Tote Modern - Pottery & Art Gallery
Otaki, Kapiti Coast
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June 2025 Exhibition
Grand Opening Event Date: Thursday, 5 June 2025 Time: 5:30 PM Event Highlights:
Location: Ōtaki Pottery Club Address: Old Tote Building | Ōtaki Māori Race Club Grounds | 47 Te Roto Road, Ōtaki Join us for an evening celebrating the creativity of the Christine Fagan, ceramicist and guest artist Karin McCombe. Gallery Hours: Friday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM |
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Christine Fagan - Ceramicist
Christine is a seasoned ceramic artist based in Levin, with over 35 years of experience shaping clay into expressive and thought-provoking works. A long-standing and active member of the Ōtaki Pottery Club, Christine has contributed immensely to the club community through her roles as tutor, mentor, and exhibiting artist. Her work reflects a deep connection to the natural world and often explores texture, form, and storytelling through clay. In 2024, Christine was awarded second place at the Star Glaze Ceramic Awards, held during Ōtaki’s Matariki celebrations. The judges praised her display for its powerful impact and thoughtful expression of Matariki themes. Alongside exhibiting, Christine played a hands-on role in the festival, leading public workshops in making harakeke (flax) stars and flowers—engaging tamariki and adults alike in creative celebration and cultural connection. She is also known for her contributions to community projects such as The Steps Project on Petone Esplanade, helping create over 3,000 ceramic tiles. Christine’s work invites quiet contemplation and celebrates the beauty of nature, tradition, and community. Her dedication continues to inspire both emerging potters and seasoned practitioners across the region. |
Karin McCombe Jones – Artist
Karin is a multi-disciplinary Welsh–New Zealander artist based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her acrylic paintings are vibrant, daringly bold, and rich with suggestive observations — each piece a moment captured in expressive motion. Her brushwork dances with energy, revealing a keen awareness of thought, light, and reflection. Karin's artistic journey continues to receive wide recognition. In 2023, she was invited by the British High Commission in Wellington to exhibit her Welsh landscape paintings in a specially curated Welsh-themed room, in celebration of His Majesty King Charles III’s birthday at the Homewood residence. A member of an international collective of fourteen artists from seven countries, Karin is part of the ambitious touring exhibition Chain Reaction. Each artist responded to the work of another, creating a powerful visual conversation over two and a half years. The resulting 100-piece exhibition has travelled to Jamestown, New York, the Sitar Arts Centre in Washington D.C., and opened in Miami, Florida in early 2025. Her expressive, often whimsical acrylic works are layered with hidden meanings and symbolic undertones. While some may appear light-hearted or humorous, many reflect her deep concern for wildlife conservation — a cause close to her heart. Formerly an expressive arts teacher, Karin continues to embody her teaching philosophy through her art: be bold, be dynamic, be seen. |
The gallery is kindly supported by OPC volunteers
and the following sponsors
Penny and Hu Eames |
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Guests Artist Enquiries
This facility is also available for non member artists. If you are interested in using our gallery space please contact Paula Archibald using the form below.