Smita Upadhye
Smita is Indian-born New Zealand-based contemporary artist who has had a long interest in art. There has never been a time in her life when she has been without some creative endeavour whether it is drawing, painting, crafting works by hand or in art direction. Smita describes her painting style as “realistic” and she achieves it by experimenting in acrylic and mixed media to achieve bright and colourful works of art. Her works generally depict New Zealand flora and fauna but she does enjoy painting abstracts when she is so inspired.
Smita shows her works in exhibitions throughout Auckland and in various cafes. She has also won several art prizes both in New Zealand and in India. She recently received the award for a work depicting the best set of mugs in the Portage Coast to Coast Show held by Titirangi Community Arts Council.
Featured Artist
Aimee MacMillan
After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Canterbury, Aimee moved to Auckland to take up a career in secondary art education. Both her photographic and graphite-
based artworks address what she calls the ‘tracing of memory’ - the concept of nostalgia, that sense of belonging and cementing one’s self in the lineage of history.
Her drawings often depict ideas of family and ceremony - past, present and future - through tokens of inheritance, heirloom curiosities, and ‘glory box’ daydreams. Aimee has been involved in a number of Auckland school exhibitions over the past two years. This is her second showing at the Northcote College’s Affair of the Heart event.