Guest artists on show at Whanganui speciality shop Inkt

Works by painter and printmaker Kathy Reilly are displayed on the walls and in the window of Inkt in Whanganui's Victoria Ave.

Reilly, based in Golden Bay, is the current Artist of the Month at Inkt and her pen and ink works may inspire customers as they browse the shelves stocked with inks in a vast array of colours.

Susanne and Pat Clay opened their speciality shop in the restored AE Kitchen heritage building at 17 Victoria Ave last October.

"We joined other retailers in displaying local artists' work during Artists Open Studios and we had two of Graeme Kiff's wrought iron works in our front window," said Susanne.

"Every month we have works by artists from Whanganui and other parts of New Zealand on display in the shop."

Last month's artist was Whanganui printmaker Diane Harries and, Susanne said, the response to artworks has been great and she works them into the displays of pens, pencils, inks, stamp pads and other supplies.

Many of the products are so beautifully designed and packaged they are artworks in their own right.

The current window display has Reilly's three-dimensional etching Flight Between the Eyes as a centrepiece, surrounded by a range of writing supplies including an exquisite Venetian glass fountain pen.

Susanne and Pat Clay with one of Kathy Reily's works currently on show at Inkt. Photo/Stuart Munro

Inkt also sells a range of Pat Clay's silver jewellery and his earrings feature silver replicas of Kiwiana classics such as jet plane lollies.

The Clays had been running Inkt as a successful online business for several years before opening the shop and continue to build their mail order sales alongside the shop sales.

"Some of our online customers have travelled to visit us and we did have some already in Whanganui," said Pat.

Inkt is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm Saturdays.