The Raglan Arts Weekend 2020

Art by Ailene Cuthbertson at the Raglan Arts Weekend 2020.

The Raglan Arts Weekend is our annual open studio tour.

Over the long weekend, you get to visit over 40 artists working in a wide range of media from carved surfboards to ceramics, jewellery, glass bead making, photography, painting, and recycled metal sculpture.

Said long weekend turned out to be Labour Weekend rather than Easter thanks to lockdown. In the meantime, I did have tons of fun making videos for an online studio tour. And, in the end, we got there!

Here’s all about the Raglan Arts Weekend 2020.

Raglan Arts Weekend sign with the new dates 24, 25, 26 October 2020

You’re invited! (again)

For the second time this year, I’d like to invite you to the Raglan Arts Weekend!

Raglan Arts Weekend 2020 poster. We're back on! Labour Weekend 2020

Raglan Arts Weekend Preview Exhibition

You’re invited to the opening—Wednesday 18th March, 2020 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm
Exhibition—Monday 21st September to Monday 26th October, 2020
Opening hours—Monday–Friday: 10 am–2 pm.
Raglan Old School Arts Centre5 Stewart Street, Raglan

Artist, Ailene Cuthbertson, in front of her artwork, Sweeping over the hills and into the sky, and other artworks by artists in the Raglan Arts Weekend Preview Exhibition, 2020.
At the Raglan Arts Weekend Preview Exhibition.

Raglan Arts Weekend

Open studio tour—Saturday 24th to Monday 26th October, 2020
Opening hours—10 am–5 pm
Nau Mai Business Park7 Nau Mai Road, Raglan


I’ll be at the Nau Mai Business Park, off State Highway 23, on the Saturday and Sunday. There’ll be 4 of us there—me, along with artists Toni Kingstone, Greg from Hammer’d, and Brodie Reynolds.

You can expect to be surrounded by gorgeous paintings, prints, and metal work. Have a chat to us artists and get the inside scoop on the inspiration and creative process. You might even find the perfect piece—the one you’ve been dreaming about ever since lockdown and staying at home! And, you can always grab a coffee from Raglan’s newest espresso bar, The Garden Club, that’s just across the way.

Wondering how to get around and plan your trail? Read on!

Your easy guide to the Raglan Arts Weekend

Here’s your guide to the Raglan Arts Weekend in 3 easy steps.

Watch time: 1½ minutes.

Prefer to read? Here you go!

Step 1: Get to Raglan

Follow State Highway 23 west, the sound of waves, the smell of fish and chips, and you can’t miss us!

Step 2: Plan your trail

There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can hop online and explore the artist profiles on the Raglan Arts Weekend website. Here, you’ll find links to personal websites and social media so you can see what we’ve been up to lately.

Or, when you’re in Raglan, visit the Old School Arts Centre at 5 Stewart Street. This is where you can pick up a trail map and see artworks from all participating artists in the Preview Exhibition.

Most studios will be open 10am–5pm, but some close at 3pm, and some only open Saturday and Sunday so you’ll have to plan for this.

Step 3: Visit the studios!

There are a lot of studios within walking distance of the main township and the rest are in clusters not far away. Keep an eye out for the pink and turquoise flags.

If you need a hand getting around or want someone else to do the driving, contact Raglan Shuttles for info about their shuttles and day tours.

Me? I’ll be at the Nau Mai Business Park, just out of Raglan, on Saturday and Sunday. Drop past and say hi. I’d love to see you!


Meet Brodie and Toni—my Raglan Arts Weekend buddies

I’m delighted to introduce two of my fellow Raglan Arts Weekend artists—Brodie Reynolds and Toni Kingstone.

Here’s the inside scoop on their art and inspirations, how they got on during lock down, and what they’re working on now.

(And, of course, you can meet us all this long weekend at the Raglan Arts Weekend! Look for the pink and turquoise flags on State Highway 23, just out of Raglan. See you there!)

Brodie Reynolds

Brodie is a painter, working mostly in oil paints to create mystical nature scenes, both real and imagined.

Raglan artist, Brodie Reynolds. Photo used with permission.
Raglan artist, Brodie Reynolds. Photo used with permission.

I am inspired by the concept of time and space, pockets of stillness amongst an often chaotic world, and of course the beauty in nature.

I think a lot of processing went on during lock down for me. Although I wasn’t always able to get into my studio due to home schooling, I was still able to keep my imagination alive by not only slowing down, but by seeing this wonderful world through the eyes of my daughter. 

I think it’s pretty tricky these days to be a full time artist, so there’s always a real juggle going on.

Part of my expression is exploring the notion of what can be seen or felt when we allow ourselves to be present.

I’m excited to be working on some round canvases this year, I love the idea of a porthole, a moment seen through your own unique soul window, a cell of life, or alternatively, an entire universe of thought and feeling.

Brodie Reynolds

Toni Kingstone

Toni creates peaceful landscapes, incorporating hidden forms and coastal inspired abstract work using acrylic and resin.

With the break in routine, lock down gave me time to experiment and develop my ‘Horizon’ series of abstract fluid acrylic and resin work. I’ve been using a palette knife to create marbled effects, working with more complex colour combinations and introducing highlights of gold, silver and copper which give an added depth under the resin.

With the theme ‘Talking about Climate Change’ for the Raglan Arts Weekend Preview Exhibition came the opportunity to try something new. I took the brief very ‘literally’ and carefully positioned typed words about climate change and rising sea levels to construct an abstract seascape, using snippets of opposing opinions and facts to provoke thought. This has now led me into a new series of work incorporating text – ‘People, Places, Things’ – further exploring social and environmental issues.

Toni Kingstone
Raglan artist, Toni Kingstone. Photo used with permission.
Raglan artist, Toni Kingstone. Photo used with permission.
Watch time: 3 minutes.

Epilogue

That’s the Raglan Arts Weekend over for another year!

Thanks to everyone who visited Toni, Greg, Brodie, and me at Nau Mai. We met so many lovely people and had such fun. A special thanks to those who took home some art. It’s always magical when someone chooses one of your creations to enjoy in their home.

If you’d like to keep in touch and see our art during the year, here are the handy links to find us all online.



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