Serendipitous is how Napier artist Karen Sole saw her decision to donate her painting “Parihaka -A Mountain Never Gives Up” to Whatever It Takes Trust.
Not only did Karen live across the road from Whatever It Takes Trust, but she saw the synergy in her painting that resembled providing shelter, care and sanctuary, which made her think that’s exactly what Whatever It Takes Trust provides.
Karen, a well-known Napier artist whose bold paintings are often inspired by her feelings about the social environment, says giving art away gives her a lot of pleasure.
“This painting has a lot of meaning for me – the bold, striking triangular shapes that symbolise Mount Taranaki as well as whare or the concept of shelter.
“Shelter and land that’s yours is very important for a person dealing with mental health challenges,” Karen says.
“I have used the colours of red, white and black, as traditional colours, while green represents Papatuanuku. The white lines represent many feelings, including the delineation of tribal territory and sovereignty.
Karen said there aren’t enough services available for people with severe mental health and addiction issues. She instinctively wanted to support a service that was closely aligned to what her painting represented.
Chief executive of Whatever It Takes Trust, Sam Aberahama, said the organisation felt truly blessed that Karen had reached out to offer the painting with all the significance it had.
