Green Shoots – Windows on Bridge

Artists:  Amy Adams, Audrey Anderson, Serena Buonaguidi-Haynes, Cate Murphy, Robyn Reynolds, Jane Tan, Fleur Woods

Green Shoots is part of the Windows on Bridge series of art installation in empty shops, most to be viewed from the footpath. We’ll be rolling out Windows on Bridge over the next six months or so.

Green Shoots features the work of seven local women artists who have loaned their works to bring some colour and drama to the lower end of Bridge Street. Instead of a view of rubble and diggers, you can now enjoy art in two of the empty shops opposite the Nelson Mail building. 

Green Shoots will be on display until the end of September.

Amy Adams
Between Likeness and Life
charcoal on primed board (two sided), 1200 x 400 mm
(photo taken at NMIT Bachelor of Arts and Media (BAM) Show 2025)

“This series of portraits explores the psychological depth and emotional complexity of human expression. My husband’s eyes are the focal point of this series of work, exploring an intimate dialogue that unfolds through subtle shifts in gaze and expression. This personal connection deepened the emotional narrative and intensified my inquiry into human emotion.”Cate Murphy

Between Likeness and Life embraces clarity while leaving room for expressive looseness and unresolved areas. What began as a search for likeness evolved into an exploration of gesture, mood, and the silent exchange between the viewer and the viewed.

Amy’s work can also be viewed in the McKee Gallery at The Suter Art Gallery until 15 August 2026. For all enquires please contact Amy directly at [email protected]

Audrey Anderson
Weathering 2026
acrylic drawing on canvas   1220 x 1220 mm
Available for purchase

“My works deal with an immersion into the slow, meditative rhythm of finding my place in New Zealand. Its depiction of a thick native forest path reflects the vulnerability of first-time discoveries, its large scale mirroring the restorative depth of forest bathing. I titled the piece to reflect the endurance of its creation and how new environments shape us. Working over an un-editable dark tonal gradation base from random spot tags, I drew only the light with white acrylic ink. This unforgiving process required absolute presence, mirroring the patience needed to weather change, adapt, and finally find a pathway in a new home.”

Audrey’s work is also featured in the ArtDoors project. You can see more of her work on Instagram and on her website.

Serena Buonaguidi-Haynes
Lost
oil and watercolour on canvas 760 x 1020 mm
Private Collection: NFS

Serena’s paintings have a mythical aesthetic, often being perceived as ethereal & dream-like. Birds, animals and fish frequently appear but this painting is more unusual as it also has a portrait of a child.  You can view more of Serena’s work at Quiet Dog Gallery in Nelson, The Poi Room in Auckland and Ashe Gallery in Christchurch. You can also see more of Serena’s work on Instagram.

Cate Murphy
Kaka Beak 2017
acrylic on canvas
Purchased from Cate’s joint exhibition with Kirsten Boswijk, at The Refinery ArtSpace in 2017 (NFS)

Cate is well known in Nelson for her bold and exuberant paintings that celebrate the joy of life. Sadly she passed away in March 2018 at the age of 54 but her art lives on in her art and in her fabulous tattoos. You can see more art by Cate at The Free House on Collingwood Street (on the sign hanging outside and inside the building).

Robyn Reynolds
Robert dreamt of being a psychologist 2023
acrylic on canvas   1220 x 910 mm
Available for purchase

After many years running her own clothing business in Nelson, Robyn is now able to devote her time to her art. She is known for her spirited portraits that are full of emotion and character. Robyn often uses textiles and thread in her work alongside paint. She is a new member of the Nelson Suter Arts Society.

You can see Robyn’s works as part of the ArtDoors project. Please contact Robyn directly with any enquiries at [email protected]

Jane Tan
Oran Mor (The great melody)  
mixed media on canvas     2 x 1.8 m

“This abstract painting is based very loosely on Celtic mythology and belief on the song of creation and the emergence of life. I was thinking about the shapes we see in cloud formations while making this work.”

Jane Tan is a Tasman based artist, working in the genres of drawing and painting. More of her work can be seen at Quiet Dog Gallery in Nelson and on Instagram.

Fleur Woods
Stitch Bloom
1300 x 1000 mm
A collaborative stitched work on a vintage blanket (NFS)

The Stitch Bloom Project aims to create community and generate well-being through the art of slow stitching. Many hands from around the world have stitched blooms to contribute to the project. These blooms are now collaged onto a vintage woollen blanket base and added to by many people in the Nelson, Tasman & Golden Bay region. Our youngest stitcher was 6 and our oldest was around 90 years of age.

Motueka Library, with facilitation by Kim Lawrence and support from Janine Gilleons, have significantly supported the project’s continuation over the past couple of years. Fleur Woods resourced the project.

The Stitch Bloom Project was created with: 1 vintage woollen blanket; 200+ hand stitched blooms; over 150 stitchers; 100,000’s of stitches; acres of thread; many, many cups of tea; and lots of laughs, community connection and love.

The Stitch Bloom Project was started in 2018 by local artist Fleur Woods. “Initially the project was a textile chain letter, starting with a large piece of linen onto which participants could stitch a bloom and then post it to the next person. Unfortunately in 2019 the project went missing while outside Melbourne, Australia. This was a huge blow as many people around Aotearoa and Australia had already stitched blooms onto the piece. Many attempts were made to find it. Eventually, feeling heartbroken, I had to let that one go. Meanwhile, luckily another project had started in Bosnia, travelled briefly in Europe and paused in the UK”.

“Unsure of how to continue, the project stalled. Then, during the nationwide lockdown of 2020 I realised the project could continue in a new format. This time asking willing participants to stitch a bloom and send them to me. Over a year many blooms arrived from all over NZ and the world. This was wonderful but also a little overwhelming for me working full-time as an artist and trying to work out how to continue the project. It suddenly dawned on me that many hands were the answer and with the support of fellow creative Kim Lawrence and the team at Motueka Library stitch bloom resumed as a community art project”.

You can see more of Fleur’s work on Instagram.