Bay artist off to Italy

Local artist Debbie Tipuna is off to Italy on a three-month residency. Supplied photo.

Tauranga artist Debbie Tipuna has been selected out of hundreds of artists nationwide as the inaugural recipient of the Tautoko Maori Foundation – Basilicata,three-month art residency in Italy.

The aim of the residency is to provide a New Zealand artist with comfortable, free accommodation with the use of a studio in ‘a fortified hilltop town in southern Italy'.

Debbie says it's quite humbling to be chosen.

'I know some of the other artists who were shortlisted, and they're amazing.”

She recently quit her job as a children's librarian at the Te Puke Library to pursue her art practice fulltime whilst also relocating to Tauranga with husband Eric after purchasing their family homestead.

The art residency came out of the blue when Debbie saw it advertised on The Big Idea website, which acts as a platform for creative industries, and she applied only a week before it closed.

She notes 'it's all fallen into place” with husband Eric, who has family ties to Italy, putting his job on hold for three months to accompany Debbie to Italy.

After completing her studies at Waiariki Polytech in the 1980's, Debbie has continued to develop her practice while raising a family. Now, as an established artist, she has a number of awards to her credit including being a finalist in the 2015 Rotorua Museum Art awards and having her artwork featured on the front cover of the local Bay of Plenty household phone directory.

Working across a range of mediums as a mixed media artist, Debbie is working on a collaborative picture book for children and hopes to take the finished product to Italy.

She hopes to use this opportunity to upskill and to experiment with lots of different media.

'I'm looking forward to what another culture does to your head.”

She would also love to visit local schools and connect with the kids there due to her background as a children's librarian and illustrator.

Debbie's artist profile can be found here.

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2 comments

Bay Artist off to Italy

Posted on 15-02-2017 17:55 | By DC

Congratulations Debbie, how fantastic for you. Thoroughly deserved, your art work is amazing.


Wahoo....

Posted on 15-02-2017 19:59 | By Jaybee

CONGRATULATIONS Debbie!! we are so pleased for you, you truly deserve this opportunity. Your amazing talent is really taking you to wonderful heights now.... hahaha we can come for a holiday too! Well done... from the Girls out West ;-)


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