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Ashburton artist Heather Sarin has worked hard during the past two and half years to prepare for her first abstract exhibition.
The exhibition, featuring 37 pieces of work, will be staged at the Ashburton Art Gallery from September 5.
Her exhibition ‘Our connection to the natural world’ will include works printed, painted and stitched and features abstract art with animals.
Sarin said her work is inspired by taking care of the planet.
"I want people to feel the colours and enjoy them. It’s about movement, light, colour and space,” she said.
The works were all done on paper or recycled cloth and reflected her philosophy and desire to take care of the planet.
This will be Sarin’s fourth exhibition in Ashburton. Her 2018 exhibition featured contemporary animals and landscape works.
Her work is usually in acrylics where she said the paint moved more freely and didn’t bleed like oils.
It was also easier to experiment with.
Sarin said art had been a big part of her life from a young age but it was while living in Perth in the late-80’s when she began to take her art seriously.
The art work in the exhibition will eventually be for sale directly via Sarin, but those who want to take home some of her work from the exhibition can buy prints from the art gallery shop.
Also for sale will be her children's book that she has written and illustrated called “Fidgety Fox”.
She will be offering a workshop at the art gallery at the close of her exhibition.
And next year, she hopes to return to holding art workshops.
Her early works featured elephants and are still included in some pieces today.
She often travelled to India and elephants were so much part of the culture.
"They are part of the traditions and belief systems.
"I have always supported elephant conservation,” Sarin said.
"A mutual friend, the Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) for Sri Lanka, invited me to exhibit at the UN in New York to raise funds for the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society,” she said.
She studied art in Australia and was encouraged by her husband to develop her creative spirit from a hobby to exhibiting.
“I started with Indian inspired works including elephants but also village life and palaces. I was living in England and the English love Indian inspired art,” Sarin said.
She moved from the United Kingdom to Ashburton at the end of 1998.
She has passed her talents on to students, beginning with children in Ashburton before moving on to teach art at Aoraki Polytechnic for eight years.
"I was asked to write a curriculum for the polytechnic both at certificate and diploma level,” Sarin said.
Her first exhibition was in Chianciano Terme, Italy.
"It was wonderful to stage the exhibition. It was an open exhibition and such a great experience,” Sarin said.
Since then, she has had numerous exhibitions in Cambridge and London, with one her most memorable was as the first artist to exhibit at JP Morgan, merchant bankers. It was part of their Shining Star campaign to raise funds for the children’s charity CHASE.
■ ‘Our connection to the natural world” will run at the Ashburton Art Gallery from opening night on September 5 until November 29, however the Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum building will close, from October 19 to November 15, while a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is installed.