East Auckland’s top artists are set to publicly showcase their talents in an effort to help the country’s future sailing champions.
All works in the 15th annual Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC) Art Show are for sale with proceeds going to develop the club’s youth sailing academy, its coaches and tuition to more than 400 students.
Among those taking part are BBYC Past Commodore and professional award-winning Eastern Beach artist Merv Appleton and accomplished local potter and painter Raewyn Neale.
Appleton exhibits his work in New Zealand and overseas and several of his creations are in private collections around the world.
Neale’s work has previously been selected to feature in the prestigious Fletcher Challenge Ceramic Exhibition.
She’s taught pottery to children and adults at Nathan Homestead, Edgewater College and Uxbridge Arts and Culture in Howick.
Appleton says about 170-180 works will be in the exhibition and they’re all created by top local artists.
“There’s a good range of acrylics, oils and watercolours. There’s also a lot of abstract work as that’s becoming quite the thing.
“There is a smattering of landscapes, seascapes and still-life. Every year I keep getting impressed by the standard.”
Appleton is entering three of his works in the show, one of which is a seascape inspired by what he saw one day at Eastern Beach.
“The waves were crashing in and I quite liked the idea of the waves all crashing around the shore.
“The second one is pretty much from memory. It’s of a group of boats in pretty heavy seas.
“The sun’s going down and they’re on the beat home. They’re all local scenes.”
He says the price range of works in the show is a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand and the average would be about $400-$1000.
People who go along will be able to buy something “really nice” in that price range.
“One of the things we wanted to do was keep the standards high and I think we’ve done that.”
Sales from the art show provide a vital financial boost to the club’s youth sailing academy, Appleton says.
“It’s an expensive academy to keep going for the kids. There’s a misnomer they’re all from wealthy homes.
“That’s far from the truth. Most of their parents couldn’t afford it if the academy wasn’t there to get them out on the water.
“If people go along and buy something they’re obviously supporting the artist, but their money is going toward the youth of today.
“Some of those kids go on and make a career out of their sailing. The club’s very proud of that fact.
“Quite a few of our young ones have gone through and sailed in the America’s Cup.
“They’ve sailed all around the world and if we didn’t have the academy those kids wouldn’t have that opportunity.”
The BBYC Art Show is open 9am-6pm from November 8-12 at the club at Ara Tai, Half Moon Bay Marina.
