Ella Yates, is an American-based artist. She is spending two years travelling and painting murals for Catholic schools.
The Presentation Sisters of Ireland, which has links to schools throughout the world funded her travel
For the past few weeks she has been at St Bernadette’s in Naenae.
She has also completed murals at Our Lady of the Rosary in Waiwhetu and San Antonio School in Eastbourne.
St Bernardette’s principal Jo Buckley says it has been a privilege hosting her.
She says the pupils have enjoyed watching the mural unfold.
They liked having an input into the design. It features the school’s motto and multicultural makeup.
The schools help by providing the paint and accommodation.
“These last two months while I painted murals in Dunedin, Eastbourne, Waiwhetu, and Naenae; I stayed 45 of my 60 nights at Michele Lafferty’s house in Island Bay. Michele graciously allowed me to transform her extra en-suite room into an art studio, where I painted a number of panels for Naenae and Eastbourne,” said Yates.
“Without the Island Bay studio, I would not have had sufficient time to finish all of the murals and designs. Her house gave me the freedom to work 12 hour days without the harsh sun or wind and rain.”
“It allowed me to go the entire 60 days without taking a full day off; yet feel almost as if I was on vacation through it all.”
“I was within an hour of all of the north island schools, so with the help of Michele, the principals Jo and Therese, and Karina, an Irish school teacher, I commuted.”
“But when I was back in Island Bay, I could walk down the steep hills to the beach; eventually walking barefooted like many of the locals.”
Yates says she had always dreamed of doing voluntary work around the world.
Although she admires the work of the Catholic church, Yates is not a Catholic.
‘‘I am actually not a Catholic but I am always going to Catholic masses and working with Catholic people. That seems to be my life.’’
New Zealand is her third stop after Tasmania and the Philippines.
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