Alexandra’s Marion Vialade-Worch is a painter, a sculptor, an art teacher and a mum of two boys.

What is special about where you live?

“Alexandra is a wonderful place to grow a family. I knew it was true when I would walk in the streets, finding cul-de-sacs everywhere where kids would play soccer or rugby. Coming from a biggish town (back in France) where children don’t have these spaces available to play anymore, I saw a sign.

Marion Vialade-Worch

“The real reason is that Alexandra invited me to stay. I came to Central Otago with my husband, Antony, to make wine for a season. We kept coming back because of people, kind and supportive friends, who trusted us with their wine and wanted to keep us around.

“The landscapes were a third reason. On his first visit, my father pointed out that Alexandra basin looks very much like the region I come from in the South of France. I had not consciously realised. It might be the reason I felt at home here, with the familiar vegetation and the dry hills. A home far from home.”

How did you get started as an artist?

“I am a self-taught artist. After high school, I was not allowed to pursue an artistic education, so I became a winemaker. I am from a vintner’s family back in France so it made sense.

“But I am a creative and my artistic voice kept pushing to get out. That’s why, even if it took me a long time, I took the path of self-education. My curiosity about art supplies and processes pushed me to explore different techniques and media to learn about myself and my own style as an artist.

“Nowadays, the process of creation has become a sort of meditation. Of course, I feel great delight when my idea matches the image in my mind or when it is surprisingly different from my original concept. But I have so many new ideas per minute that I am the happiest when I can jump to the next one calling my name.”

Two chevaux crafted by Marion 

How have you ended up living and working here?

“I was born in South of France, in a town with a big castle in the middle, called

Carcassonne.

“I completed a master of winemaking and vine growing and a diploma of oenology, and my husband and I chose to come to New Zealand, a new world on the map of the wine industry, for a season.

“After this first harvest at William Hill Vineyard in Alexandra, we kept on coming back… arriving earlier and leaving later, then spending most of the year here, and then we decided to settle here.

“Feeling there was a demand for a new winery for the Alex Basin, our friends got us involved in the creation of Alexandra Vintners Ltd, a winemaking facility still making wine today.”

Marion’s painting ‘Monotype’

“My artistic practice took off and I swapped winemaking for printmaking. I found a little corner in the winery to establish my tiny studio. I am still there today, getting my hands dirty with paint and glue and ink.”

What’s your favourite spot in Central?

“My wee studio is my happy place but I also like painting outside (“plein air” as they say in France) and my favourite place to set up is on the riverbank, by the Mata-Au (Clutha), the Manuherikia, or the Fraser.

“The sound of the water is so calming, it gets me in the flow. For a couple of hours, I am the river.”

Marion enjoys creating art outside

What else are you involved in within the community?

“Recently, I have been a part of the Clyde Museum exhibition ‘Sanctuary’.

I offer art classes for adults and for children at Central Stories and I’m working toward more printmaking and paint making workshops. I have more projects, but it’s a bit early to talk about them just yet. 

What do you see as the biggest challenge for Central?

“Each time I go to Frankton’s Te Atamira art centre, I wish we had the same here. I would love to have a place of arts and culture, to nurture and showcase local arts (for young and old) from beginners to professionals, and from dance to visual arts, from music to theatre. 

“[It could have] artist’s studios, music and dance studios and a gallery, a common space for artists to catch and a space to get the community together around craft or pottery. I know of similar places in Wānaka and Queenstown but Cromwell and Alexandra lack the initiatives.

“I am just an artist and not much of a project manager, so I am doing what I can while waiting for a miracle.”

How can people find out more about your art?

“I’m on social media (@MarionVialade on Facebook and on Instagram @marionvialade or @funwithbobanddoggo) or www.marionvialade-worch.com.

“People can find me on the Central Otago District Arts Trust website and arrange to visit my studio (by appointment only). My work is also at the Forfar Road gallery in Roxburgh.”

Marion’s piece Helas from the Clyde Museum’s exhibition Sanctuary 

What does the future look like for you?

“At the time of the pandemic, I was part of the Hullabaloo art space in Cromwell. The gallery had to close and for a long while I didn’t show my work anywhere. When the gallery reopened, the visitors didn’t come back straight away, I felt down. And when the sales didn’t pick up again, I just gave up and quit. Like everyone else, I was lost, frightened by the uncertainty of our world.

“The whole experience pushed me to review my situation. I took the time to reconnect with my inner artist and re-discover what makes me feel alive. Now I have found a new way to express myself and I have a new plan. 

“Fine art painting and commission works are still part of my practice, but I have turned my focus to illustration and storytelling through volume work and that makes me feel happy because it is so much fun. I am working towards more affordable artwork and a possible online shop in the future too.”