ella thomas

This is a record of my art making, the experiences that I have in everyday life that inspire me and a document of the paintings that I produce. Sometimes I will mention different facts or stories that bear some relevance to manu / birds and New Zealand native flora. One of the key ideas within my work is the celebration of the uniqueness of the native species within Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tui Mahira


This is the latest bird to add to the whanau, Tui Mahira; meaning nosey tui. I loved the photo that I based this guy off and I am stoked with how I captured his inquisitiveness within the painting. Here I also experimented with working in a wider variety of blue hues within his wing feathers. The original image had been pushed through photoshop I think. Enjoy. Link to Tui Mahira


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Thursday, April 14, 2011

St Heliers Bay Market on Sunday

Hey there, come and join us at St Heliers Bay Easter Eggstravaganza Market. It is this Sunday 17th, 10 - 3 pm Tamaki Ex-Services Association Hall, Cnr Turua St & Polygon Rd, St Heliers. I have never had a stall at a market before but it should be great fun. It is all very last minute, a last minute invitation but hey you gotta give it a go eh? Look for the ellaQuaint store :) St Heliers Bay Easter Eggstravaganza Market
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

ooo, chilly


Treehugger is one of my favourite ecoblogs. Here is a wild article which I thought I would share with you. Of all the birds who need their feathers . . .treehugger article
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Monday, April 11, 2011

Don Merton Dies

Don Merton holding Richard Henry, a Fiordland kakapo



It is so sad, the beloved koro of both the toutouwai (black robin) and kakapo has died at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer. He was the person responsible for bringing back both species of manu (birds) back from the brink of extinction, without his intervention we would have lost both feathered treasures.

Link to the Article from the New Zealand Herald
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About Me

My photo
Auckland, New Zealand
Ella Thomas is a contemporary artist who lives in Auckland, Aotearoa. She is of Ngapuhi descent and has a passion for the beauty of the whenua (land), the sea and for the unique flora and fauna of New Zealand. The concepts that are explored within Ella's work are based upon notions of conservation, ecological balance and extinction. Her paintings often feature nostalgic patterns reminiscent of the mid to late 1800's, the era when European colonization occurred. It was during this time that many unique species of birds became extinct. The rarer a bird became, the more prized a specimen of it became. Alive or dead. Much of Ella's paintings are celebrations of the unique character of our surviving taonga (treasures). Ella has a Bachelor of Visual Arts and has been working within arts related industries for many years. She has paintings in collections nationwide, Australia, England and the USA. Finally the plunge has been taken and Ella has committed herself to fulfilling a dream, that of becoming a full-time artist.