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Meet our Artists
The Pohutukawa Coast Arts Hub proudly showcase a diverse group of local artists working across a wide range of creative disciplines.
Browse their profiles to discover their work and connect with our creative community.
Crafts & Textile Art
Samantha Sutherland
Samantha is a textile artist turning fabric scraps into vibrant, one-of-a-kind creations inspired by nature, positivity, and life on New Zealand’s stunning Pohutukawa Coast. From whimsical native birds to colorful landscapes and uplifting quotes, every piece she makes is stitched with love, creativity, and a story to tell. Dive in and explore her world of texture and colour!
Acrylic & Oil
Sharon Pearce
Sharon lives in Maraetai, Auckland. She focuses on Landscapes and Seascapes. She has always had a passion for art so when Sharon retired in 2018 she began her journey to learn to paint . Living by the beach gave her endless painting opportunities and she tries to capture the beauty that nature provides. Sharon loves to walk along our shores and feel the sun on her face and just marvel at how lucky she is to live in such a beautiful place.
Artist
Loretta Arthur
Loretta Arthur is a lifelong artist trained at Whitecliffs School of Art, with a background in theatre and adult education. Art has always been central to her creative life.
Inspired by everyday scenes, Loretta paints people, coastal settings, cafés, and historic buildings, working in an impressionist, alla-prima style influenced by Monet and Turner.
Loretta sells her work through Clevedon Creatitves.
Watercolor Artist
Lost Design
Tina Los is a watercolour artist who works from her home studio in Auckland. She is inspired by her love of nature and enjoys creating watercolour paintings that reflect the places she has travelled, animals and birds, and the amazing landscapes of NZ.
Tina's work combines an expressive approach with an absolute attention to fine details, using variations of transparency and light to create dynamic, vibrant and luminous paintings that capture the beauty of animals, birds, and landscapes.
Resin Art
The Chronic Creative
You may see Mel at one of the local markets with all her amazing resin art.
She has also run many workshops with us, so we could all create our own amazing, unique pieces.
Illustration and Design
Rakel King
Rakel has always had a passion for drawing. Growing up in Maraetai she was always drawing, especially horses! Ever since she can remember she had this fascination with being able to draw them hyper realistic. Rakel still has horses and still absolutely loves drawing them! RakeI built her business up alongside raising 3 children in Beachlands. Now the children have grown she is creating full time and loving it! Rakel is mostly busy drawing animals & people by commission in her home based studio in Clevedon. She uses watercolour, coloured pencil & pastel mostly. She is open to taking on graphic design projects and illustration commissions.
Arrist, Illustrator and Author
Carolyn Watts
Carolyn began her artistic journey under the guidance of renowned Devonport artist Robert Campion before moving to the Bay of Plenty, where she led the Katikati Art Group and managed the Katikati Art Gallery for three years. Returning to Auckland, she established Gallery61.
Working in contemporary realism, Carolyn primarily paints in oils and illustrated her children’s book Tilly Meets a Stranger in the same medium. Her work is exhibited and sold through Gallery61, Green Gables Gallery in Howick, retail outlets, and exhibitions, with collectors across New Zealand and internationally.
Artist and Tutor
Manya Iron Venters
Manya lives locally in Beachlands. She has been teaching art lessons to ladies and children for about three years after moving here. Manya is originally from South Africa and studied art and education in her early years. She taught art to high school students and also created art in her spare time. Murals, graphic designing and art commissions. Manya loves painting with acrylics. Bright colours and textures are in most of her artwork. She is currently experimenting with loose brush strokes and moody soft backgrounds. Art has always been a part of her life.
Mosaics
Mainly Mosaics Maraetai
Danielle Fernandez is a former gallery owner from Richmond, Virginia and author of Brilliant Stained Glass Mosaics.
With extensive experience in private mosaic interior design commissions, she now works from her home studio in Maraetai, New Zealand, creating vibrant 3D mosaic sculptures, stained glass lighting, and custom pieces for indoor and outdoor spaces.
Danielle also teaches classes and welcomes commission enquiries.
Portraits and Wildife Wall Art
Donna Jepsen
DM Jepsen Photography is based in Clevedon and focuses on capturing authentic stories through relaxed, natural portrait photography of people and animals.
Beginning with wildlife and bird photography, Donna now captures portraits while also creating wildlife images from around New Zealand and from travels to Australia and Africa, all personally photographed and edited.
Pebble Mosaic Artist
John Botica
John Botica is a pebble mosaic artist born in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1953 who has lived in New Zealand since 1997. Since discovering pebble mosaic art in 2004, he has developed a distinctive style using natural stones and bold patterns inspired by Māori and Polynesian motifs.
His work includes numerous private and public commissions, including the Tree of Life installation in Greenhithe and a project at Bastion Point. One of his mosaics has been recognised among the world’s top contemporary mosaic works.