Chrissy Wickes and Sonia Frimmel share their journey gathering artists across NZ Aotearoa whose creativity is focused on care and appreciation of land.

(A message to the reader.)

A few years ago Chrissy Wickes was working in one of New Zealand’s most remote landscapes. In an old hut, she noticed a beautiful pencil sketch of a takahē drawn on a wall. Underneath were the names of people who had worked to protect this once-thought extinct bird, dating back to the 1970s. It struck Chrissy that people working in conservation had important stories to tell, and one of the most powerful modes of storytelling, was visual.  That was the spark that eventually led to the publication of Creative Conservation in 2021, a book that brings together artists and craftspeople whose works were inspired by nature and their own experiences working in conservation endeavours. It took a number of years, a little help from Sonia Frimmel (another artist, and one-time Department of Conservation staff member), and lots of support from friends and colleagues but the end result is a wonderful acknowledgment of the artists’ creativity and commitment to conservation. It showcases 35 artists who celebrate our distinctive landscape and flora and fauna through a wide range of mediums including painting, sculpture, ceramics, carving, poetry, and tapestry.

Chrissy explains, “What lifts this from just a book about artists that are passionate about nature, is that it’s about artists that have worked, and still do work, in conservation. So, there is an incredible depth of meaning and knowledge behind each artwork.”

Here are three of the craftspersons featured in the book:

Ginney Deavoll

From an early age, I knew that I would be an artist. I also knew that I felt at home in the outdoors and that the thought of adventure made me shiver with excitement and anticipation.

At first, I mostly painted landscape from life but soon started to illustrate the stories of where I was living. The design element in these paintings caused my artwork to take on a different look. This style was developing well but took a huge leap forward after an incredible trip with my partner Tyrell: a sea kayak journey up the coast of the Coromandel, out to Great Barrier Island, then up the East Coast of Northland to Houhora. The duration of the journey was five weeks, and by the end I was brimming with inspiration.

My intention was to share the places we’d seen, places that take your breath away and to capture the moments that were funny, scary or beautiful. I wanted to pass on the feeling of elation from seeing a whale cruise by under my kayak and the pleasure of watching every sunrise and sunset and admiring the Milky Way each night. Most of all I wanted to share how incredible our little country is.

I had found my Turangawaewae and also what I wanted to do with my painting. I had discovered how to combine my passion for painting with my journeys in the outdoors and make them my world. Since then I’ve been on many journeys into the wild and extreme places of New Zealand and the need to share those experiences through my artwork is stronger than ever.

Gavin Smith

I have worked for the Department of Conservation for three years as an iwi engagement community ranger. This involves building and maintaining relationships between the department and our treaty partners. I believe if we can support tangata whenua to practice traditional kaitiaki practices over their ancestral lands the future of conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand will be an exciting adventure.

I am driven to conserve the indigenous and ancestral culture of Aotearoa and this has allowed me to make sense of my love of native manu (birds) and rakau (trees). My personal journey of connection began as a child in my mother’s native garden where I learnt to identify common native trees and birds and practice the pronunciation of their names. The interest that was ignited in my mother’s garden has guided my life’s work.

Carving is a traditional art form of my ancestors and it shapes how I engage in the world. Since beginning my job with the department, manu have begun to influence my personal carving style. In 2018 I held a solo exhibition that utilised manu to interpret my journey of reconnection.

The purpose of this exhibition was to raise conversations about conservation creating common ground between the department and Tauranga Moana whanau who both have interests in conserving manu.

Chrissy Wickes

I love the process of painting, particularly when painting the land. It lets me explore and study the physical layout of the land in a more creative way than if I was just enjoying the view. At the moment the landscapes I am exploring are those around Wanaka where I live. I am also enjoying painting off canvas … large murals in public spaces and on retro water and snow skis.

It is this connection with the land, and my deep love for it that brought me to conservation. This then led me to work in some of New Zealand’s most isolated and pristine places, from the far north on Raoul Island to the wild south on Adams Island. I became slightly obsessed with islands, hopping from one island to the next for over ten years. They are places of wonder. Having thousands of seabirds falling out of the sky at dusk to find their burrows; the cacophony of sounds in the bush at night on these warm seabird islands; the southern islands with their wind, mist and huge albatross. Each island has left an everlasting impression on me. It is the New Zealand beyond the mainland that I hope will be returned to the mainland.

In my art, I try to express with gratitude and awe of this place.

You can purchase Creative Conservation here. 

About Chrissy Wickes and Sonia Frimmel

Chrissy Wickes has worked in conservation for more than 30 years and her work has seen her travel extensively around New Zealand, including many outlying, isolated parts of the country. She is also an artist and her oil paintings capture the magnificence of the New Zealand landscape. She has worked with other artists who are also interested in conservation in curating group exhibitions and shares their passion for furthering conservation efforts through their artwork. Visit chrissywickesart.wordpress.com/

Sonia Frimmel is a Waikato-based artist and author of guidebooks to her region’s walking and cycle tracks. She produces creative display panels with conservation themes – incorporating art to tell these stories that are important to her. She is inspired by her 30 years working alongside people committed to conservation and the time she has spent tramping in some of New Zealand’s most beautiful places. Visit https://www.whatsthestory.co.nz/

Tags

carving | G35 | New Zealand | painting | printmaking