The winner of the Lawson’s Dry Hills People's Choice Award 2017 is Kaikoura artist Jane Riley. Jane's winning work "Canterbury Triptych' was a clear favourite with you all! The clear bright colours of the Canterbury skies combined with the cheerful patchwork fields caught people's attention. The continuation of the composition throughout the three separate canvases of the triptych evokes a stained glass window effect for the viewer. The Christchurch Art Show and Lawson's Dry Hills would like to congratulate Jane on her win. Jane wins a $3,000 prize package which includes a 4 panel exhibiton pack with which we will see her exhibit with next year at The Christchurch Art Show 2018.

Jane Riley is one of our Top Ten artists whose signature work will be revealed at Opening Night! Jane’s oil paintings show love of the natural environment. Her ...artworks are striking - unique - vibrating with flamboyant colour and design. Jane’s artworks are displayed in national and international private collections. Work pictured is 'Kaikoura Super Moon'.

Karen James, Susie Baker, Kaikoura MP Stuart Smith, Jane Riley & Wendy Smith

West Coast Tasman MP Damien O'Connor with Jane Riley

West Coast MP Maureen Pugh

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201836979/kaikoura-artists-take-quake-inspired-art-to-parliament

Kaikoura artist gifts art after earthquakes

Jane Riley outside her home in Kaikoura, with army personnel from Burnham Camp who went door to door with a building inspector, civil engineer and firemen checking that houses were safe to stay in after the November 14 earthquake.

Kaikoura artist and earthquake survivor, Jane Riley has given her art work to those who helped so many in need, reports Judith Ritchie.

Jane Riley awoke in the early hours of November 14 to the surreal sound of her most precious painting Aroha, crashing across her bedroom and smashing on the floor. It was the moment of Kaikoura's biggest shake, a 7.8 earthquake that residents of the small town will never forget.

"It was unforgettable stuff being bolted and jolted awake with all your personal items flying around like poltergeist activity," says Riley. "Followed by a daunting silence, pitch blackness, sirens, and uncertainty as to what's next."

Aroha, detail, which Jane Riley gifted to the Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura as a token of gratitude for their generosity post-earthquake.

The sun rose and most of the township were up on the Kaikoura peninsula. Several hundred after shocks followed during the day, the ground like jelly leaving Riley with a bad case of vertigo.

There was no power, cell phone coverage or way in or out of town. Although Riley had a gas cooker and some extra food, she had no water or radio. Tsunami warnings increased people's fear, many resorting to camping up on the peninsula, including the cemetery grounds.

"Helicopters started to buzz and confusion was rife as the after shocks continued to jolt us around."

Then, to add to the misery of the homeless and everyone's already frayed nerves, rain came that night. Riley's small flat near the beachfront is on limestone footings and was mostly untouched, so she stayed put.

Riley says it was the spirit of giving that helped her pull through and also opened the way for her to give back.

"Earthquakes open peoples hearts and minds, letting go of our materialist world, to love and help each other the best we can," says Riley. "From neighbours offering a cup of tea over the fence to people gathering and sharing what they had, comforting and talking."

She woke the next morning to the sight of naval ships in Kaikoura harbour, bringing supplies.

"The overwhelming love and gratitude I felt towards those in service that had come to help us, was unforgettable."

Days consisted of the thud of helicopters as more ships entered the harbour bringing help and supplies. Riley pitched in and helped clean up at the bottle shop where she works part time, with 80% of the stock shattered all over the floor.

Riley says the Takahanga Marae was the centre of help for all, giving free food and dishing out some of the incoming supplies, including care packages.

"I felt the love and strength upon my visit there; I just wanted to hug everyone."

She realised it was also time to fix her own life and use her art to give back to those who selflessly offered help. While trying to mend damage to the canvas of Aroha, which depicts the Kaikoura bay with dolphins and a whale in the foreground, Riley was overwhelmed by emotion. In tears, she realised it was the right time to gift Aroha to the Takahanga Marae.

"It felt wonderful to give a little back and share the gift I have," says Riley. "I knew then that it (Aroha) belonged at the Marae...what I felt throughout the quakes was the spiritual hub of Kaikoura."

While visiting a displaced friend down the road, Riley discovered what she has fondly nicknamed 'Headquarters'. The household, headed by retired Kaiapoi resident Trevor Smith, organised access to a water tank, solar showers and freezers stocked with crayfish and other food.

"I took my unwashed self and nervous wreck of a dog to visit, " says Riley. "They kindly adopted me and I dined with them most evenings."

It was at 'Headquarters', with the view of the harbour through binoculars tracing the incoming ships, that she witnessed the Super Moon rising, and six ships silhouetted in the foreground. This haunting sight inspired Riley's first post-earthquake painting, Super Moon over Kaikoura.

As a thank you to Smith and all those residing at 'Headquarters', Riley gifted them the new work.

"I was very excited to give something visually significant that couldn't be caught on camera...an event that we had all witnessed and shared and helped each other through."

Inspired by her experience, Riley plans to complete more art works in a series featuring Kaikoura and the Super Moon, as she prepares for an exhibition at the Bowen House Exhibition Space in Parliament next March.

"I've got a new attitude of gratitude towards everything," says Riley. "I guess I really am grateful to be alive."

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319237/canvassing-disaster-art-to-uplift-a-rattled-town

New Zealand Kaikōura Earthquake

29 Nov 2016

Canvassing disaster: Art to uplift a rattled town

11:07 pm on 29 November 2016

Emile Donovan Reporter emile.donovan@radionz.co.nz

Art might not be the first thing you think of when you hear the words "earthquake recovery" - but the first pieces of post-earthquake art are starting to appear out of Kaikōura.

The jagged coastline near the town has long been a source of inspiration for artists, whether it is bathed in summer sunshine or cloaked in shadow - and local artist Jane Riley has produced one of the first post-quake portraits of the idyllic seaside town.

The supermoon over Kaikōura harbour artwork Photo: Supplied

Ms Riley said the painting - a landscape of Kaikōura harbour and mountains lit by a giant luminous super-moon, with six military warships gliding across the water - was a stark departure from her regular subject matter.

"I like to paint gentle, natural things mostly. But the contrast of the power of the ships and the fact that they'd actually come here to help - it just gave you goosebumps. It made you so proud to be a New Zealander.

"Seeing that moon come up, it was so big and so powerful. And the sight of those ships, it was just incredible."

Kaikōura artist Jane Riley's studio after the quake. Photo: Supplied

Ms Riley's own art collection was also a victim of the violent shaking, with a painting she had kept for herself, Aroha, suffering a tear in its canvas after falling off the wall next to her bed.

"It was a personal piece, and it had great significance to me. The side cabinet fell on it and ripped a little bit of the bottom.

"I was putting paint into the tear in the canvas and I just burst into tears.

Ms Riley's Aroha painting was damaged by the quake. Photo: Supplied

"I thought that it's actually time for this painting to go. And I know exactly where it needs to be.

"It's going to the marae. It had a big whale in it and that's one of their token symbols, one of their guardians. I knew it belonged in Kaikōura. It's a Kaikōura painting."

Ms Riley was also committed to displaying some of her pieces at a gallery showing in Darfield, near Christchurch - which presented some logistical difficulties, getting fragile paintings out of a community cut off from the rest of the country.

"I was assured that the inland road was going to be open, and then that kept getting pushed.

"It ended up that they were going to go out on army trucks, but then the army boys confessed it would be way too rough, and perhaps I shouldn't go that route.

"Then they ended up at the airport and I had everybody looking out for spare room to take them - but then the cloud came in on Thursday, and they couldn't go out that day.

"Friday morning they opened the inland road, and they went out on a convoy with people from Christchurch and were delivered to the gallery on Saturday morning. Very stressful."

The earthquake was not a new experience for Ms Riley - she was also in Christchurch in February 2011, caring for her mother.

She said art played an important, but understated, role in restoring humanity and normalcy to traumatised people.

"When something happens like we've just been through it'd be nice to be a nurse or somebody helpful not a person making lovely paintings.

"But I realised my paintings give people joy and hope, I think. [Art] uplifts peoples' spirits. You do your best with whatever skill you've got, to tell a story.

"And it's an unforgettable story here at the moment."

I will post progression shots of the current oil painting commission that I am working on. This is layer number 1!

This month I am working on a local scene as a commission for a lucky couple. Here is the scene and preliminary drawing... plus I take and work from photos, as they would like snow caps!

In my spare time!! ha!! I've been busy making jewellery. I originally started by cutting and pasteing smaller images of my original artworks into the glass settings, and now after much fustration at the fiddliness of it all, I've moved onto glass paint and have had soooo much fun. Contact me if you are interested in a certain colour in the earing or pendant range.

Merry Chirstmas everybody!

The past year living in Kaikoura has been magical. I’ve had to learn to rise a little earlier to appreciate the eastern sunrise. The outdoors lifestyle at the tail end of the Southern Alps is blessed in abundance here. My first cast into the ocean here landed me a Kahawai, and I was also lucky to get a Salmon from the beach! I climbed Mt Fyffe on new years day after my first monarch butterfly hatched and its wings began to harden and I felt the inspiration to make a day of it.... puff puff! Have been out charter fishing, seal swimming, playing squash and continue to live “The Life of Riley ” very happily here. I love swimming in the ocean and living by the sea... knowing the whales are close, the playful dolphins, albatross all constant inspirations. People here are very grounded and down to earth, very similar to the West Coasters that I know and love. Getting most places within ten minutes with no traffic lights... bliss!