From Wales to Wallace to Whiti to Welly

From Wales to Wallace to Whiti to Welly

Contemporary fine artist Charlotte Giblin is the first person to admit that her creative path has taken some unexpected turns, but the UK-born potter-turned-portrait-artist wouldn’t have it any other way. “After 10 years of running my own pottery business in Cardiff it was time to try something new” says Giblin “so I rented out my Welsh cottage and got a one-way ticket to Auckland with my Kiwi partner – even though I’d never been to New Zealand before!”

Giblin received her Permanent Residency in 2010, a week before being offered the job as Inaugural Director of the Wallace Gallery in Morrinsville, saying “I knew then this path was meant to be!” Having established herself on the NZ Art Scene as a successful administrator Giblin was able to return to her own artistic roots when she moved to Whitianga in 2012, setting up drawing and painting classes while working on an extended series of Coromandel landscapes which were compiled into a book. ‘Wandering Under Big Skies’ has been a great success, as a popular book to remind local residents of the beauty of their surroundings, as well as a unique souvenir for international tourists and visitors.

If the trajectory of the last 3 years is anything to go by, Giblin is a name to look out for on the fine art scene: now an established contemporary painter and exhibiting artist, she has been selected as a finalist TWICE in the Adam Portraiture Awards (2016, 2018) and this year was invited to exhibit at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington.

“This is such an exciting month for me – I’ve got a really unusual WELLINGTON DOUBLE – I’m giving a talk at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery about the evolution of my painting career on the same day that my new work is on show at Academy Galleries! What a way to arrive in the Capitol!”

Charlotte Giblin is giving a FREE presentation at the NZ Portrait Gallery (Shed 11, Queen’s Wharf) on Sat. May 5th from 11am-12pm and her latest artwork can be seen as part of SOLO 44 at Academy Galleries (1 Queen’s Wharf) from May 5th – June 6th 2018

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