A Memory of a Summer Dream

Take a break from the winter weather and step into Katherine Mansfield House & Garden for a taste of summer.

Catherine Warren explores the treasured, classic New Zealand summer’s day in this exhibition of acrylic landscapes and poems. From dawn until dusk, humble horizons, reaching branches, serene sunsets and familiar words transport you to another season, unlocking your own cherished memories.

Warren explains, “Summer is a season longed for and revered in the collective Kiwi consciousness. All year we wait for summer to arrive, with high expectations of glorious blue skies. Even in summer, I’m judging each day against the last, waiting for the perfect day.”

In Warren’s paintings it’s easy to spot the same landscapes that inspired the imagery in Katherine Mansfield’s story 'At the Bay', imagery that is quintessentially part of the New Zealand summer.

“Now the leaping, glittering sea was so bright it made one’s eyes ache to look at it.”

“The water was quite warm. It was that marvellous transparent blue, flecked with silver, but the sand at the bottom looked gold; when you kicked with your toes there rose a little puff of gold-dust.”

Bring the kids along to spend some time at the activity table, where you’re invited to explore your own creativity and make a poem or collage to take away with you. A memory, or perhaps a dream, of a warmer time!

Catherine Warren is an artist, author, illustrator and poet. These works were created between the summers of 2023 and 2026 as an exploration into the attachment and glorification of summer. A Memory of a Summer Dream is Catherine’s first solo exhibition.