Yvette O'Neill - Artist Profile

Yvette O'Neill

Ex Co-ordinator/ Curator- The CAN, Creative Arts Napier, Arts Centre .
Founder -Viva Gallery. Now a Trustee of Morrinsville Gallery and on the board of Cambridge Art Society

Born in London and emigrated to New Zealand in 1986
While living in Wellington for over 20 years, studied at Inverlochy Art School, and during a creative career, recently had 14 years in the photographic industry, working with the top photographers in New Zealand.

Since going to Hawke’s Bay in 2007, I had the opportunity to paint and be creative full-time. But as you can see, I have decades to make up for, and so my paintings are the start of the eruption of those ideas suppressed for so long, – hence an exuberant variety of styles.

My Art can involve combining painting, drawing and printmaking with new digital techniques.
I integrate this mixed media, by having some of the pictures printed in pigment inks onto to Perspex. These paintings are then mounted onto translucent Perspex, with space to allow light through.

In other pictures I have used Perspex for its transparent qualities, to give literally another dimension to the image. Using various media – from car enamel paint to glass paint, as in the “Signs and Symbols’’ series shown at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts . And more recently in the “Joint Forces” series chosen by Hastings City Art gallery to represent Hawke’s Bay Art at the “East” exhibition, and “Chance”, chosen for the 2017 Hawke’s Bay Art Review

A continuing theme in my work is weaving. The patterns of individual strands creating strength and unity. Whether as woven strands, cultures, or lives.

My fundamental motivation is to portray, interpret and share with you something beautiful I have seen.This could be anything, from the patterns left in debris, to patterns in nature, or the elegance of signs and symbols.The rest of my paintings,- they are the joy of things seen!

Works selected for recent exhibitions at;-

Art Hawkes Bay Inc. at Vidal’s vineyard

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington, at 5 recent shows, -
Nude, Art to Go, Mainly Small, Autumn, & Winter Shows.

Wool Shed Art shows

Hastings Community Art Centre – Naked Art Show

New Zealand Wine Centre – 6 paintings & 6 sketches of
“Vintage 2010” purchased to display.

Hastings Community Arts Centre Oct ’11 “Through
other eyes”.

Viva Art Gallery, opened as proprietor 2011

Hastings City Art Gallery 2012 “East” exhibition of
selected Hawkes Bay artists

Bryce Gallery, Christchurch 2013

50A Gallery,“Rima”- 11 female artists. Ossian St. Napier. 2013

Interwoven C.A.N. Napier’s Community Arts Centre 2015

New Zealand Art Show, Wellington 2015

Hawke’s Bay Art Review The CAN 2017 , & The CAN 2019

The CAN “Adieu” July 2020

Art Attack, Cambridge Arts Festival 2023, 2024