Art sale inspired by nature

Twenty artworks worth $58,000 collectively have gone on sale to raise funds for Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

Arrowtown artists Lady Christine Hill and Dr Maryanne Marlow have donated their original artworks to support the organisation's conservation projects, such as the recent return of takahē to the Rees valley.

"I have great fun doing the paintings and mine are slightly unusual in that they're based on patterns I've seen in rusted pieces of metal, which is rather bizarre," Lady Christine says.

"But I believe you can see beauty in anything if you look at it the right way around, and I think that ties in quite well with the beauty of the landscapes here and the wildlife conservation work of Southern Lakes Sanctuary."

A couple of the pieces have already been snapped up but the rest are available through the SLSs website, www.southernlakessanctuary.org.nz/shop/ priced $2,350 - $3,350.

Born in Yorkshire, Lady Christine attended Sheffield College of Art, before emigrating to New Zealand in the 60s and working as an art teacher at Whangarei Girls High School, later conceptualising the design of the Michael Hill Jewellery Stores, developing her own unique jewellery collections, and curating paintings and sculpture for The Hills golf course and lodge, while continuing to paint.

It was a casual conversation with Dr Maryanne Marlow over coffee that sparked the idea for the fundraiser.

"The Hills are long term supporters of SLS and I'm very keen too to see our native birds, all our flora and fauna, retained," Dr Marlow says.

"My pieces were inspired by a trip to Ireland. I was fascinated by the interaction of the sea and the coast; the energy release and ferocity of it in one area and then around the corner in another bay it could be quite tranquil and peaceful.

"Both Christine and I were dealing with organic subjects, as rust is an organic process, so they fitted together well for an exhibition. I absolutely love doing these works, so if they rase some money for conservation in the process, I'd be delighted."

Arrowtown-based Dr Marlow has exhibited both locally and throughout New Zealand, most notably in the NZ Art Show, Renew Art Exhibition in 2020 and The Craigs Aspiring Artist finals in 2024. Her works are held in collections in New Zealand and internationally.

SLS now supports the work of more than 100 environmental groups through our the region, focused on conserving, restoring, and protecting ecosystems and building resilience in wildlife populations – including 35 species now threatened with extinction in this area.

Recent successes included the release of 18 takahē on to 18,000ha of leasehold land in the Rees Valley near Queenstown in February, after three years of major predator control operations.

SLS project director Paul Kavanagh says the ongoing support of The Hills and other benefactors is crucial to the organisation's success.

"Continuity is really important in conservation," he says. "We have to plan long term, and you need partnerships like we have with the Hills, to achieve that.

"This is an incredibly generous gesture from both artists, who've donated some wonderful artwork to help support our cause. I'd encourage everyone to go on the website and have a look."