Artist Collection Finalist: Eden Te Puni

Perth based Artist Eden Te Puni is the wahine behind the prints and artwork at Puawai Creative. An interior designer by trade, Eden’s current work is a celebration of womanhood, Mother Nature and her own personal growth. A proud Maori wahine and mother of two daughters, she feels as though everything in her life has led her to be creative, including the birth of her children. By tuning into her heart, she’s tapped into the knowledge of connection through art. She is driven to create, to bring people together and create a sense of belonging. 

Her process begins in her journal, with pages upon pages being written. Letting all her thoughts and emotions flow onto a page. 

“After that it’s like my hands and mind are warmed up so the images just flow” 

She wants her viewers to feel exactly as they want when they see her work. Art is always subjective and up to interpretation, but if they pause and take a second look and enjoy the details or the way the colours play with each other then she’s happy. 

Eden’s family has had a big influence on her creativity. In particular her grandad who was an Elvis impersonator who loved to sing. He encouraged her to draw him while they spent time together. The day after he was laid to rest in Rotorua was when Eden officially started Puawai. 

Her prints are created by hand, pencil to paper which is then photographed or scanned to her iPad to be enhanced digitally. Colour is added in the digital process from either photographs provided by her customers or from her own imagination. This combination between traditional and digital art means limitless creativity in a bright and cheerful palette.    

You can connect with Eden online via her website, Facebook or Instagram @puawaicreative