Under the cool shade of a gazebo on a hot autumn day, an east Auckland artist has finished painting Howick Beach in all its glory.
The Howick Village Association collaborated with Chorus and the Beautification Trust to have the Chorus cabinet outside the Good Home in Uxbridge Road painted with a 175th celebration theme.
Full-time award-winning artist Elise De Silva took on the task and spent approximately 15 hours perfecting her artwork, titled Memories of Howick, over a three day period. It was all done in acrylic.
The painting on the front of the cabinet depicts Howick from the perspective of Beach Road in soft green colours. The inspiration, De Silva says, was from a picture taken in 1909.
The sides of the cabinet are images of colour that are modern pictures of Howick Beach today.
Having the painting vertical – as they often are on cell phones – delivers impact and the social media app Instagram’s interactive features further illustrates this intention.
“It’s to highlight the beach and the past,” De Silva says. “I really love the (Howick) beach. It’s what makes Howick Howick!”
De Silva works out of Green Gables Studio and her primary medium is watercolour with an occasional flourish of oils and acrylics. She is the president of the Howick Art Group.
