Kōkōwai / Painting with Whenua Workshop

Rhian has a subsidised workshop and a full price workshop available. Bookings for all full price workshops are open now and you may book into as many as you wish. The subsidised workshops are only open to book 10 days prior to the workshop and bookings are limited to one subsidised workshop per person.

​Guided by Rhian Smith, in this workshop you will have the opportunity to prepare your own pigments and paint your own masterpiece while discussing how to respectfully harvest whenua without leaving a trace.

Tutor: Rhian Smith
What: Kōkōwai / Painting with Whenua
Where: The Incubator

Workshop One:
Date: Sunday, 12th June
Time: 3pm to 5pm
Cost: $10

Workshop Two:
Date: Saturday, 25th June
Time: 3pm to 5pm
Cost: $55

​“Mā te kimi ka kite, mā te kite ka mōhio, mā te mōhio ka mārama.”

“Seek and discover, discover, and know, know and become enlightened.”

Ko Mauao te Maunga

Ko Tauranga te Moana

Ko Taakitimu, ko Mataatua, ko Ngātokimatawhaorua ngā Waka

Ko Ngāti Ranginui, ko Ngāi Te Rangi, ko Ngāpuhi ngā Iwi

Ko Rhian Smith tōku ingoa.

​Growing up I was surrounded by a lot of mainstream standards to which I never really fit in. It wasn’t until I immersed myself into my Māori heritage and culture that I was able to see the potential in my own self and in my art.

​I enjoy working with various mediums from harakeke and mahi raranga – weaving, to create my own pigments out of koha – gifts from whenua and moana and letting the pigments tell their own story on paper or canvas.

​A saying that resonates with me is “Mātauranga doesn’t belong to you, you hold it on behalf of those who need it”. Therefore, I like to weave stories into my art as I believe art can create conversation and the opportunity of sharing mātauranga.

My mahi toi is inspired by my surroundings, the indigenous ability to tell stories in such visual and creative ways and most importantly my whakapapa.