Kia ora Artists!

The festival is delighted to display works from a range of NZ artists and photographers, all with unique takes on our theme ‘Adventurous Sports & Lifestyles.” We welcome emerging and established artists from Wānaka and around New Zealand. It’s free to display, and no commission is taken on art sales. All spaces have now been filled – check out this year’s exhibitors below!

2026 EXHIBITORS

Dan Sutherland

Born and raised in Nelson, New Zealand, now living in Queenstown, my interest in photography came about when I moved to Canada for two years to chase white water kayaking. I bought my first camera right when COVID-19 broke out, so I had nothing but time on my hands to mess around with the camera, which is when my photography passion grew. This created a perfect combination, kayaking to access remote places, and a camera to record them. I had the opportunity to join a few international expeditions, shooting video and photos for whitewater kayaking brands. Then after a 100-day trip into Fiordland, I had my introduction to filmmaking, which opened a whole new door and landed me here. Now my latest project has been starting TOI O MĀRAMA, a way to sell prints of my favorite photos captured along the way.

@Dan.Sutherland
toiomarama.co.nz

Tessa Simpson

Tessa is an artist and designer, drawn to spending as much time as possible outdoors. Mountains are her speciality, both on and off the sketchbook page. Tessa grew up with a love of nature and first started climbing hills during the ten years that she lived in Scotland.

Since she began drawing mountains in 2020, she’s explored watercolour, charcoal and monoprinting as different approaches to capturing the evocative mountain landscapes that inspire her. More recently in New Zealand she has continued developing her printing processes as a member of Wānaka Printmakers. Through her work she explores the idea of immersive experiences within the mountains and our emotional connection to the landscapes around us.

@drawn.to.the.mountain
www.drawntothemountain.co.uk

Nick Edwards

I’m based in Wanaka and primarily interested in landscape and nature photography, though I also enjoy drawing with graphite.

Growing up in the UK countryside, I had an interest in nature from a young age. After spending most of adulthood living in cities, I’m glad to feel connected with the outdoors again since moving to Wanaka.

I’m inspired every day by the relative permanence of the landscape and the fleeting moments we can witness.

@nickedwardsphotography
www.nickedwardsphotography.com

Kate Boswell

Kate is a watercolour artist based in Wanaka, NZ.

Her work is a fresh and contemporary interpretation of the NZ landscape. Using the watercolour medium and emphasising strong contrasts of light, Kate’s paintings mainly focus on the Central Otago region, depicting familiar natural features in a unique and interesting way.

@kateboswellart
kateboswellart.com

Ray Tiddy

Ray Tiddy is a photographer and filmmaker based in Wānaka, New Zealand. His work is grounded in the landscapes he spends time in, capturing both the energy of the mountains and the quieter moments around them. More recently he’s been shooting on 120 film, enjoying the slower, more considered process it brings to capturing light and atmosphere.

@raytiddy

Katie Robinson

Katie Robinson is a Central Otago painter inspired by the landscapes, history and character of the South Island. She spent much of her childhood exploring the region’s hills, rivers and mountains, and that connection to place continues to shape her work today.

Having studied science, including geology, Katie has a particular interest in the forces that shape the land and the energy within in. Working in acrylic, she uses colour, pattern and a degree of abstraction to move beyond a literal representation of the landscape, focusing instead on its energy, structure and how it makes you feel.

Her paintings draw on real locations but are often reimagined through memory and experience, creating works that sit somewhere between observation and interpretation. Through this approach, she explores what makes a landscape memorable and meaningful.

@katie_robinson_art

www.katierobinson.co.nz

Michael Beckmann

Michael is a photographer and mountaineer based in Wanaka.

This photo collection looks at alpine huts around the mountains of Mt Aspiring National Park. Often, just getting to these huts is a great trip in itself; other times, they’re a solid base for bigger missions in the surrounding mountains.

@michaelbeckmann_

Jodie Shellard

The Rambling Shell is an illustrataion persona by Lake Hāwea local Jodie Shellard.

The idea grew as she explored the outdoors and epic places the South island has to offer. Wanting to incorporate these beautiful scenes in an alternative and vibrant design that matched her personal artistic esthetic.

Jodie uses mixed media methods to illustrate, usually a combination of hand & digital drawing.

Creating fun, lively visuals to be shared with lovers of Aotearoa adventures.

@rambling_shell
theramblingshell.com

Orla O Muiri

Irish photographer and videographer based in Wānaka, Aotearoa/New Zealand. I specialise in adventure and extreme sports, with a particular passion for bringing about environmental and social change. In my free time, I am a climber, a hiker, a skier, a terrible surfer, a cyclist, an inflexible yogi, an activist and a lover of art and trinkets, of cabins in the wood and the van life.

@orlaomuiri

www.orlaomuiri.com

Alli Marie

Alli Marie is a Canadian-born, Kiwi Resident who loves exploring the mountains. She creates decorative topography art in hope to inspire more people to get outside and hang with mother nature. Each background and overlaid elevation line is hand drawn to keep the human aspect alive in each piece. Imperfect, bespoke and relatable.

Pre-made prints and customs available, enquire through her website.

@allimarie.designs

allimarie.co.nz

Fiona Hughes

Everything related to nature. I find endless inspiration in the earthy colours and textures that surround me, layers of sedimentation holding memory and time.

Successfully gaining awards at the Alexandra blossom festival and the Labour weekend Wanaka Arts exhibition.

Facebook: Fiona Hughes Artist

Karina Fay

Karina Fay has forged a style of her own, uniquely blending textures and colour into an array of paintings, depicting many themes. She has exhibited artwork in New Zealand and the South Pacific, with pieces scattered throughout the globe. Her passion for creating comes from a life well lived. She is based in Wanaka, New Zealand.

@monarkgallerynz
www.monarkgallerynz.com

Chrissy Wickes

I’m a local artist here in Wānaka. I facilitate art workshops for adults and children. I’m fascinated with nature. I’m also fascinated by the creativity of people.

https://chrissywickesart.wordpress.com/

Michelle Simpson

I am an Aotearoa artist living in Wānaka working across drawing and painting, based on time spent in the South Island backcountry, one of my favourite places to be. My drawings are clean and observational, focusing on huts, valleys, and remote tracks. While my painting practice explores atmosphere, memory, and the feeling of place after returning from it. Rather than polished or romantic versions of the mountains, my work is grounded in how they are actually lived – through weather, seasonal changes, effort, and stillness.

Always trying to capture the beauty that surrounds us.

@drift_studio_ms
Driftstudio.co.nz

Art Display