Features

Garden a rich source of material for eco-artist

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

Eco-dying and printing techniques form the backbone of Sharron Martin's current exhibition, Pottage – Bricolage, at Reflections Gallery at the World of WearableArt.

Artists stir up creativity

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

Hands-on art training is the goal of a new venture in Nelson, as Caroline Crick reports

Taking a colourful journey to a good place over the hill

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

A love of strong colours and Golden Bay landscapes is evident in the works of Sage Cox and Geoffrey Heath, whose joint exhibition A Good Place is in the McKee Gallery at The Suter.

Homesick artist renews spiritual connections

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

Wellington-based artist Jane Blackmore's current exhibition, Journey South, at Red Gallery, is her "painterly" response to a recent trip through Marlborough, Nelson and Golden Bay.

Top stops on the art circuit

ELIZABETH BEAN - © Fairfax NZ News

Elizabeth Bean investigates Nelson's top stops on the art circuit.

Winning on fruit machines

Enzafoods' added-value products may spell salvation for beleaguered fruitgrowers who have traditionally exported their whole-fruit crops.

Where family ties matter more than the law

Nelson police inspector Brian McGurk, in Afghanistan on secondment with a European Union mission, reports on New Zealand's role in working to reverse corrupt practices in the Islamic central Asian nation:

Noble Charger has Dukes pedigree

A relic of an American pop culture tradition is about to be unveiled in Nelson. Naomi Arnold talks to a car enthusiast who is now the proud owner of a famous Dodge Charger.

Food rules leave sour taste

PATRICK ROSE - © Fairfax NZ News

New laws meant to simplify rules around food safety have instead caused widespread alarm.

Fest provides brewer catchup

FRITZ KUCKUCK AND MARIA GRAU - © Fairfax NZ News

If you know us at all by now, you know we love a beer festival. Marchfest has become a seasonal staple, and this year we are excited to explore a few new ones.

Living in the circle of life

JUDE RITCHIE - © Fairfax NZ News

A yurt is a perfect example of vernacular architecture because they were designed with the environment in mind, writes Jude Ritchie.

Liguria's flavoursome legacy

ELIZABETH LATHAM - © Fairfax NZ News

The art of making perfect pesto relies on sweet, fragrant, fresh basil combined with the best olive oil. Elizabeth Latham has some great recipe ideas.

Respected potter ready for showing

ANNA PEARSON - © Fairfax NZ News

A retrospective look at the work of a Golden Bay potter goes on show at the Suter this weekend. Anna Pearson reports.

Four exhibits in one at Refinery

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

3flections at Refinery Artspace explores both individual and collaborative works from three Marlborough artists, each with their own style and medium.

St Arnaud's money-free revolutionary

TRACY NEAL - © Fairfax NZ News

They're the people we all encounter in our day-to-day lives, but who are they really? In an occasional series on the stories behind everyday people, Tracy Neal talks to a farmer whose colourful past has given rise to a new way of thinking.

Great spectator turnout at competitive dog trials

PATRICK ROSE - © Fairfax NZ News

The Takaka Dog Trials drew large crowds on Saturday as spectators flocked to see farmers show off their best trained sheep dogs in Upper Takaka.

Hampsters and stick figures - the internet never forgets

ADAM ROBERTS - © Fairfax NZ News

When it comes to the internet, the cure for an unwise bout of nostalgia is only a few keystrokes away.

Growers slow to take on RSE staff

PETER WATSON - © Fairfax NZ News

Nelson employers have been slower to bring in Pacific Island workers to help prepare and pick their crops this season, although close to 900 are expected to be here when harvesting hits its peak in March and April.

Op-shops are the new cool

NAOMI ARNOLD - © Fairfax NZ News

Charity stores are enjoying a boomtime as more people latch on to the feel-good factor of buying second-hand. Naomi Arnold takes a closer look at Nelson's thriving op shop industry.

A marriage of convenience

BILL MOORE - © Fairfax NZ News

Nelson city and Tasman district voters are to choose whether to retain their two councils, or see them merge into a single entity with authority over the whole of the Nelson region and its 93,000 residents. The Local Government Commission's final decision on the union proposal makes it look like a no-brainer, Bill Moore reports.

Loving Chambers' music

NAOMI ARNOLD - © Fairfax NZ News

Internet sensation Ben Chambers on singing, theatre and the weird world of YouTube.

Comforts of cottage life

A skiing holiday in New Zealand started an enduring love affair with the country for an Austrian native who now calls Tasman home. Lynda Papesch found out more.

Love and lace

JUSTINE JAMESON - © Fairfax NZ News

There's an art to lingerie shopping, and with Valentines Day around the corner now is the time to learn, Justine Jamieson suggests.

Revelling in the riesling revolution

NEIL HODGSON - © Fairfax NZ News

It started in New York and has now reached New Zealand – the Summer of Riesling is a bold initiative to engage the consumer with the many delights the variety has to offer.

Fab fascination continues

ANNA PEARSON - © Fairfax NZ News

Beatlemania has once again descended on Art@203 in Trafalgar St, with Fab Four-inspired paintings by Peta Wright.

The fine art of noise

ANNA PEARSON - © Fairfax NZ News

Ken Laws used to hammer metal for a trade; now he does it to create art. Anna Pearson reports

Streets to come alive

Nelson will be alive and kicking over the next few days as buskers let loose on city streets and unsuspecting onlookers.

Swiss couple buy winery

A high-powered Swiss couple are the new owners of Kina Beach Vineyard.

Treasure troves full of pre-loved goodies

I like second-hand shops because you might find a bargain, something you don't even know you needed and you are helping the environment by re-using items. Remember the saying "one person's trash is another person's treasure".

Sisters doing it for themselves

This week marked a bittersweet reunion in Nelson for two sisters, now in their 90s, who know it will be the last time they meet. They shared some memories with Tracy Neal.

Fishing, fossicking and family at French Pass

The cool, clear and fertile waters of lower D'Urville Island contain some remarkable fishing opportunities.

Emotional rescue

Futile battle to save stranded pod

Whale strandings do something to the human soul, seasoned rescuers say. Naomi Arnold and photographer Virginia Woolf joined an agonising effort last week as a fresh graveyard of pilot whales formed on the treacherous shore of Farewell Spit.