Spacecraft Labour Weekend Art Exhibition

WIN A 3D TAUPO MAP

With any instore purchase over Labour Weekend go in the draw to win a stunning Lake Taupo 3D bamboo map by The Furnace, valued at $179!

This Labour Weekend Spacecraft is hosting art from leading New Zealand artists. 

Featuring: 

• Aran Pudney from The Furnace, creator of sustainable 3D art maps
• Full time artist Nic Tucker, landscape woodblock print specialist
• Totaea Rendell creator of Paua Frita and Moko kiwiana prints and Tee Shirts
• Glenn Jones creator of stylised retro kiwi classics
• Luckfully Design by Rhona Stewart, Scotish designer living in Taupo
• And Sally-Ann Davies, local Taupo woodblock artist

These artists produce pieces that showcase the beauty of New Zealand. Dramatic landscapes, stylised Tiki and native birds, a bit of kiwi kitsch, and down to earth kiwi humour are all represented across this selection of full time artists. These works are varied and incorporate differing elements and mediums offering a diverse representation of ‘Kiwiana’.

Highlight on artist Aran Pudney from The Furnace

Aran Pudney is a designer from Lyall Bay in Wellington. He has always been fascinated by all things design. He has always had a passion for working with wood and from an early age enjoyed making things out of timber in his father’s workshop. One of his favourite personal pieces is his beautifully crafted dining table made from salvaged matai. His early interest in creating furniture paved the way for his industrial design studies. This developed into a career as a product designer, predominantly in high volume consumer electronics, with designs ranging from exercise machines for disabled people to photographic accessories. Over the years he has developed a keen interest in the environment and tried to incorporate this aspect into all his product design work, including developing ranges of eco-friendly packaging. With the support of his wife Maeve he has been able to come full circle and follow his love of everything wood and transition to setting up his own eco-friendly business “The Furnace”. His in-depth knowledge of materials and processes has allowed him to develop a range of art based around the precision processes found in mass manufacture, and to use this to create personal, customised art pieces. He creates high-quality products that are designed and crafted by him from his workshop in Lyall Bay, Wellington.

All Arans material selections are carefully considered and evaluated for their environmental and social impact. His signature bamboo plywood is sourced from sustainable plantations, and he has worked with the supplier to now use formaldehyde free glues. His custom framing profiles are all FSC certified pine, and packaging is kept to a minimum and is always recyclable or biodegradable.

Being able to provide affordable, beautiful artwork, designed and made in New Zealand that will be cherished by its owner, without a negative impact on the planet is his goal.

His works to date have centred around interpreting hydrographic marine charts into a range 3D graphic maps. He has lots of new projects in the pipeline and will be exhibiting some of his new work, as well as limited edition pieces instore at Spacecraft over the weekend. 

Nic Tucker

Also on display this weekend are large format woodblock prints by Nic Tucker. Dunedin School of Art graduate, Nic Tucker, uses an age old Japanese technique to produce delightful woodcut prints of iconic New Zealand landscapes. The process involves making a series of individual blocks for each colour which she inks and runs through a press, careful to register layer over layer. On display this weekend, are Mount Tauhara, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, and Tongariro crossing.

Totaea 

Kiwi Prints by Totaea Rendell - Based in Papamoa Totaea predominantly produces stylised Geometric Tikis and birds, using colour and form to depict his subject. Each limited edition print is created by hand in his garage, mostly working in a digital medium. Totaea says “I love to give Kiwiana a good twist. In doing so I have a loyal following around the country looking for art that is original, thoughtful and well designed.

Glen Jones 

Glen creates art that has a sense of humour, a hint of nostalgia and always proudly celebrates what it is to be a Kiwi. The medium might change (art prints, calendars, coffee cups) but we always have the same aim: to make people smile.

Glenn Jones Art is a family business: Glenn creates the artwork, Julia takes care of the business, and our three kids provide lots of inspiration and the odd distraction. Before starting Glenn Jones Art, Glenn was a creative director and worked on some of New Zealand's most well-known brands, including Tip Top, Lotto and Frucor. To his surprise, he found internet fame in the mid 2000s with his quirky T-shirt designs, which led to him creating his own US-based T-shirt brand. He really hit the big time when his tees were worn on-screen by the stars of the Big Bang Theory and they’ve since found their way onto the chests of celebrities and hundreds of thousands of fans globally.

Luckfully Design by Rhona Stewart

Originally from Scotland, Rhona has made Taupo her home thanks to its amazing community. After studying graphic design at university Rhona knew it wasn’t a career path she wanted to follow but still absolutely loved drawing, finding it a great way to relax. She draws a lot in her spare time and loves working with spacecraft on new ideas for pieces! Her style of drawing is called dot work. This is done with a pen and then watercolours over the top. And we love her unique view of Taupo and the surrounding landscapes!

Sally-Ann Davies

Having gained a Fine Arts Degree from Liverpool John Moores University in England Sally-Ann now calls Taupo home. Inspiration for her work comes from the natural environment, from growing up on a dairy farm, skiing down mountain slopes, sailing and kayaking on our lakes and rivers or tramping through the bush. Colourful sunsets, threatening storms, or billowing clouds, the vastness of the lakes and oceans and the magnitude of mountain ranges. These are things she is drawn to, that fuel her desire to be creative.

Call into Spacecraft over the weekend to check out works by these cool NZ artists! 

Open 7 Days  

Labour Weekend Hours |  Friday 10-5pm  |  Saturday 10-4pm  |  Sunday 10-2pm  |  Monday 10-2pm