Another Finn in limelight

Fairfax

HIGH LIGHTS: Artist Sharon Finn, wife of musician Neil Finn, is exhibiting 36 of her mostly 'girly works' in Sydney.

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After years working behind the scenes supporting her rock star husband Neil Finn, Sharon Finn is stepping into the spotlight to launch her first exhibition of unashamedly "girly" artworks.

The Gilded Cage, which opens today in Sydney, is a collection of stunning chandeliers, detailed jewellery and decorated female forms. It is the culmination of 18 months' work by the musician's wife, who works out of a showroom in Auckland.

Finn said her first exhibition came about after encouragement from friends, singer Jenny Morris and Jane Barnes, wife of rocker Jimmy Barnes.

"I've always been in the background, which is fine by me," she said. "It's because of my girlfriends . . . they've just encouraged me the whole way, and they've got the faith, and I think that's what you need to take risks."

Finn started out designing lighting for Split Enz and Crowded House concerts before turning it into her own creative outlet. "I got into it by doing up some old chandeliers for a Finn Brothers show and it built from there really," she said. "Chandeliers got really accessible to everybody and they're really popular, and everybody wants something unique, so I thought I'd . . . do something different."

Finn's collection celebrates femininity, featuring chandeliers and busts embellished with clocks, birds and buttons. "It's just so girly, and I'm such not a girl, living in a male-dominated house and a male-dominated world in a way," she said. "The mannequins and birdcages offered a skeleton on which I could apply a skin of fancy and imagination."

Ranging in price from between A$4000 (NZ$5000) and A$22,000, Finn's works can be found in the homes of American actress Kate Hudson, Jimmy Barnes, Jenny Morris and, not surprisingly, her own home.

"I like chandeliers in the bathroom, so you can lie in the bath and look up," she laughed. "Actually we've got a really crappy one in the bathroom at the moment."

Finn said her creative family, including musician sons Liam and Elroy, were an inspiration to her. "We really respect each other's work and support each other."

- AAP