Above: One of artist Will Pratt’s wooden vessels

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Renee Tanner loves encouraging people to encounter the aesthetic realm of art.

It’s a passion that comes to life with Open Studios, a series of Auckland-based events that invite the public into artists’ studios for a behind the scenes look at their work and creative process.

Open Studios is adding the North Shore to its map for the first time this year, with the Kaipātiki event running on November 15 and 16.

It’s been an annual event in Waitākere for 11 years and this year, it takes place on November 22 and 23. Both events are supported by their respective local boards.

“I’m very drawn to getting people to meet artists in person and get to know their creative journey, rather than only having the opportunity to be slightly removed from the process by seeing it on a white wall,” says Tanner, Open Studios event manager and founder of Lightbox Projects.

“What I’ve learned over the 11 years of meeting with artists in their studios and having these long chats with them and watching them work is the creative process is so much more involved than the final outcome.”

While not an artist herself, Tanner’s professional life has been immersed in the creative industry and art. It started when she became a volunteer guide at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which led to a masters of art curatorship and working in international art galleries. She now runs Lightbox Projects as a way to support artists with their marketing, branding and fundraising.

A second life

Will Pratt is one of 14 artists in Kaipātiki opening the doors to their studios on November 15 and 16.

An experienced cabinet maker, he is excited to share his passion for woodturning and sculpting vessels of all shapes and sizes.

Pratt says the beauty of his work is that no two trees are the same. Even each part of the same tree produces different results once they’ve been turned.

He uses English oak trees that have come down in storms or have been cut down for land development that typically would get turned into wood chips.

The trees have “history and majesty” and he loves giving them a second life as an art piece that is also semi-functional.

Where the magic happens

Pratt works exclusively with wet wood – “which goes against everything you know as a cabinet maker,” he laughs. But that’s exactly what intrigued him about the process.

“It responds differently to a dry piece of wood. It’s satisfying, but the downside is you get covered in all sorts of things – some of them are soaking wet,” says Pratt.

He only lets the wood dry when he’s finished his handiwork and this is where the magic happens.

The tree releases stresses and tensions which sees the piece distort and change – so much so you can actually hear it “crackling,” says Pratt.

The result is something is full of character, with bulges and distortions that make each piece unique.

Risk and reward

He often starts with an idea of what he wants the piece to look like, but the end result is often completely different.

“It’s between me and the piece of wood, it’s a collaboration,” says Pratt.

Sometimes the wood throws a hissy fit and he’s not successful in creating a piece – but he enjoys that aspect too.

“I enjoy the risk – all that work, it can be easily screwed up and from that we learn.”

Pratt describes his work as a form of meditation – albeit laborious meditation, as each piece can take 40+ hours to complete.

Wonderful conversations

In Waitākere, Open Studios has grown considerably over the years, now sporting 80 artists and 40 studio – mainly because other artists will take go along and visit a few studios, says Tanner.

“They’ll have a wonderful conversation with the artist like-minded person. And then next year they’ll be brave enough to join the event because they’ve seen that, ‘oh, I can do this’.”

Those wonderful conversations also happen between the public and the artists, she adds. Even if people are not a fan of the artwork, they often leave having had a great experience with the artists themselves.

Artists Peter Force, Rene Jansen and Ute Wallbach have been participating in Open Studios Waitākere for a number of years, and they love celebrating West Auckland’s legacy as an art hub.

They say that people love getting to see where and how they work, as well as having the opportunity to discuss art.

Wallbach, a ceramicist, has been involved as part of the Titirangi Potters Club since 2016. This year, she will participate in the Kaipātiki event as an individual artist for the first time.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to share one’s artistic work with the community and get to know other local artists,” she says.