Just 40 minutes from Auckland’s CBD, Muriwai Beach is a wild and wonderful west coast community. Famous for its sweeping black sand, powerful surf and dramatic cliff-top gannet colony, it’s also home to a vibrant collective of award-winning local artists.
Discover the work of talented creatives across painting, photography, jewellery, ceramics, rusticology, mixed media, sculpture and textiles. Inspired by the raw coastal landscape, their art comes alive through workshops, exhibitions, open studios and immersive experiences. Family-friendly and welcoming to all.
VENUE
good from scratch
Not only can you pick up a delicious treat and a great coffee at Good From Scratch, but take some time to wander through the fabulous gardens and spot selected sculpture works from these talented artists. Pick up a map from the venue and follow along - each piece has a QR code which will give you more information about the piece and the artist.
SCULPTORS - QUICK LINKS
JEFF THOMSON JOHN PAUL RHIND, METTE HAY, RIKI WAUGH, DI MCMILLAN, CHRIS HEELAM, ORIAH RAPLEY,
JOHN MAYNE, TYLA BOW, CHRIS ELLWOOD, LAURA SCHEISSEL
JEFF THOMSON
While taking a break from his art studies in 1980 Jeff Thomson found himself at Portobello, 20km out of Dunedin, living in a small seaside crib. It was during this time that a profound change occurred in Thomson's approach to life, art and environment. It came about through the discovery of an ancient pursuit - walking.
While walking the rural and urban miles Thomson started observing and collecting the wealth of highway paraphernalia that he found on our roadsides. These highway experiences culminated in the rural letterbox sculptures, the first body of Thomson's works to gain national recognition by a diverse range of New Zealanders. And it was through this letterbox series of works that Thomson came face to face with his chosen material - corrugated iron.
Literally out of the letter boxes emerged the large body of work for whcih he is now known on both sides of the Tasman.
Corrugated iron animals, birds, cars and a variety of abstract sculptures: these works have established Jeff Thomson fairly and squarely in the memory banks of most New Zealanders and many Australians.
JOHN PAUL RHIND
“My work over the years has predominantly used reclaimed timber to highlight environmental and political issues as I see it, in an every changing landscape these toanga that come in to my hands are reworked to enlighten the viewer to the impact we all have on this tiny blue ball”.
Paulie was born in Blenheim, raised in West Auckland, and now resides Waiheke Island. He has a Degree in sculpture from Unitec. Some of the highlights of his artistic career are:
-Sculpture on the Gulf, participant, technician, installer for 20 years,
-Co ordinator Redshed arts collective and gallery,
-Finalist Small sculpture 2024/25 Waiheke community Art gallery.
Works in sculpture, sound and light work, painter and designer.
METTE HAY
With nature as mentor, Mette pushes the limits of materiality, design and making practices across a wide range of disciplines, creating objects and immersive spaces that encourage synergy between space and purpose, curiosity and wonder, often incorporating the visualisation of sound as a portal into the unseen. Mette is currently working on her PhD, exploring what can be learnt from nature’s forms, ecosystems, processes, and the umwelt of other organisms through making.
RIKI WAUGH
Creating conceptual multi-dimensional, interactive art experiences, their empathetic works engage the viewer into a zone of wonder, psychological relief, play, delight, and stories that may become deeply personal for the viewer, while addressing wider concerns of social, environmental and mental wellbeing.
DI MCMILLAN
Di is a gatherer, sorter and upcycler of unwanted items. Her upcycling is thankfully known to many so piles of bits and pieces are dropped off - number 8 wire and netting, computer items, cords, pipes etc etc. She is a proud hoarder! All her work is done with hand tools - which take longer but is quiet and restful. She prefers l”ife size plus” with animals flowers, birds, monkeys, kiwis, running hares, horses.....
Her creations get people laughing, touching, wanting, talking, and feeling uplifted. Kids adore them too!
Works available at Good From Scratch Sculpture Walk 2/3 May
"Dogs thinking"
Blue dog ,$3.500 (about 1300 high)
Adorable puppy. $800 (about 450 high)
Both sitting
I Only use hand tools - quiet
I search for things of interest.
Transport 200cc scooter. With bungy tie downs.
Time spent is enormous and mostly enjoyed.
Finding, gathering and preparation is lengthy before starting.
I can remember where the wire comes from and I like that. Some of the wire in " Blue: is from upper North island and lower south :) a mixture of whereabouts rather than big new roll from shop with no experience..
Eg A vacuum cleaner cord from work that i had used for years.
Almost felt I had to apologise to it before smashing it up and aurevoir rubbish bin.
A roll covered in oil and grease from a man who felt he might find a use one day. I am pleased to be that goal achieved.
CHRIS HEELAM
Chris is a Muriwai-based artist with a home studio/workshop. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, he discovered a passion for creating garden art and mosaics. His art reflects his love of nature and commitment to recycling.
Using a mix of wood, concrete, and mosaic tiles, Chris crafts unique garden art pieces with a rustic charm. He repurposes discarded materials, such as bicycle parts, car components, and household utensils, to create intricate and imaginative works.
Chris's mosaic art also adorns unconventional surfaces, including old guitars, concrete torsos, and vintage surfboards. Embracing the philosophy that "one man's rubbish is another man's treasure," Chris transforms discarded items into treasured pieces of art.
ORIAH RAPLEY
Oriah Rapley is a full time practising artist currently working in wood, Hard stone, Bronze
and Steel. Rapley exhibits nationally and has pieces in private collections in Nationally and
Internationally. Her work has been selected for Brick bay sculpture trail, the Homework exhibitions at Puke Ariki, New Zealand sculpture onshore, Devonport, Auckland, the Richard T Nelson Art Awards, Wellington, and, Sculpture on the Peninsula, Canterbury. She has attended many symposiums around New Zealand including Te Kupenga international stone sculpture symposium.
Her work is in constant refinement towards the purity of form. Using symbols such as the bird, waka and feather to provide subtle layers interwoven around transformation and empowerment.
JOHN MAYNE
Multimedia artist John Mayne draws inspiration from forms found in nature. Working with a variety of recycled materials he creates unique sculpture pieces that are visually attractive, engaging and tactile.
Blacksmithing is an ancient skill that has developed over centuries. For much of that time it was performed on a small scale, one human working the metal. I began this art in 2011 and love making functional objects that last, and sculptures that enhance our environment.
I live and work near Helensville.
In 1909 Gustav Klimt finished "The Tree of life" now housed in the in Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts. I have been intrigued by this painting and decided to explore what it would look like in three dimensions. Rebar steel is a functional material that is often unseen because it's encased in concrete. To the Maori the koru is am important symbol of rebirth and new beginnings. The vulture is present to remind us that the reality of death gives meaning to life as are the strange fruits that symbolise the special and unique characteristics we all have.
This sculpture at Good From Scratch is about hope, the mundane material is used in an unexpected way to remind us that each day is new and full of possibilities.
CHRIS ELLWOOD
TYLA BOW
Tyla Bow is a New Zealand-based multidisciplinary artist whose work draws on personal experience to explore an ecologically interconnected world, inspiring curiosity, connection, and reflection. Her practice spans glass, ceramics, stone, metal, and photography, often working with recycled and reclaimed materials to honour their raw qualities and allow them to shape the outcome.
The ocean is central to both her art and her life. As a qualified scuba diver and instructor, she draws constant inspiration from time spent underwater. These experiences deepen her connection to the natural world and inform her creative practice.
She studied Fine Arts at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, alongside Marine Biology, grounding her work in both creative and scientific perspectives of the natural world. These combined influences inform her ongoing exploration of material, transformation, and ecological systems
On display at Good From Scratch Sculpture Walk 2/3 May
In Too Deep
In Too Deep is a series of shark fins created from reclaimed clay and a reflective glaze. These works were designed to provoke self-reflection and encourage environmental awareness
A reminder to nurture what nurtures us.
Each fin carries the story of its material: clay that has been reclaimed and reshaped. Cracks, shifts, and irregularities are embraced as part of the process, honouring the agency of the material and the transformations it undergoes.
Like the ocean itself, these works hold both fragility and resilience, embodying the tension between human impact and the enduring vitality of the natural world.
LAURA SCHIESSEL
Laura is a conceptual artist and poet, often utilising rusted and worn objects in beautiful and unusual metaphors - blending form, onstruction, and decay - showing enduring affection for materials degraded or ordinary. Interspersing a rich and creative life with formal arts training, she lives and works from her Te Awaroa Studio, Te Shed.