Second Bloom
by Anna Potton
Date: Apr 17 – Apr 30Space: Small Gallery
Second Bloom is a body of abstract work inspired by the symbolism of the magnolia – a flower that blooms twice each season. Its first bloom appears on bare branches, followed by a second flowering once the tree has fully awakened.
This exhibition reflects that idea of renewal. Through expressive colour, organic forms, and paintings that are sometimes fragmented and reassembled, the work explores the process of breaking apart and coming back together. The segmented surfaces reflect the pieces of our lives – moments, experiences, joys, and hardships – that shape who we are and who we are becoming.
Like the magnolia’s second bloom, the works suggest that even the difficult or fractured parts of our story can be reformed into something whole and beautiful. They speak to the quiet resilience of the human spirit and the possibility of transforming sadness, struggle, and change into growth, strength, and joy.
Anna Potton is a Hawke’s Bay artist who enjoys working with unconventional materials to explore themes of memory, transformation, and emotion. She teaches Art and Technology at Iona College and has twice exhibited garments in the World of Wearable Art.
Her practice is highly experimental, combining a range of wet and dry media and exploring new ways of constructing and reconstructing surfaces. Anna is particularly drawn to painting abstract figures and organic forms inspired by nature, creating symbolic compositions that reflect movement, growth, and the evolving experiences that shape who we become.