In the heart of Franklin, artist Katie Blundell is cultivating a flourishing artistic practice. Her painted relief works—carved and coloured by hand with meticulous care—explore the collective human experience, the natural environment, and her deep-rooted connections to the local community and land.
Seeds of creativity
The Blundell family has lived in Clevedon for five generations, and Katie, daughter of a keen gardening mother and orchardist father, grew up with nature and the cycles of growth as part of her daily life. The natural beauty of Riverhaven, the family property, was fertile ground for her artistic spirit.
“Art was never frowned upon in my family,” says Katie. “To be an artist was always okay, and I was definitely a creative kid. And creativity is kind of what we do around here”.
That’s an understatement. Blundell’s father, Guy, is well-known locally for transforming the family’s apple orchard into the sprawling Riverhaven Artland, a 20-hectare sculpture park showcasing works by both established and emerging artists.
Katie’s studio is housed in what was once her family’s old orchard shop, a repurposed space that serves as both her gallery, art studio and teaching workshop.
“It was always a bit of a dream to have my own gallery and studio,” she says. “So this was is the perfect place to work and teach as well,” she says.
With both a master’s degree in fine art (with a focus on printmaking) and a background in teaching, nurturing local talent comes naturally.
“When I moved back here, I realised everyone wanted someone to teach them art, so I thought, okay, I’ll just make it a studio that other people can hang out in as well.”
Carving a niche in Franklin
Blundell’s own artistic style has evolved over the years, and most recently has culminated in a unique ‘relief painting’ technique which marries her love of both printmaking with painting. The process begins with carving designs into wooden boards, which are then sealed, painted, and rolled with a top layer of paint to create one-of-a-kind carved and painted works.
In an age of digital art and AI-generated images, it’s a peculiarly labour-intensive process, but the sore arms and long hours that go into each piece are worth it, she says.
Her latest exhibition, Going to Seed pulls together two decades of ideas, offering a vivid meditation on the connections between plants and people, and the recurrent nature of all living things.
“I was staring outside my studio one day,” she says, “and saw some kale that was going to seed. It was looking pretty kaput.”
“But I thought ‘just maybe those seeds will grow’. It got me thinking about all the connections between people and plants, and the cyclic nature of life.”
Cultivating a following
As an artist, Blundell finds as much inspiration in the local community as the natural environment. Her logo, a stylised plus sign, symbolises her commitment to making a contribution to her community through art.
She is a central figure in the vibrant local arts scene, helping establish the Clevedon Art Trail (which in turn led to the creation of the larger Franklin Art Trail) and fostering local talent through her teaching.
As for her own artistic ambitions, they are very much alive, but always evolving, she says.
“I’ve always wanted to be a well-established, well-regarded New Zealand artist, but that does change day by day. You think you want something and then, you know, you keep progressing.”
“These days, I’m well known in Clevedon, which is a very small town, but I’m really looking forward to getting to know more of the people in Franklin.”
“For me, it’s really just about being habitual and systematic. I believe in the creative habit, and so it’s mostly about just getting on with it and doing the work.”
