Making a list, checking it twice, packing up art, time for another art show. I do like Wellington, it has a lot of similarities to Dunedin, arty, hilly and everything in the main center pretty close together. Usually a bit warmer too, though not so much this time.

My art assistant/hubby/handy guy with a drill and I set off on Thursday to fly up. Most of my works travelled up in checked-in luggage, which was nice and easy, though cumbersome getting through airports with four large suitcases. Because the works are largely made from wire and flexible air-dry clay they travel really well if well wrapped and in hard-covered cases.

Last time we went up we had a motel that didn’t have much in the way of opening windows and was pretty stuffy, so I got a place with a balcony this time, well-balcony and view it said……

So, we had a choice between the view of the concrete wall or the apartment next door. Ah well it suited the budget and at least we could open a door! We got to calling it ‘the cave’.

We got in nice and early for setup, which always takes about 2-3 hours, always longer than I think. I normally take shelves and dithered a bit so ended up just using the suitcases covered with a sheet to display some of the figurines, which didn’t look that great so I’ll make sure I take shelves next time. That aside, I was really happy with the display.

I decided to take up a few of my paintings and drawings this time too, I often jump back to painting and drawing for a change and hadn’t really shown these before. I felt they still fit the fantasy theme.

The opening night and show days were buzzing with enthusiastic art-lovers. I just love sharing ideas and techniques with people. Lots of young art students came to chat, and I can rattle on for ages about materials, techniques and ideas. It’s easy to be enthusiastic about materials I love working with, and I’ve spent so much time with this clay that I know it well.

It’s a great feeling when someone really connects with your work and I had some fantastic conversations with visitors and also came away with some other ideas people shared with me.

It was heartwarming to see a group of young people who had bought a small crazy bird at a previous show come back for another bird for a flat mate and crowded around laughing and chatting. Little interactions like this made my weekend.

These shows are always so well run and now I’ve done a few I’ve gotten to know a lot of the other artists. It’s a really supportive environment.

Some of my favorite pieces found new homes, which was wonderful. I am always absolutely humbled when visitors part with their hard-earned cash to buy an artwork, it means so much. I’ve come home tired but happy, with a few projects to get cracking on including making a small figurine with a ‘Warrior Queen’ vibe, should be fun….

The Wellington Art Show 2026

Leaping into 2026