Flights of Fancy by Diane Taylor and Shelley Wilson

Diane Taylor and Shelley Wilson have been firm friends and fellow artists for a number of years and have brought some of their work together in this ‘Flights of Fancy’ exhibition in Gallery Four. Their styles are quite different but their aims are the same: to entrance and delight the visitor.
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Diane
I began to hone my skills seriously as an artist in 2017 attending various classes at Estuary Arts Centre and discovering the joy of allowing my creative and observational energies to coalesce on the canvas. I have undertaken several commissions and sold work at Orewa’s Boulevard Art Festival and, this year, was delighted to be awarded EACT Student Merit Award for my detailed painting of a field hare entitled ‘Nibble.’

In ‘Flights Of Fancy’ I create a collection of works capturing the quirky character, and humour even, of NZ’s stunning native bird life as well as its shining plumage and unique morphology. Intriguing insects have crept their way into a few frames: an important part of NZ fauna sometimes overlooked by we humans. I believe the more visible the natural world is in our everyday lives the more we appreciate and protect it, and the more content and happy we are as individuals.

Shelley
I love to explore new creative ideas and travel down unexpected pathways. Using a wide variety of media such as pencil, watercolour, ink, and acrylic paint, I bring my ideas to life in colourful whimsy. For me, art is an infinite journey of unlimited imagination. I want my painting to be a visual poetry that spreads joy and lifts the spirit of the viewer. This ‘Flights Of Fancy’ collection is the embodiment of an untamed imagination, the flightiness of dreams and the delight of rich colour in a world of fantastical creatures.