A local artist is making homeware items ready for the skip new again in his latest exhibition Domestic Astronomy.

Duane Moyle's body of painted works, which will be held at the Zeus Gallery, explore the relationship between sacred crafts and domestic decoration.

These geometric or architectural structures have been painted onto domestic surfaces and scaled to the size of ordinary dinnerware.

One series of works called ‘Red Hill Observatory' that includes 70 small wooden discs is a highlight of the exhibition.

The shapes are painted onto surfaces that Duane salvaged from his brother's house when he was helping to renovate it.

Curtains, linoleum, Formica, bench tops, rimu plywood, upholstery and various other surfaces rich with dated fashion were saved from the skip.

'These surfaces reminded me of the home I grew up in. I realised that the family that previously lived in this home on Red Hill Road probably had thousands of sacred memories with these surfaces as the backdrop,” says Duane.

'Many of these works have painted designs based on rose windows from cathedrals I have visited in my travels. Others have crisp geometric, celestial shapes that still allow the original surface to speak.”

Duane says he has always immersed himself in art, but particularly was inspired after he completed his Fine Arts degree at AUT and set off to the UK for further studies.

In 2008 he completed a Masters of Fine Arts at Wimbledon College of Art and made and exhibited works until returning to New Zealand in 2010.

Focused on supporting his growing family for some time after that, Duane's artistic practice became secondary to jobs in construction and furniture making.

However, when he sold two paintings and was commissioned to create two works in 2015, his artistic ambitions were rekindled.

Further sales and commissions strengthened his resolve to practice, and he began to develop the ideas that he had begun in 2009.

'This was immediately after my studies and I wanted to step sideways from the critical, ironic works that I had been making and paint some flowers. I wanted to paint more with my heart than my head,” says Duane.

In mid-2017 he joined the team at Tauranga Art Gallery as Exhibition Manager.

'This is the perfect job for me. I am surrounded by great art and artists and I'm able to use many of the skills I learnt whilst supporting my young family.

'Since returning to Tauranga I have seen the visual arts begin to thrive like never before. This is to a large degree due to the development and acceptance of the Tauranga Art Gallery.”

The exhibition will be on display at Zeus Gallery, Marsh Street Tauranga on Friday, November 3.

The public is invited to meet the artist and celebrate the opening at 5.30pm.

The exhibition will be open to view from 10am to 5pm from Tuesdays to Fridays, and from 10am to 3pm on Saturdays until November 16.