Backhouse

Leanne Culy spent most of her adult life in Wellington were she worked as a freelance graphic designer and stylist in the film industry, then moved with her family to the Bay of Islands. It was there that the extreme isolation drove her back to her art. I have a huge concern for the environment. In Northland, with it's lush beauty, the kind of change and development that is taking place on the landscape I found disturbing. We have such a great opportunity, being such a young country, to learn from the rest of the world's mistakes. The blend of Maori, new immigrant and early settler populations had stark differences in how they lived and how they saw the future in the Bay of Islands and Far North. It became of interest to me and was a powerful influence in my work. I have a passion for nostalgia. The way things were, old baches, un-developed beachscapes, and the vibrant colour of the painted houses in small towns like Morewa, Kawakawa, Kohukohu and Rawine. I love to mix the traditional colours of New Zealand; black, brown, red, and white with the bright more pacific colours used by some Maori on houses and carvings.

Red with Cream Print - 50cm x 50cm
Choco with Cream Print - 50cm x 50cm
Beige with Black Print - 50cm x 50cm