Go on, give art a go, says Patricia

Patricia Wilson, nee Fenton, lived in Stratford in the 1940s. "I moved from Dunedin to be closer to my fiancee, Arthur, who was serving in the air force. Soon after I moved to Stratford though, he was posted to the islands."

Patricia stayed in Stratford, living at Keswick House, and teaching at the technical college in Stratford.

She says that "anyone can produce something," when it comes to art, adding that this is something she always told her students. "Everyone should give it a go, art is very broad, there are no fixed methods. It doesn't matter how you draw, there is always something there."

Patricia's oil painting of Mt Arthur is on display in the Homework exhibit alongside art of many different types, something that is normal in the artistic world, says Patricia, who has also worked in stainless steel.

"There are hundreds of ways of putting paint on to paper or communicating your view of the world through art, and there always will be."

Patricia, who has received a Queen's Service Medal for public services to art and education, says people should be confident in submitting their work for exhibitions such as Homework at Puke Ariki. "If you don't try, you won't succeed, and it can be amazing what you might produce."

Patricia was commissioned to create The Blade of Grass, a kinetic stainless steel sculpture that stands outside the Invercargill Civic Centre.