Catherine at Katherine’s House
My first solo exhibition recently ran at the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden from June to August 2026. It was a special milestone for me to reach; one of those big life goals that I had scrawled into a diary when I was a child and all the more special to have it within the walls of Katherine Mansfield’s childhood home.
The exhibition was a joy to create. I took it slowly, building pieces up over 3 years, taking time to enjoy every paint stroke. I felt foolish, telling people for 3 years, that I was going to exhibit one day and very relieved when it came to fruition. The exhibition itself evolved from an initial fascination with the iconography of kiwi summer - how very simple landscapes could evoke treasured memories. I drew on my own memories and found myself pleasantly surprised how each painting resonated differently with people, reflecting back whatever the revered kiwi summer meant to the individual.
When applying to galleries, I had included vague promises of poetry and interactive collage - unsure of how I was going to fold these elements in. Once I stood inside the Katherine Mansfield exhibition room the walls themselves had something to say about the exhibition. I realised each wall was a time of day: dawn, day, sunset, dusk. One poem for each wall would work with the paintings to move through a narrative of summer.
The Endless Blue
A season of naivety
Disguises the scratchy
Under clouds that beguile
And feet that burn while
You adore the endless blue
Even though it kept you
From all the things you were supposed to do
But fish will leap from the ocean
In explosive emotion
Fleeing inevitable truths
For just a glimpse
Of that endless blue
While the waves sing tales of joy
Selling you fables of days
Where you weren't stung by jellyfish
Or eaten by the male gaze
The memories fade
But the dreams carry on
Swimming in warm, bath like seas
Of endless blue fantasies
The collage was a hit too. I had set up an activity table to encourage children to collage their own summer landscape, following a set of instructions. One parent told the house:
“The elder (child) made a lovely seascape card and was inspired to write a poem just before she went to bed... Nice to see how a visit to the House inspires creativity.”
Inspiring creativity, within the childhood home of an iconic creative, tickled my pride more than any sale could, although I did make sales too.
I had called the exhibition A Memory of a Summer Dream and now that it is over, it feels like the perfect description of the experience. A memory or a dream, a delightful experience, in a cherished location and motivation to keep dreaming of the next exhibition.
