Painting with places: Experiencing Pukekura through painting encounters

Ko Ingarangi and ko kōtirana te whakapaparanga mai | Engari, Ko Taranaki te whenua tupu | No Whāingaroa ahau Ko Amanda toku ingoa |Tēnā tatou katoa

it was with a sense of significance that I returned to the Taranaki area to spend time painting in uncultivated areas of Pukekura during 2022 and 2023. Having grown up in Taranaki, the beginning of my painting journey was accompanied by a sense of deep connection to the place.

Before the work began, and again at the end, a group of us met in the garden [Pukekura Park] to acknowledge the whenua [land] and tangata whenua [people of the land] of the Taranaki area, Ngāti Te Whiti hapū and Te Atiawa iwi.  These were meaningful times for me and the work. We met by a large puriri tree which had this wonderful light that seemed to illuminate its bark, and there we received words of acknowledgment from Damon Ritai [Ngāti Te Whiti]. Each morning during the coming months I would visit this puriri as a way of marking the beginning of a day of painting.

Through this time in Pukekura I have encountered nuances in the ecology and have been surprisingly affected when witnessing the interaction between painting materials and the environment. During these times I was surrounded by the sounds, scents, and tactile feel of the place, being captivated by swooping birds, gusts of wind, and shifting shadows from the sun. These occasions have left lasting memories, some of which are recorded on the canvas in the form of painting. I have begun to see these places with new wonder, to sense a deep mystery and become more attuned to the vibrancy of the area.  For all this I am grateful.