Call by to enjoy MJ’s exhibition on till the end of May: Nelson City Framers & The Gallery
Call by to enjoy MJ’s exhibition on till the end of May
Intensity of effort a master stroke for pastel artist
Careful planning, thousands of pencil strokes and 30 or more hours of concentrated work are behind the pastel art works of Mary-Jane Steffens.
The intensity of effort pays off.
In April, Steffens won the general section of the 2025 Pastel Artists of New Zealand exhibition Purely Pastel with her work Hope in Sepia.
She uses pencils to build up the image, working in layers. Each layer contains thousands of small pencil strokes and the process continues with layer upon layer. The background is completed using pastel crayons.
Steffens has been hard at work lately, also creating art for her current exhibition Classical Impressions at Nelson City Framers in Halifax St.
The exhibition showcases a collection of new work that explores classical poses with an impressionist eye.
“I’ve used a limited colour palette” said Steffens. “Instead of blending, I use multiple directional lines built up to create shape, light and shade. Each piece is built up with multiple passes (layers), with each pass I make corrections and changes. The final passes are all about the finer details and highlights.
“My biggest influences are impressionist artists Edgar Degas and Mary Casatt. Degas for his ability to portray movement and everyday life, and Cassatt for her ability to capture intimate family moments.”
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Classical Impressions continues at Nelson City Framers in Halifax St until May 19.
Steffens’ work is also on show at the Bridge St collective Wall to Wall Art.
She’s not the only member of the group to have success further afield.
Nicole Russell recently travelled to Blenheim for Watercolour New Zealand’s 50th anniversary.
Among many activities, the celebration included an outdoor painting competition.
Participants were supplied with paper on the Friday afternoon and had to bring their paintings back on Saturday afternoon, 24 hours later.
The judging of the resulting 55 paintings was done by UK artist Hazel Soan, who selected Russell’s painting of Taylor Dam as one of the winners.
Wall to Wall member, photographer Kat Beyle, has sent her work even further afield.
“I’m excited to be part of an international exhibition called Peace Now in Cappadocia, Turkey”, said Beyle, who trained in Chile.
“Artists from around the world will take part, and I’m honoured to be representing both Chile and New Zealand. It’s a meaningful opportunity for me, especially as I’ve been developing peace-focused projects for some time now.”
Beyle is the feature artist at Wall to Wall Art until June 10.
Peter Gibbs is a former Nelson Mail journalist who has recently returned to pottery after a 30-year break.
Source: Peter Gibbs, Nelson Mail, May 16, 2025
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