Events & News
For the month of February 2012 : Wine Country Gallery 'Pops Up' at Birdwoods
As per our latest newsletter we are delighted to be hosting an amazing exhibition of artworks by over 30 New Zealand artists, curated by Jane Gray of Wine Country Gallery.
February 2012 : Sweet Shop staying open 7 days a week until after Easter!
Due to popular demand, we are keeping the Sweet Shop open every day until the end of the Easter school holidays.
December 2011: Extended Summer Hours
To make the most of the long summer days we have extended our opening hours for both the Gallery and Sweet Shop - now 10am to 5pm.
December 2011: We have just hung a beautiful range of metal sculpture in the Conservatory by Jane Downes (2nd from right above). Jane works with recycled and found materials and her pieces are constrcuted rather than carved, ranging from little life-sized fantails to stunning large-scale works like the 2m wide 'Ironweb'. Jane also transforms old shovels and saws into elegant art and her metal parasols combine whimsy and beautiful fretwork.
November 2011: The new Conservatory is now finished (pictured above right). It's a lovely space and we are planning an ongoing program of special exhibitions and events. We had a wonderful turnout for our official 'Conservatory Opening Day' on Saturday 19 November - everyone enjoyed the complimentary Pimms and homemade lemonade and a wander around the Gallery, Conservatory and Sculpture Garden where there are lots of new, beautiful sculptures on display (also on view on our website's Sculpture Gallery).
The Birdwoods Blog: We started our blog in July this year and it's a great way to stay in touch with all that goes on here at Birdwoods - exhibitions, projects, new products, people and places... Subscribers very welcome!
Birdwoods E-Newsletters... if you would like to receive our email newsletters which we send out every few months, please click here to register.
Here are links to our recent newsletters:
February 2012 - Wine Country Gallery 'Pops Up' at Birdwoods
December 2011 - Christmas Creativity at Birdwoods
November 2011 - Come and See Our New Conservatory!
July 2011 - Our To Do List: Save the Rhino, Start a Blog, Go on Sale
April 2011 - New Products & Travel Plans
December 2010 - Happy Christmas From All At Birdwoods
November 2010 - Sculpture Exhibition Launches Us Into Summer
October 2010 - Springing Towards Summer
July 2010 - Soup, Terracotta Pot Bread and Last Days of Sale
May 2010 - Tales of Africa - Slide Night at Birdwoods on 26 May
November 2010: The Summer Season Starts...
We opened Spirits in Stone, our major annual sculpture exhibition this month which will run until the end of January 2011. The garden and sculpture walk are looking very 'groomed' and green and the sculptures on display provide visitors with a wonderful range of form, carving technique and stone types to view and enjoy. You can view a selection of them in our Stone Sculpture gallery.
This month Birdwoods also sponsored one of the venues for the 2010 Hospice Holly Trail, the Black Barn River Room, which was a fantastic venue and it generated lots of interest in Birdwoods and brought enthusiastic new visitors to the Gallery. We decorated the River Room with a range of textiles, ceramics and metal sculpture, including two beautiful Birdwoods giraffe which enjoyed a spectacular view of the Tuki Tuki River (pictured above left). We also had a range of sculptures included in the Wildflower Sculpture Exhibition at Mike and Julie Russell's amazing Round Pond Garden. This exhibition was held at the same time as the Holly Trail and was enjoyed by thousands of locals and visitors to Hawkes Bay.
November 2010: Story Tours Pays Birdwoods a Visit
Caroline Safarti hosts exclusive tours with very special itineraries. She recently brought a group to Hawkes Bay to enjoy some behind the scenes experiences and we were delighted that Birdwoods was included in the three day visit to the Bay.
August 2010: Soup & Scones (or Coffee or Tea) - Two for the Price of One
We are adding soup to our menu at Birdwoods to ward of the winter chill - the perfect accompaniment to a delicious savoury scone with cheese and relish or our reknowned sweet scone with jam and cream. So bring along a friend and enjoy our offer in front of the fire or in the sun on the verandah. And if you love homemade bread but can't be bothered with all the kneading, we now have the simplest solution - a teracotta bread pot, made by Havelock North potter Jackie Crespin. A stalwart of the 70's, these gorgeous pots are making a big comeback and jackie will be demonstrating their ability to make absoloutely delicious bread at Birdwoods. Come and see Jackie in action and sample a hot buttered slice or two and enjoy a mug of soup. Saturday 14th August at 12 noon. Free Soup and Hot Bread - everyone is welcome.
July 2010: Birdwoods Annual Sale is On!
For the month of July, customers will receive 20% off everything at Birdwoods, plus there are some amazing 'red dot discounts' on selected items where you'll find prices reduced by up to 60%. The 20% discount also applies to all our Zimbabwean stone sculptures and we've just updated our sculpture gallery here on the website, so even if you can't visit us in person, we hope you might find a special piece that will tempt you. (Note the full price is listed, so there is 20% off during July.)
June 2010: Hamish & Angus Arrive
We have two new very handsome and hairy additions to the Birdwoods family - Hamish and Angus, the highland cows on long loan from Rob and Amanda Liddle. Sporting large horns and very shaggy coats, they have taken up residence in the paddock next to the Sweet Shop. There has been one unauthorised overnight excursion into the sculpture garden requiring an immediate review of our fencing policy, but otherwise they seem very happy with their new home.
June 2010: Shibori Silk and Silver Jewellery at Birdwoods
To brighten up the dark winter evenings, we held a fabulous fashion night at the Gallery in early June. Featuring hand-dyed silk creations by Jean Carbon of Raglan, the beautiful clothes were modelled by some of Havelock North's finest. We also had a big range of jewellery laid out for the night - work by Sue Chadwick, Sababa and Paul Beinssen - still on display in the Gallery. Click here if you'd like a look at some of the runway action.
May 2010: The Travelling Meddems Slide Night
We reported back on our adventures in Africa at a wonderfully well-supported slide night at the Gallery in early May. This was our sixth buying trip to Zimbabwe and it was yet another great trip - exhausting, exhilirating and exasperating in equal parts. For an 'espresso' version of the slide night with some images and comments click here. And if you would like to read about some of our impressions of this trip click here for the email we sent while in Harare.
August 2009 onwards: Tony Sly Pottery arrives at Birdwoods
We are delighted to welcome Tony Sly Pottery to Birdwoods. Made in Raglan, and collected, loved and in daily use by many of us, Tony's pieces combine beautiful colour, form and functionality and Birdwoods is very pleased to be one of his Hawke's Bay stockists. Click here for a background article on Tony from NZ House & Garden. Update: In April 2010 we were all so sad to hear the news that the beautiful historic wharf in Raglan where Tony had his studio was burnt down. It will take time for Tony to re-group having lost his studio, shop and all his completed stock. However we are sure, like the great phoenix of mythology, Tony will rise from the ashes and we look forward to continuing to sell his beautiful pottery pieces. Happily, we still have a good range of his work in the Gallery for sale.
August 2009: Kate Spencer - from the West Indies to Hawkes Bay
For the month of August we will be featuring an exhibition of new works by Kate Spencer, a highly regarded and well known artist from the West Indies. Kate has recently spent a month at Cape South here in Hawkes Bay and her New Zealand paintings will be complemented by a selection of Caribbean work - all demonstrating her exceptional use of colour and highly symbolic imagery. Kate studied art in London and Florence and has been painting since the 1970s in her picturesque studio in St Kitts, West Indies. Her work is prominent in many international collections and she has exhibited in Barbados, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands.
April-May 2009: Terrie Reddish - Stunning Botanical Art
Fresh from winning a gold medal at the Royal Horticultural Society's December 2008 show, we will have a collection of Terrie's limited edition prints on display at Birdwoods until the end of May. These are absolutely beautiful works - do not miss seeing them at the gallery. We will also have an ongoing stock of Terrie's cards and some unframed 'mini prints' of her work. Update: Have a look at a lovely article on Terrie and her work in the July 2010 issue of House & Garden.
April-May 2009: 'Birdwoods Presents' at Parnell Gallery, Auckland
We are delighted to be exhibiting a selection of metal and stone sculpture at Parnell Gallery, one of New Zealand's leading contemporary art galleries.
March 2009: Lynne Strode-Penny - Colours of the Mediterranean
An exhibition at Birdwoods of watercolour and ink paintings featuring highlights of Lynne and John Strode-Penny's adventures in the Mediterranean.
February 2009: 'After Africa' at Percy Thompson Gallery, Stratford
Birdwoods Gallery contributed Shona stone sculpture and Louise Stobart's metal sculpture to this successful exhibition at one of Taranaki's leading galleries.
November 2008: 'Birdwoods Roadshow' to Hamilton and Taupo
A memorable road trip with a trailer loaded to the gunnels to showcase a selection of Birdwoods' sculpture, textiles, furniture, jewellery and textiles. Also featuring artworks and textiles by Sandy Densem and hides, furniture and lampshades from Afrique, Birdwoods 'set up shop' in a very hospitable friend's home for a day each in Taupo and Hamilton.
October 2008-March 2009: Spirits in Stone at Sileni Estates
Since 2007, Birdwoods has exhibited a magnificent selection of Shona Stone Sculpture at Sileni Estates Winery in Hawke’s Bay with the sculpture on view from October through until March each year... plans are already underway for our 2010 exhibition.
July 2008: Adventures in Zimbabwe On their return from the Birdwoods annual buying trip to Africa, Bruce and Louise gave an informal talk about their impressions of the current state of Zimbabwe and all the challenges that face Zimbabweans in their day to day life.
Trained in the UK, John lives in Clive and teachers Graphics, Art and Design at Taradale. His works with mixed media/collage as well as acrylic, oil and watercolour. His feather and fish designs on canvas are also used on ceramics.
Well-known local artist Jane Reynolds grew up in East Africa and moved to New Zealand in 1980 where she farms with her family in Hawke's Bay. The strong colours and harmonies of Africa continue to shape her work and she has held solo exhibitions here and overseas.
August 2007: Howard Tod - an amazing life celebrated in ‘Ninety Paintings in My Ninetieth Year’
Visit Diana Black Design to view the wonderful Happy Coat range, or visit Birdwoods where we continue to feature a different Happy Coat each month!
March 2007: Sandy Densem - beautiful landscapes of Hawke’s Bay Ongoing Programs
Let Them Eat Cake!
Since early 2007, Birdwoods Gallery has been donating a percentage of all proceeds from their excellent tea, coffee and cake sales to SOAP (Supporting Old Age Pensioners), a remarkable Zimbabwean charity that provides greatly needed food essentials to the elderly. Donations from Birdwoods are averaging $500 a month, so while you enjoy a treat in a beautiful setting, you'll also be helping SOAP. Click here to read the March 2009 SOAP newsletter to donors - they do amazing work in dire circumstances.
Helping Save The Kiwi
One of the most popular works in the Birdwoods metal sculpture range is the delightful kiwi and Birdwoods donates $5.00 from each of its kiwi sales to ECOED’s Save The Kiwi Hawke's Bay.
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