Tadmor Valley resident Kirstie Hogg has been quietly crafting her artistic legacy for years, one brushstroke at a time, from her lifestyle block surrounded by hills and rural life.
“I’ve been chipping away at art for years,” Kirstie says with a smile. “Mum used to encourage me with my art as a kid.” That early support set her on a creative path that continues today. After taking a short art course years ago, where she met “lots of cool artists”, she developed her style and deepened her passion for painting the world around her.
Working mainly in oils and watercolours on canvas, paper or board, Kirstie’s art celebrates the rural life she knows so well. Her subjects include farmers, dogs, wool bales, old tractors and work horses. They are not posing, they are living. Each piece captures a quiet authenticity, moments of connection between people, animals and the land.
When asked where her inspiration comes from, Kirstie does not hesitate. “It’s my life, really – where I live, what I love. I love old stuff: rust, leather and wood.”
Living in Tadmor Valley, near the Sherry River and Matariki, about 10 kilometres from Tapawera, Kirstie is deeply rooted in the place she calls home. “I live where I grew up – I’m so blimmin’ blessed.”
She recalls her childhood vividly. “I spent many school holidays here picking up spuds.” Back then, the land was used for growing potatoes bound for Baird’s Store, a well-known Nelson grain and produce merchant on Trafalgar Street. Those early farming days continue to influence her creative vision.
Kirstie’s work often begins with a photograph, an idea, or a mix of both, but the foundation is always something she feels “drawn to”. Not every piece is completed, she admits. “You live and learn – I’ve burnt many paintings that were started.”
What she enjoys most is giving value and appreciation to the subjects she paints. “Painting an old building that’s done its time, or a horse or dog that works so willingly, or a tractor that’s done hours and hours to make our lives easier – I feel that painting something gives it meaning.”
Her rural artworks were recently featured in the VAST Art Exhibition, run by the Visual Arts Society of Tapawera and held each summer for more than two decades. “VAST is great,” Kirstie says proudly. “It’s been going around 23 years, and I was at the first one with a painting of mine.”
Reflecting on her creative journey, Kirstie feels nothing but gratitude.
“I’ve been really lucky getting local support and encouragement, and I’m so grateful for that. Compliments are lovely – but the ultimate compliment is when someone buys your piece. I feel very blessed.”
