Latest news with #Kelland
NZ Herald
06-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Anna Kelland wins back-to-back Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year
Anna Kelland of Constellation Brands has taken out the Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year title for the second year in a row. The competition, held on May 29, saw 10 of the region's young viticulturists battle it out in a series of challenges, both practical and theoretical. Kelland, who
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Auckland Festival of Photography: Deborah Kelland's ‘sacred journey' following the monarch butterfly migration to Mexico
Every morning for nine days, Kelland rose early to meet them. Setting out from Macheros, a tiny village in the foothills, she made the two-hour trek up the mountain on foot, carrying her camera gear. Flights of migrating butterflies were still arriving from Canada, forming pulsating clouds so dense they almost obscured the sky. 'When I got up there, I was on my own, so it was an incredibly spiritual experience,' she says. 'You're just overwhelmed, standing in this paddock at the top of the mountain with the enormity of the butterflies coming towards you. It's like being in a snowstorm.' The Arrival. Migrating monarch butterflies were still flocking in from Canada when photographer Deborah Kelland climbed to their feeding ground at the Cerro Peon Sanctuary in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountain range. Photo / Deborah Kelland The monarch butterfly has a typical lifespan of only four to six weeks. However, once a year a 'super generation' is produced that lives for up to nine months and can survive this epic migration. In 2022, the species was officially listed as endangered, reflecting its devastating decline. In Mexico, the population has fallen by 70% over the past 30 years, largely due to illegal logging that threatens their roosting spots and an increase in severe weather events caused by climate change. Kelland, who describes her art photography as inspired by the 'life force and vibrant energy of nature', was immediately fascinated when she read about the migration of the monarchs and their vulnerable existence. Specialising in backlit photography, she wanted to photograph the butterflies against a black background – an effect she achieved by lying on the ground and shooting into the mountain. The results are striking, setting the glowing orange butterflies against a backdrop of velvety midnight black as sunlight streaks the grass. 'It was incredibly challenging, defying all the principles of photography, really,' she says. 'But I didn't want blue sky, which is what everyone associates with butterflies.' The sanctuary is protected by guardians who ride up the mountain on horseback. Silhouetted in several of Kelland's images, they appear as an almost ghostly presence: the rump of a horse emerging from the shadows; a dog's bushy tail that looks for all the world as if it belongs to a wolf. The Wolf. A dog belonging to the guardians of the butterfly sanctuary looks remarkably wolf-like as it's captured passing through the frame. Photo / Deborah Kelland Attuned to some cosmic clock, the first wave of migrating butterflies arrives each year on the Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos), which is celebrated in Mexico on November 1 and 2. 'They say the butterflies are the souls of their loved ones returning,' Kelland says. 'And I can believe it.' More than five years after the images were taken, her collection is about to be shown publicly for the first time at the Auckland Festival of Photography. A region-wide series of free exhibitions and events, the global programme includes work by NZ Herald photographers that will be displayed outdoors, along the fence at Queens Wharf. Waka ceremony at Waitangi, by Dean Purcell, from an exhibition by NZ Herald photographers at the Auckland Festival of Photography, which features work from around the world. Provision 8, by Clara Watt, from her exhibition The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values. A work from Sarah Cusack's series, Conflict Portraits. A real-estate hotshot in the 90s, Kelland was the first agent at Bayleys Real Estate to receive the $100 Million Award for settled sales and later founded her own boutique agency. In 2009, she walked away from the industry on the day her partner, Sue Nelson, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The couple married in 2013 after 27 years together in one of the first same-sex weddings celebrated in New Zealand after a law change the previous year. By then, they were living on Waiheke, where Kelland began exploring art photography alongside her charity and philanthropy work. In 2011, a T-shirt she designed in the days after the Christchurch earthquake raised thousands of dollars, with orders peaking at 700 a day. Her first photography exhibition, the Light of the Soul series, was dedicated to her late mother. Shot at the Parnell Rose Garden, it featured large-scale backlit images mounted on to light boxes to mimic the rays of the sun. Deborah Kelland at her home on Waiheke Island, with her dog, Toby, and sitting at her late wife Sue Nelson's piano. Nelson kept her cancer at bay for more than a decade before her health began to deteriorate. She died in 2020 on their seventh wedding anniversary, only five months after Kelland returned from Mexico. Devastated, Kelland set her butterfly photographs aside until late last year, when art collector Dame Jenny Gibbs convinced her to mount them in the foyer of the Wynyard Quarter apartment building where the two women are neighbours. 'For a long time, it was far too raw,' says Kelland. 'Jenny encouraged me to release the butterflies, literally. It was a very emotional moment.' Healthy Poison, by Karl Mancini, from a portrait series of factory workers in Samut Sonkhram, Thailand. Melt 4, by Wairarapa-based photographer Wendy Brandon. Her exhibition MELT: A Strangely Beautiful Interior, explores Antarctica "from a starting point of us needing to sustain a symbiotic relationship with the wild places on our planet". This theme of this year's Auckland Festival of Photography, Sustain/Tautīnei, resonated deeply with Kelland, who was moved to tears by both the resilience of the monarch butterfly and a fragility that mirrors our own. 'I love to immerse people in the joy of nature and all its magnificent creatures, but we also need to be so much more conscious of the devastating damage to our environment,' she says. 'For a while there, I couldn't even look at the devastation, because I like to have hope. To me, producing these images gives people hope, because the beauty is still there.' The Sacred Journey: A Flight for Life is on at Little Rosie in Parnell from May 15 to June 15 as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. For the full programme, go to Joanna Wane is an award-winning senior lifestyle writer with a special interest in social issues and the arts.
Perth Now
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Bang Bang breakout: Mandurah artist's foray into fashion
A Mandurah artist's foray into fashion has turned into a global success story with her unique designs selling out in minutes. Tahnee Kelland has sold thousands of her iconic BANG BANG shirts since they were released last June. The success of BANG BANG was followed by CARE WAY LESS and BURN IT ALL DOWN, which also sold out soon after release. Kelland's t-shirts are the opposite of fast fashion, and her path to success wasn't overnight either. A redundancy turned into a total rethink for Kelland, before she began selling out online, the self-confessed introvert spent 17 years working in retail. 'I was made redundant when the store I was working in closed down, and that payout gave me the opportunity to finally start my own business,' she said. After years of experience in retail, Kelland decided to focus her artistic efforts solely online. 'I could see that brick-and-mortar stores were really struggling. The world had moved online, so that's where I decided to focus all my energy,' she said. 'In a strange way, I think my introverted personality actually helped shape the path I took. While many artists focused on gallery shows and networking, I was more drawn to building an online presence. 'It just made more sense to me. Online, I wasn't limited to local foot traffic — my work could reach a global audience, and my store was open 24/7, even while I slept. 'There were no commissions to pay, and I didn't have to rely solely on selling original artworks to generate an income.' A decade ago Kelland began working with local printmaker Ross de Hoog to reproduce prints of her original art. Kelland's prints. Credit: supplied Now her pieces regularly ship to America, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Italy and Switzerland. Recently, fakes have even been spotted on the streets of Bali - surely a sign that a designer has 'made it'. The shirts have also been seen on some of Australia's biggest influencers but it was Kelland's own frustration that led to her foray into fashion. 'For years, I would trawl through stores looking for a t-shirt I actually liked — and I could never find one,' she said. 'About four years ago, I started designing my own, but I didn't love any of them enough to release. 'It wasn't until last June that I finally created a design I felt really proud of, the BANG BANG. Turns out I wasn't the only one who loved it.' Kelland says she has been running to keep up with demand since and didn't anticipate how well they would take off. 'At one point, I was selling them so quickly that I didn't have time to produce the actual shirts - I only had a drawing of the design, and people were buying hundreds based on that alone,' she said. Kelland says she thought at first her success was a 'fluke' and maybe people just love horses. 'But since then, I've released other designs, and they've also sold out just as quickly,' she said. Kelland and her tshirts. Credit: Laura Harrey / Laura Harrey 'I think people are really embracing oversized tees right now — they're comfortable, easy to wear, and make you feel put-together with minimal effort.' Kelland said she is inspired by personal experiences and her interpretation of life. 'There are recurring themes and motifs throughout my art. For example, the BANG BANG tee isn't about guns, cowgirls, or mermaids,' she said. 'It's a symbolic piece about intuition — trusting your inner voice, following the flow of life, and not letting other people's opinions or expectations hold you back. She has a four-year-old son and admits balancing motherhood with business hasn't always been easy. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. 'It's a little easier these days because we can actually communicate. He understands when I need to work and why,' she said. 'But that balancing act is something I think all mothers deal with in one way or another, and a big part of it is simply accepting the season you're in.' The natural next step for Kelland is homewares, cushions, bedding, tablecloths, and more. Kelland with her first homewares piece. Credit: Laura Harrey / Laura Harrey 'I've got a throw rug coming out next month with the brand Salty Aura, and I've also started designing linen top and pant sets that will be released in the coming months,' she said. Kelland's next highly anticipated t-shirt drop will be on May 4.
