Tauhei is a small rural area which has played an integral part in the prosperity of Morrinsville.
Birgitt's floral design celebrates the women of our district who in many cases are unnoticed by history.
We as sponsors would like to recognise both past and present residents of Tauhei and the part they have played in the growth and development of our community.
I was born in Geelong, Australia in 1960. In 2013 my partner and I moved to Katikati. Thanks to him I was able to give up my 9 - 5 office job to follow my dream of being a full time artist.
I started painting at a very young age copying my brightly coloured swap card collection. As a teenager I was given a set of oil paints and started painting landscapes, sunsets and birds. My father is a painter so you could say it’s in my blood.
In 1988 I enrolled in night classes at the Geelong Fine Art School. There with the guidance of a wonderful teacher I developed a style of my own that is still constantly changing. I started painting things like surreal nudes held by huge hands. The human body and hands interest me because they can be positioned, twisted and distorted an endless number of ways. From there my work became more and more abstracted.
I still like painting beautiful things, like flowers, so it was natural for me to incorporate them into my abstract work. I usually start with a horizontal black line, add circles and from there the painting takes on a life of its own. Apart from a theme, like flowers, I have no idea how a work will end up (except that it will be bold and bright). I start painting and it just flows from me without having to plan too far ahead. For me this is what makes painting so exciting.
Over the years I have had many solo and group exhibitions and sold dozens of paintings both in Australia and New Zealand.
There are no Gibson or Noble family left in Tauhei now. But their history lives on.
Mary Gibson's grandfather Archibald Noble bought, what was known as 'Managh Farm' in 1910, it was farmed by her father, John and her brother, also John. It was sold by the family in 2010 (100 years later). Her brother John is deceased and her sister lives in Raglan.
John's parents Howard & Margaret purchased their farm in 1940 and kept it until it was sold in 2008.
Tauhei holds a special place in our hearts.
Mary & John Gibson
