Art is in the genes
Renowned Nelson pastel artist Tony Allain is not sure who he got his artistic talent from, but he is glad he passed it on to his daughter Claire.
‘‘I don’t know where it came from, but it was there from a very early age for me,’’ he says.
‘‘Of my two daughters Claire is the artistic one.
‘‘We both fell out of the same mould for some reason.’’
Claire is a jeweller and this weekend for the second time the Allains will be selling and exhibiting their work under the same roof at Art Expo Nelson.
Though they have both shown their work in galleries in New Zealand and Europe, the father and daughter say it is really only in Nelson, and at Art Expo Nelson, that they have had the chance to show their work as father and daughter in the same venue. ‘‘It’s really quite nice’’ Tony says. A total of 120 South Island artists are exhibiting and selling their art at the expo which runs from tomorrow until Sunday.
This year the expo is being held at Saxton Stadium, due to the closure of the Trafalgar Centre.
Claire says the Nelson expo has a great vibe and it is nice for Nelson artists to get the chance to show their works locally, so customers can come in and see their new work.
The expo is also a great way to make art more accessible.
‘‘Not everybody will walk into a gallery, but they will come to an event.’’
Claire says she generally speaks with everyone who stops at her stall and the event draws people to the region.
Last year she spoke to a lot of people who had made a special trip to Nelson from out of town especially for the event.
Tony has been painting for more than 40 years, and is inspired by light and movement.
He was born in the Channel Islands and moved to live and paint with the Painters of Light in St Ives, Cornwall, before shifting to Aotearoa.
He has exhibited his works around the world and his artworks are in international and national galleries.
In 2004 he was commissioned to paint 12 paintings for the staterooms on the Queen Mary 2.
He was awarded the title of Master Pastellist by Pastel Artists of New Zealand this year and his works have won numerous awards nationally and internationally. He lives in Atawhai and moved to Nelson after falling in love with New Zealand on a world trip a few years ago with his wife. ‘‘I wanted to paint the beautiful scenery.’’ Claire followed her father to Nelson a couple of years after he moved, deciding she wanted a change.
‘‘I had a little shop and gallery in Cornwall,’’ she said.
‘‘I was single and had my business for seven years and thought I needed a change. I sold everything and went out on a limb and moved over here and thought this is fantastic.’’
Claire now lives in Wakefield and sells her jewellery at Nelson’s Saturday Market.
She has met a ‘‘beautiful Kiwi man’’ and loves living in the region.
She has been a jeweller and designer since graduating in 1998 with a degree in jewellery and silversmithing.
She was in the top 10 students of her year and has been self-employed since she left university and has supplied many galleries in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Art Expo project manager Nic Foster says this weekend’s expo is a great opportunity for art-lovers to meet their favourite artists and discover new art.
‘‘There’s a really good vibe created at these things. I think it’s a combination of humour, happiness, debate and excitement,’’ Foster says.
‘‘People get really enthusiastic about art then if you add a flat white and fab food to the mix the feel-good factor ratchets up a notch .’’
Art Expo Nelson, tomorrow to Sunday; adults $5, Senior citizens, students $4, Children, aged up to 15, free. Doors open from 10am each day (open until 8pm tomorrow).