Celebrating Easter at Uxbridge

FIONA GOODALL

DONATED PAINTING: Local artist Kathie Hewitt with her work, Stood The Mother, that she has donated to Uxbridge Creative Centre for its Easter Recollections exhibition.

Three weeks of Easter celebrations at Uxbridge Creative Centre in Howick start today.

Crossings Easter Festival, incorporating art, drama, movies and music, runs until April 7.

All Saints Anglican Church, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic parish and Uxbridge Creative Centre are working together on the festival, with help from Howick Barfoot and Thompson and The Perry Foundation.

Artist Kathie Hewitt has donated a painting entitled Stood the Mother for the Easter Recollections exhibition. Artists have been invited to produce visual art on the theme of their personal and cultural traditions and memories based around Easter.

All proceeds from the sale of Stood the Mother will go towards the continuation of the festival. Framing of the painting, valued at $800, has been donated by Howick Frames and Gallery.

Every year, Mrs Hewitt donates a piece of art to a charity and this year she chose Uxbridge, where she is a member of the festival committee.

"Hopefully this can raise enough money to keep Crossings Festival going, because I think it's a really important part of the community," she says. "What I love about this festival is that it brings all religions together. There's no discrimination between them." Her painting, about a mother's sorrow, was influenced by Mary at the foot of the cross.

"I was brought up Catholic, so Easter was always a big thing for my family and I was surrounded by these kinds of images, and they were quite powerful for me," she says.

"Easter is a time to be reflective. I think sometimes values get lost in the busy day. Hopefully everything we are doing is going to generate some thought." For more information on Crossings Easter Festival events, visit uxbridge.org.nz or phone 5356467

- © Fairfax NZ News