21 May 2025
This King's Birthday Weekend will see the 19th ‘Art Exhibition & Sale’ fundraiser for Harbour Hospice take place at the Estuary Art Centre in Orewa.
Showcasing the work of more than 50 artists from across New Zealand, the four-day event will feature art for all tastes and budgets, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and garden art, says Suzanne Lasenby, from the charity’s Hibiscus Coast Volunteer Fundraising Committee.
A ticketed preview night with wine and canapes on Thursday 29 May will offer the opportunity to be the first to view and purchase art, and the committee is excited to be bringing on board a tattoo artist for the first time this year, Suzanne says. “They will hopefully tattoo one of their clients, live, over the weekend and chat to people about the process, as well as take bookings.”
Mixed with this new talent will be several local exhibitors, including mixed media artist Fiona Ehn from Waitoki, who has contributed to the event for more than 10 years.
Fiona creates vibrant mixed media pieces which celebrate women and NZ wildlife. This year she’s putting in four pieces and says every contribution is deeply personal for her.
"Twenty years ago, my husband was very sick and underwent extensive treatment for several years. Fortunately, he was one of the lucky ones and made it through. This experience made me truly recognise and appreciate the importance of community-based services like hospice for people going through similar situations. I wanted to give back."
Fiona had always loved art at school, but didn’t begin painting until she was an adult, around the same time as her husband became ill. She’s done a lot of experimenting along the way, she says. “But the two things I love are colour and texture. So they’ve become the hallmark of what I do.”
She likes capturing women from the mid twentieth century. “The fashion and style from that period, and I love the attention that women used to pay to themselves.” She is also a keen photographer and uses her own photos as references for her native NZ wildlife paintings.
Contributing to Harbour Hospice’s annual exhibition appeals to her sense of balance, she says. “Art is something I do for fun, so a lot of what I earn from my art goes to things I care about.”
Harbour Hospice is the only specialist palliative care provider on the Hibiscus Coast, caring for one in three people in the community. To support Harbour Hospice and pick up a great piece of art:
Harbour Hospice Art Exhibition & Sale
Friday 30 May – Monday 2 June
Ticketed preview night Thursday 29 May
Estuary Art Centre, Orewa.
Artists will donate a percentage from art sales to Hospice, with some artists donating 100 per cent. For more details and to purchase preview night tickets click here.
