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, May 17, 2011

Manu Waiwai

Kotare in progress
This idea has been in my head for quite sometime and I have finally had the chance to sit down and experiment with it. Watercolour manu! I like the idea of prodcing a range of images which are more affordable and easily produced once the initial painting has been perfected.

I think he will look gorgeous when he is finished

After experimenting with my printer I have managed to get it to accept 300 gms paper and the final results are fabulous. The inks are of top quality and are said to have very good archival propertities.

Piwakawaka Waiwai 2011
Here is one that is completed, in it's printed form. Waiwai refers to the watery media that was used to create the image. The subtleties of the watercolour process are still visible, which to me was very important. They are all signed and in an edition of 50.

detail

At this stage I am considering printing half of the edition on canvas, but at this stage I will just stick with the paper. Piwakawaka Waiwai is available for purchase on Felt
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About Me

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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.