Tapping in to creativity

A mother-son connection is behind a new art exhibition gracing the walls of one of Blenheim’s busiest bars.

Il Tragitto (The Journey) is a series of ten paintings by Cora Ingley unveiled at 5Tapped on Wednesday.

Now her work is hanging together for the first time, thanks to bar owner and Coral’s son, Hadyn Mearns.

For the one-time art school student turned business academic, picking up a paintbrush again has been fulfilling.

“It’s a great use for the space and Hadyn’s 5Tapped is a wonderful spot for exposure in a completely new surrounds compared to the central Auckland apartment they were painted in,” she says.

“Setting them up here was the first time I feel they had the space and breathing room, especially for a series painted over time being able to step back and see them all together has been very refreshing.”

The paintings, which are available to buy, are the result of using colour to reflect Coral’s emotions over a year.

The abstract angle is a change for Coral who says she was once committed to photorealism.

“It’s an interesting change to the abstract, because I’ve also found that you can overwork them, go too far and ruin the emotional connection I feel for them,” she explains.

“I loved photorealism and the detail-orientated nature of it when first painting taught by Colin McCahon, but I’ve now found I no longer have the patience for fine work anymore.”

The exhibition will run for a month until March.