaahui

Holly Clarke, an eco-artist from Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, specializes in creating her own oil paints using non-toxic earth pigments. They are crafted in small batches without any additives or solvents, ensuring they meet archival quality standards.

Her deep fascination is with the energy of the natural world and its reflection in our own inner energy - the power to heal and grow amidst death and struggle. She sees this duality as integral, providing strength and wholeness, reflecting her emotional landscape, bringing to life a feeling or state in transition during a moment in time. The relationship with our environment echoing the relationship with ourselves.

“It’s a dance of peace and passion, shadow and light that beings equilibrium and grounds me”.

After winning scholarships in both painting and graphic design in high school, she pursued a career in design. Initially trained as a fashion designer in Florence, Italy, Holly is an award-winning graphic and textile designer, working with renowned brands like Citta Design, before returning to her first love of painting.

HOLLYCLARKESTUDIOS.COM

@hollyclarkestudios

Ina Arraoui is a contemporary print artist currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is passionate about promoting contemporary printmaking in Aotearoa as a platform for community building and cross-cultural exchange, writing about the print community and establishing the Printopia Festival of Original Print.

Ina loves to challenge perceptions of printmaking using alternative materials, in particular, upcycled and foraged items commonly found in supermarket aisles and the forest floor to create unique one-of-a-kind prints. For her, printmaking is an exciting medium for exploration, experimentation and self-expression.

www.inaarraoui.com
@inaarraoui

James Lawrence holds an MFA from Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles and is a well-known artist who has exhibited both nationally and internationally. His practice focuses on energy, movement and colour; what emerges represents a distillation of personal expression, gestural marks and discoveries. "For me, painting is letting go!”

In his popular workshops, he explores abstract painting concepts while sharing techniques to utilise paint, gel and additives. His teaching style will give students a base for further painting adventures with an emphasis on process and discovery.

@jameslawrenceart

jameslawrenceartist.com

Jean Stewart is a painter and arts educator. She has a Masters in Design and Painting. Jean says: 

"I have been painting for around 20 years. I love paint, colour, mark making and all the formal playful aspects of painting. Over the years I have investigated how to tell stories in paintings and how paintings can operate as memories. My current trajectory is to realise projects that take the painting outside of itself and connect to the community in various ways. For the last 2 years, I have been painting the Whau local hero portrait; the community votes and the winner gets their portrait painted. I have recently completed a wall painting in the Huia Hall, that will see the people of the area up on the wall in masquerade. Painting for me has been a constant challenging connecting force. It is always there and ready to be grappled with."

@jeanbuzz

jeanstewart.co.nz

Originally from the UK, Julie studied Metalcraft and Jewellery Design BA(Hons) before moving to New Zealand in 1998 where she pursued a career as a jewellery designer/maker selling her contemporary handmade jewellery in galleries across Auckland.

During this time, Julie's passion for learning led her to study a variety of disciplines such as printmaking, painting and stonecarving before rediscovering her passion for metal and sculpture.

Julie currently works out of her studio here at Corban Estate Arts Centre where she fabricates large scale steel sculpture. The main focus of her practise is on the relationship between light and space, creating elegant curvilnear forms where surfaces interplay with light and shadow. Present in all of Julie's work is an underlying current of symbolism, which represents her cultural background and strong connection to the natural environment.

Julie has had a desire to teach from a young age, and enjoys sharing her knowledge. During the 14 years that Julie has been a tutor, she has gained experience teaching adults, children, adults with special needs, youth and vulnerable youth. Julie's broad depth of knowledge in a variety of disciplines has led her to teach painting, printmaking, jewellery, mixed media and drawing.

Julie is currently Head Tutor of Alt Arts where she facilitates art classes for youth in Alternative Education. She also teaches 'Learn to Draw' weekly classes for children as well as weekend workshops for adults in a range of different disciplines.

A West Auckland local of 18 years, Leela Bhai holds a Diploma in Film and Television Make-up, Bachelor of Design and Visual Arts, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Design.

As an independent curator, her practice involves cultivating community space, using art as a tool for connection. 

​She has been part of the Corban Estate Arts Centre team since 2015 teaching creative workshops for children, youth and adults, responsible for engagement, encouragement and impressive outcomes. She also contributes to the public programme at Studio One Toi Tū teaching children’s holiday art classes.

When teaching, her focus is on the process, pursuing careful observation of the subject matter, experimental use of mixed mediums and pure self-expression through art.

In 2017 Leela taught a second-year student spatial design elective for the Bachelor of Creative Enterprise at UNITEC and held a mentoring role for graduating third-year students of multiple disciplines.

Leela has also designed and facilitated public workshops for the annual events of ArtWest, Love Hendo, The Didsbury Art Trail and Mental Health Awareness Week 2021.  

@ideasbhaidesign

Lina Castro, originally from Bogotá, Colombia, describes embroidery as a passion that makes her happy. "Thanks to embroidery, I have been able to connect creative worlds and discover new ones."

She has an Industrial Designer honour degree, her experience includes 4 years as a teacher at the Faculty of Design in Colombia and 11 years experience in product development and marketing.

Her story with embroidery started in 2015 and since then, her obsession has been to expand the possibilities of “embroidery beyond the hoop” turning the embroidered pieces into earrings, necklaces or key rings. That is also, the reason why she specializes in tiny stitches as the technique is used to embroider small garments.

She is constantly studying and using different techniques so her contemporary embroidery is changing and innovating to explore new ways to popularize this beautiful craft.

Her workshops are aimed at both beginning and experienced creators where they are encouraged to tell stories, experimenting with sewing techniques, various fabrics and different fibres.

@lin.island.creative

Liz Mitchell MNZM is New Zealand’s leading bespoke fashion designer. Her love of wool has extended from fashion into the development of homewares using New Zealand strong wool. Felting is the oldest textile-making technique in the world, utilising just wool, soap, and water. As a strong advocate for sustainability and NZ strong wool, Liz has been exploring the processes of both wet felting and needle felting, using wool as her medium.

The passion Liz has for the different ways in which wool could be utilised has seen her create beautiful items that are approachable for everyday use. This includes a collection of pet pods and vessels, rugs, wall hangings, lightshades and living fleeces.

The Wool Revolution – Powered by Liz Mitchell was created to connect wool lovers, artists, creatives, researchers, industry experts, and growers to power a movement promoting the use of New Zealand strong wool in our everyday lives – in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the world. Its magical health-promoting properties and sustainability are essential in today’s world.

Liz’s first solo exhibition This Raw Material, held at the Homestead Galleries at Corban Estate Arts Centre, is an exploration of the many ways in which people interact with wool, and demonstrates new ideas in promoting wool for homewares and art.

Continuing the exploration of wool within the community, a new Wool and Natural Fibres Textile Hub is in the process of being established at Corban Estate. With new felting machinery in place, this Textile Hub will bring innovative textile ideas to life and provide support for future education and workshops.

lizmitchell.co.nz

@lizmitchellnz

Mandy Patmore is a multi-media environmental artist and educator who lives in Karekare, on Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s west coast. She has a passionate relationship with her local environment and her work reflects this, looking at the past, present and future of our land; focusing largely on deforestation and habitat loss in Aotearoa. 

Patmore highlights the plight of many endangered native species, exploring the human impact on our landscape and themes of colonisation. In 2019, she managed a hugely successful research project on Pekapeka tou roa - Long Tailed Bats, linking artists with scientists, curating an exhibition in response to the project.

She is also the Creative Director for Kākano Youth Arts Collective, onsite at Corban Estate Arts Centre.

@mandypatmoreartist

Michelle is a seasoned crafter with a primary focus on Macramé, Leather making, Dot art and Cloisonné enamel. Having relocated to Aotearoa in 2023, she brings a rich tapestry of experience in various crafting disciplines.

Her crafting journey goes beyond personal pursuits, spanning three years of dedicated workshop facilitation in China. Michelle's commitment to sharing her craft extends to her current role as a tutor at The Re-Creator, an organization deeply devoted to upcycling.

Michelle actively leads numerous craft and art workshops in libraries across Tāmaki Makaurau. Her workshops are not just about crafting and art; they are immersive experiences that blend creativity with sustainability.

Explore the world of crafting with Michelle, where each workshop is not just an artistic endeavour but a sustainable journey into the realms of Macramé, leather making, and the timeless art of Cloisonné enamel.

Phil Dadson is an artist with an interdisciplinary practice working essentially in sound, music, performance and moving image. His workshops focus on invented instruments, rhythm, and experimentation – for all ages.

Phil studied at Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts and later earned a Master of Arts with Honors while teaching at Elam. He became known for his invented musical instruments (PVC slaptubes and others) and for his long-running group From Scratch (1974 to present), plus has produced numerous experimental films and videos and recorded sound for documentaries.

Arts Foundation Laureate 2001.
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005.

“I still love the sound of a good PVC pipe. It has a wonderful thump that hums! And if you get a good set of them, they have a beautiful sound.” - Phil Dadson.

@fromscratchnz

Rachael Burke is a mixed media artist from Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.

Rachael holds a deep fascination for the human condition. Her creative practice, is an ongoing exploration relating to perceptions of identity and selfhood. The fact that identity is created through hidden processes, that we become individuals through metamorphosis, living in a constant state of flux are key concepts crucial to her practice.

Rachael completed a Fine Art degree (Honors) at Whitecliffe in 2021. She currently teaches at Mapura Studios and Lakehouse Arts.

@rachael.burke_art

Ni sa bula Vinaka!

Auckland artist and educator Rowena Rooney has been creating mosaic for over 20 years. Her designs are often inspired by her Fijian heritage, which she is very passionate about.

Early in 2019 she had a solo exhibition, Masi in my Blood here at Corban Estate Art Centre which drew from Rowena’s Melanesian roots, exploring how Masi and Masi designs were woven into contemporary practice. Her personal connection with Masi, through passed-on tradition, culture and language had a powerful presence in the works.

With a strong background in arts education, Rowena's workshops focus on building new skills, introduction to new materials and positive creative experiences.

Tesserae Tales of Aotearoa exhibition at Pātaka Art + Museum.

@_blueturtledesign

Ruby Macomber is an award-winning poet, essayist and creative non-fiction writer of Rotuman, Scottish and Ngāpuhi descent. She is published in Landfall, Kete Books, Awa Wāhine, Signals and was the 2022 Starling Residency recipient at the New Zealand Young Writers Festival. Ruby is due to be published in the New Zealand Performance Poetry Anthology 2023.

A contributor to our annual Word Up events and workshops, Ruby is also a member of Te Kāhui Creative Writing Programme (under the umbrella of Youth Arts New Zealand), Te Kāhui curate culturally safe, equitable and accessible spaces for youth self-expression through creative writing. 

@rubyrma@te_kaahui

Sofia Athineou is a full-time artist of Greek heritage. She works mainly with glass, a medium with many sensual and optical qualities. Her sculptures capture the surrounding nature of the Waitakere Ranges, where her studio is located and the organic forms of elemental forces like wind, fire and water. The constant movement and natural patterns of these elements are captured in her sculptures. Sofia is fascinated by the way glass looks and feels and its natural ability to reflect and distort light and our perception of it.

A recent public commission for Auckland Transport Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station is currently in construction and due to be open to the public later in 2023. For it, Athineou has created red glass triangles representing lava and the god of volcanic activity incorporating cultural narratives and the geological context of the station area with the technical and functional needs of a train station.

@sofiaathineou

www.sofiaathineou.com

With a Bachelor of Visual Arts from AUT, author and illustrator Stephanie Thatcher has 12 published titles to date.

Thatcher lives in Huia, West Auckland, where she makes picture books alongside her freelance graphic design work. She has always loved books, spending much of her childhood lying around reading. She also loved drawing and painting, especially sketching people and animals. 

Thatcher wrote and illustrated her first picture book Great Galloping Galoot (Scholastic, 2012) about a clumsy giraffe, inspired by her gangly brother. She has since had many more picture book titles published, as well as illustrating several books for other authors.

Open Studios

Profile photgraph courtesy of Max Ross.

The Sur-Collective have developed and designed workshops, educational frameworks, publications, exhibitions, and creative activities for the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Consulate of Colombia in Auckland, Studio One Toi Tū, Depot Artspace, Auckland Studio Potters, The Clay Centre, Corban Estate Art Centre, and Auckland Council. 

Jesu Vasquez-Lesser is a Chilean visual artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Her artistic practice includes sculpture, puppetry, mixed textile techniques, and oil painting. Her interdisciplinary artistic work is based on experimenting with different media and forms of expression. She is finishing her PhD at the University of Auckland, researching religious art, collective memory, and grief. The theory and the practice come together in what she considers to be political art. Her aesthetic mixes women from the feminist movement in Chile, migration, religious, iconography and grief in all its forms. 

Catherine Guevara is a Colombian visual artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Her body of work comprises education, curation, research, writing and ceramics. 
An accomplished visual artist in her country of origin, she moved to Auckland to deepen her practice by further understanding the relationship between Latin American and Pacific cultures. As curator for the consulate of Colombia, she developed educational programmes and art workshops that aimed to help with the settlement of the Latin American community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She's passionate about exploring with clay. Her artist’s work examines the process of ceramic-making, imbuing layers of clay with memory and history.  

Juliana Durán is a Colombian practising visual artist who came to Aotearoa, New Zealand after receiving a scholarship to complete a Master in Fine Arts at ELAM, Auckland University. Her most recent achievement was receiving the Small Sculpture Prize in 2022 by Perpetual Guardian in association with Te Motu Vineyard and the Waiheke Community Art Gallery. 
Durán’s work aims to explore the capabilities and particularities of found materials as a response to “De-growth” and upcycling, a central value within her practice, the relationship between place and space, social constructions around the sense of belonging, and the conception of home. 

-

Sur-Collective

@quiltra.artspace

@cfromcat

@_hulianaa_

Tessa Mitchell has worked as a drama teacher with young children and teenagers for over 25 years.  She has run holiday programs and drama workshops across  Auckland. Tessa has worked with Isabel Fish Academy,  Shine, Performance Net and The Performing Arts School.  She currently teaches for Shine Speech and Drama and has run independant drama classes at Freemans Bay Primary school for over 7 years.

Tessa graduated as an actor with a degree from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne in 1994. She has an Masters in Spatial design from AUT in 2010.

Tessa has appeared as an actor in many films, including ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, ‘Perfect Creature’, ‘Rubbings of a Live Man’ and ‘Oracle Drive’, as well as guest TV roles and numerous theatre performances, recently receiving the Fringe award for  ‘I wanna be na nah na nah nah’, directed by Stephen Bain in which Tessa was the co-writer and performer . This turned into her solo show ‘Girl You Want’ which she performed seasons of in both NZ and Melbourne.

@tessamitchell66

Vanessa Narbey is a multimedia visual artist and art educator who has exhibited her work throughout New Zealand, and internationally.

Two of her paintings are held in the Art House Trust Collection and she has been a recent finalist for the London Art Biennale, the Walker and Hall Art Awards, The Perpetual Guardian Small Sculpture Prize, the Tasman National Art Awards and Craig’s Aspiring Art Prize. Vanessa completed her MFA with first class honors in 1998 from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. She was also Highly Commended for her piece in the Estuary Art and Ecology Prize in 2023. 

She lives in Auckland with her family.

Verity is a highly accomplished West Auckland artist and tutor, who studied at the Slade & Royal Drawing School, London and Elam, completing her BFA in 2007.

With both parents practicing artists, she grew up in and around their studio, immersed in an artistic way of life. Her art practice has always been a way of life as well as a vocation for her.

Verity has won awards including first prize in the Greater Auckland Art Awards 2018, Supreme Award in the Franklin Arts Festival 2016 and the Molly Morpeth Best Drawing Award in 2007.

Verity was also a finalist in the Parkin Drawing Award 2017, Adam Portrait Award 1991, 2000, 2004, 2016 and in the Portage Ceramic Awards 2001, 2005 and 2006.

verityk.com

@veritykart

openstudioswaitakere.co.nz