Creativity is one of the foundation pillars of Shiloh Creative Life Centre Charitable Trust. Through the ART Collective Project, the trust aims to support local artists from diverse ethnic cultures to connect and take part in society through an innovative community project that promotes and showcases their cultural skills and personal talents in safe spaces while teaching participants the importance of their mental well-being through creative expression.
Shiloh trustees’ goals and objectives is to collaborate with local people, artists, schools, universities, organizations, associations, businesses and creative individuals of all communities to offer the ART Collective Project within Auckland communities. We offer creative art spaces that are welcoming and dedicated to creative therapies & art projects that promote freedom of personal artistic expression.
As a collective that teaches various modalities of art, we help participants to use different materials to produce artwork that is relevant to them. Even if students don’t think of themselves as creative, we create an environment that encourages them to have fun and be playful in their art.
Meet the ART Collective local artists:
Watercolour Artist Linda Wills – Linda was born and raised in NZ and has been a watercolour artist for over 25 years. Initially focusing on portraits (both animals and people), her favourite subject, she has moved on to painting anything that’s required of her. In more recent years she has become a book illustrator, particularly children’s books. Teaching watercolour painting has also become an important part of Linda’s life, and she enjoys the camaraderie and seeing the students’ skills and confidence rapidly develop. Linda is also a photographer and videographer.
Palette Knife Artist Agnes Ishak – Agnes is an Assyrian / New Zealand multidisciplinary artist. Through a focus on the painting knife, Agnes guides students to experiment with texture, movement and expressive marks, encourages learners to push boundaries – splashing, layering and sculpting paint on canvas – creating art pieces imbued with energy, depth and narrative resonance. Agnes’ creative journey serves as both an escape and a safe haven where layers of identity, memory and emotion freely unfold. Working fluidly across oil, acrylic, pastel, mixed media and digital mediums, her art merges imagination and reality, offering a vivid response to life. Agnes explores the connections between self, community and the land, honouring the lineage that ties the past, present and future together.
Textile Fibre Artist Dee Petit – Dee was born in the USA in a small town south of Detroit Michigan with creativity being a big part of her life. She has embraced extensive creative play in weaving, pottery, floral creations, cooking, preserving, sewing and for the past 13 years Dee has had a love affair with textile fibre art projects. She teaches youth, adults, elderly and people with disabilities the joys of art in many forms. From tissue paper flowers to hand sewn hearts and one of a kind wall hanging, she adores stitching memories of time together with students and fibre.
Human Figure Artist Nicky Hartley – Nicky loves to paint the human form and its relationship to its internal and external environment: The play of colour and the flow of line and the expression of marks. Nicky graduated as an illustrator 27 years ago, and since then she has worked freelance in the UK, Romania, Zimbabwe, Thailand, India, Australia and now NZ where she has lived for 18 years. She has supported and held workshops for children, and adults in NZ and these countries while initiating art groups and a couple of community art galleries.
Micro-Macramé Artist Yoko Onishi – Yoko was born and raised in Japan, where she developed a deep appreciation for traditional crafts inspired by nature. Ten years ago, she discovered macramé and founded a workshop in Auckland to teach both children and adults this ancient art. Yoko combines macramé techniques with the natural beauty of crystals, which she views as gifts from Mother Nature. Her work reflects the harmony between human creativity and the natural world, drawing inspiration from nature’s forms and timeless symbols created by humanity.
Mixed Media Printmaking Artist Lene Toni Kjeld – Lene was born and raised in Denmark, where she studied textile design at Design School Kolding, graduating in 2004 with a master specialised in surface design. An internship at Faro Disegni in Rome, gave her a great insight in the surface design industry. The studio was based on artistic talent and most of their work was hand drawn, which still today is an important process in her own work.
Intuitive Soul Collage Artist Naomi Azoulay – Naomi is a middle eastern born, Auckland-based award-winning portrait artist. She holds a BA in Art History and is a self-taught artist. Naomi creates captivating, bold, intimate and vibrant analogue collages and oil paintings, aiming to tackle social justice issues, decolonise the art space and expand the definition of beauty. In addition, Naomi runs collage workshops and community events promoting creativity and spreading the gospel of intuitive collage.
Mixed Media Artist Catherine Sanvictores – Catherine, a New Zealand-based mixed media artist and mother of four, grew up in Dunedin and now lives in Auckland. Self-taught with training from the Learning Connexion, she has created since 2003, exhibiting her work and leading art workshops. A passionate colourist, she explores mixed media, favouring inks. Through her art and teaching, she blends storytelling with mindfulness, seeing art as a tool for self-discovery.
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