Peter Wright, who owns Godzone Photography in Rangiora's High St, also sold the large photograph and one of the other three smaller ones he had in the expo, which was held in the Kaiapoi Club last weekend.
‘‘The exhibition was a lot bigger than I thought it would be,’’ Peter said.
‘‘It was really good.
‘‘I am very pleased I entered and will definitely be entering work in it again next year."
Jackie Watson, chairwoman of the Waimakariri Arts Trust, which organises the expo, said Waimakariri Bridge was ‘‘an unusual but beautifully composed shot which certainly has the wow factor.’’
This year’s expo featured 151 artists who contributed 752 artworks, alongside the efforts of young up-and-coming artists from 18 Waimakariri schools and homeschoolers, in the Pak’nSave Rangiora School Kaiapoi Art Expo.
The expo began with a big crowd waiting to get in on opening night last Friday, and large crowds attending on Saturday and Sunday.
Blackwell’s Department Store complemented the busy arts-focused weekend on Saturday with its popular Fire and Ice Festival which began in the car park at noon.
It featured Auckland ice artist Victor Cagayat, live music, food trucks and aerialists, plus face painting and workshops for children in the afternoon to coincide with the Have A Go event in the Kaiapoi Club.
The fun continued into the evening with Victor’s ice sculptures lit up for the occasion, light-emitting diode (LED) artists, fire poi dancers, stilt walkers and live music from Latin guitarist Sanchez, all adding highlights to the event, which also attracted large crowds. Andrew Blackwell said he was pleased with how the event went.
‘‘A lot of people came out.
‘‘It had a very family, community feel to it which was what we wanted.’’
The event took a lot of organising, with Andrew's daughter, Katherine Williams, doing a lot of work, with the help of many supporters.
‘‘They don’t come on board wanting huge recognition, but they all play a vital part,’’ Andrew said.
By Shelley Topp
