Upstairs

17 May – 23 May

'THE LANGUAGE OF WOOD - Three Diverse Perspectives'

Three Diverse Perspectives is a collaborative exhibition that brings together three female artists whose practices are centered on wood as a material, a metaphor, and a storyteller. Sally-Ann Davies - woodcut printing, Angela Zajonskowski - creative woodturning, and Jodie Appleton - pyrography, as ways of revealing identity, belonging, and kaitiakitanga.
 
Although our work is deeply inspired by the landscapes of the Central Plateau, the themes we explore resonate strongly with the Heretaunga and wider Hawke's Bay community. The region has a profound and enduring relationship with its land, shaped by a rich history of both natural and human interaction.
 
Like the whenua of these Taupō-based artists, the Hawke's Bay landscape holds stories of both devastation and renewal, industry and creativity, and ongoing questions of guardianship. Our work honors these shared narratives, offering audiences an opportunity to reflect on how land and community shape one another. We see wood as a living taonga that holds memory and whakapapa.

Our exhibition is a way of connecting the Heretaunga creative community with a broader conversation about the material, place, and environmental responsibility. By bringing our Taupō perspectives to Hastings, we hope to encourage reflection on the common threads of nature, resilience, and care for the land that are shared across Aotearoa.

Sally Ann Davies is hosting a woodcut printing workshop. This hands-on session will give participants a chance to learn the fundamental techniques of woodcut printing, from carving a block to creating a hand-pulled print. The workshop will allow the community to directly engage with one of the disciplines featured in the exhibition, fostering a deeper appreciation for the creative process and the tactile nature of art.  Click here to Register your spot!

Sally Ann Davies – Printmaker
Sally Ann creates hand-pulled woodcut prints, often working in multiple layers to build up depth and meaning. Her work is driven by the natural environment, particularly the way it changes with light, season, and human interaction. After years as an art educator, a pivotal moment in her career came in 2011 after cataract surgery. The new clarity in her vision ignited a commitment to seriously pursue her creative path. Through her teaching, she discovered a passion for printmaking. The wood she carves becomes both canvas and collaborator, with the final image arising through printmaking techniques and patience. Her woodcut prints share the story of the process while displaying the beauty of the natural world.

 
Angela Zajonskowski – Woodturner 
Angela is an artistic woodturner whose pieces range from delicate vessels and wall hangings to ornamental sculpture. Her practice is deeply rooted in heritage—she comes from a long line of woodturners and was inspired to revive the tradition seven years ago when she uncovered her father’s lathe. What began as a curiosity quickly became a calling, and she has since developed a deeply personal language of form and texture. Angela’s work often incorporates pattern, colour, and repetition, celebrating the grain and character of each piece of timber. She allows the wood to guide the creative process. The significance of place is ever-present in her work, with many of her pieces inspired by the land around her.

 
Jodie Appleton – Pyrography Artist
Jodie uses pyrography—the art of woodburning—to create intricate, detailed works that draw the viewer into Aotearoa’s native forests. Her work celebrates Aotearoa’s native forests, using constructed forms to explore identity, belonging, and our relationship to nature.  Jodie has always had a passion for creating art and while studying she explored drawing and markmaking that incorporated ideas of identity and belonging. Disciplines and themes that continue to form her work today. Looking for a new tool to create more tactile and enduring drawings, Jodie began exploring pyrography 3 years ago.