JEFF THOMSON ARTWORK
SOSSI and celebrated New Zealand artist Jeff Thomson have joined together to bring our supporters an exciting new way to help raise funds for the Shakespear Open Sanctuary.
$50 from the sale of each of Jeff’s limited edition screen printed corrugated iron artworks will be donated to SOSSI and go toward fundraising for the 1.5km predator-proof fence across the Whangaparaoa peninsula.
Moko skink, mahoe, pohutukawa and harakeke (flax) are all depicted in Jeff’s collection. These species, unique to New Zealand, are all found at Shakespear Regional Park and play an important part in the development of an open sanctuary.
Each piece is numbered and signed and costs just $150 (plus $8 postage and handling). Works are in an edition of 125.
How do I buy a Jeff Thomson artwork?
By phone SOSSI: 09 424 5055
By email SOSSI: info@sossi.org.nz
Write to SOSSI: PO Box 790, Whangaparaoa, Auckland 0932
Please include your chosen artwork, your name, phone number and postal address.
Please make cheques payable to Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Inc and post to PO Box 790, Whangaparaoa, Auckland 0932.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
Moko skink Oligosoma moco This sun basking and day active skink bears the maori name for lizard, ‘moko’. It lives in rank grass and shrubland and burrows deep into the litter or soil in the colder winter months. Now largely restricted to predator-free offshore islands, the population at the eastern end of the Whangaparaoa peninsula is perhaps the last viable mainland population remaining in New Zealand. This population has been the focus of volunteer conservation activity and is expected to thrive in the pest free environment that will be Shakespear Open Sanctuary. |
Mahoe Melicytus ramiflorus Mahoe or whitey wood is a fast growing coastal tree providing abundant food for native birds. These birds, essential for seed dispersal, are threatened by introduced predatory mammals. The dry timber is an excellent fire starter, particularly valuable in the days before matches when fires were started by the friction of wood rubbed together. The skeletonising habit and irregular vein pattern make the fallen leaves an object of wonder for young and old alike. |
Pohutukawa Metrosideros excelsa Staunch and robust, the tortured sculptured form of the pohutukawa and its brilliant crimson blossom are the coastal icon of northern New Zealand. Summer flowers provide an abundant nectar source for geckos and birds and the bright floral stamens carpet beaches and pavements when they fall. Many trees bear the ancient scars of the gouge marks left by kaka feeding on the sap. The pre-stressed curved timbers were sought after for the early boat building industry. Much loved for their summer shade and provision of natural swing and climbing opportunities. Pohutukawa forests are under threat from browsing possums, and the birds and geckos that pollinate the flowers are predated by introduced rats, stoats and cats. |
Harakeke (flax) Phormium tenax The quintessential plant for Maori, harakeke was found in every aspect of life in Aotearoa: fibre for clothing, flooring mats, cooking baskets, ropes, fishing lines, baskets, animal traps, and medicine. As one of New Zealand’s earliest exports, flax mills employed many early European settlers and were found in most early settlements, unfortunately maiming many of their workers. This hardy plant occupies all niches from wind and salt blasted coast through swamp to freezing sub-alpine mountain top. Abundant nectar in spring is targeted with the brush like tongue of tui and bellbird. The value of flax has been recognised and adopted by SOSSI as their logo. Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei whea te komako e ko. |
About Jeff Thomson
Aucklander Jeff Thomson’s work has always struck a chord with New Zealanders – maybe it’s because he chooses a media that has such historical connotations for the country (corrugated iron).
He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Elam in 1981 and started to work with corrugated iron not long after. He first began decorating rural letterboxes and later moving into animals. Early works included herds of elephants and cows which were seen in incongruous locations like Albert Park and Wellington’s Civic Square – much to the public’s interest. One of his more well known works is the corrugated iron clad HQ station wagon which can be seen in the permanent collection of Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington.
Corrugated iron has a long history in this country having been used widely in construction of the early mining towns, and Thomson has managed to change its popular perception so that now it is often seen and indeed utilised as an art form.
