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Born in Hamilton in 1977.
I graduated from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and the painting prize for that year for my minimalist fibre works.
I was fortunate to grow up spending holidays in Hahei, exploring this idyllic place over seemingly endless summers. After graduating I finally had my chance to live in Hahei. This is where I developed my realist painting style and where my career as a painter unfolded. My first exhibition was at The Church Restaurant and with the success of that I then had a number of successful shows at The Upstairs Gallery in Whitianga and was an invited guest at The Birds Nest Studio exhibitions, 2003, 2005 and 2010 in Kuaotunu.
During this time, I left Hahei to travel overseas and since then have lived in Raglan, the Far North, the Kapiti Coast and now Taranaki. I have enjoyed living in and reflecting upon these various homes in my work but none surpass the connection I have with Hahei, a place that I will always come back to.
When I started painting in Hahei, water was the centre of my focus. Initially I was interested in depicting the transparency and reflective qualities of water. However, I soon found myself drawn to the philosophical ideas around this subject. Water as a symbol for the subconscious, water as the place where life began on earth, rock pools as miniature landscapes and ecosystems that represent microcosms of our larger environment. This is my inspiration.
Alongside the work discussed above, I have been making light boxes. These are a development from my minimalist fibre works at art school where I was interested in portraying the tensions created by structure and fluidity using materials to represent these binaries. For more information see my website. www.elley.co.nz and follow the fibre art link.
CONTACT
Ph. 0212345960
Email. jacqueline.elley@gmail.com
www.elley.co.nz
DIRECTIONS
101 Grange Rd, Hahei.
Coming into Hahei, turn left at the Hahei Store and go up Grange Rd
all the way, we are near the top on the left.
GOOGLE MAP
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