Scholarship Spotlight: Penny Wyatt's Manifestorium

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your creative journey so far?

I have worked in healthcare all my adult life.  Creativity was a hunger that I fed only during my days off.  I looked from one patch of creativity time towards the next, never feeling satisfied or full, clearing up and packing away materials and projects in between, starting from scratch each time.  When my mother died and I hit menopause and burnout all at once, couldn’t cope, I took refuge in creativity.  I completed the Toi Whakaari Diploma in Costume Construction and realised that I needed to have a designated place in my home always set up for creativity, so I could retreat and advance through creativity.  I took over the smallest room, and called it my Manifestorium.  My creativity started to blast out.

What inspired you to study at The Learning Connexion? 

The last paper on the Costume Construction course involved some drawing.  I hadn’t drawn since school.  My drawings were primitive but I loved what happened in my head whilst I was doing them.  I realised that I needed to take an art class and whilst looking at possibilities in Wellington I came across the TLC website.  I arranged a look around the campus, and as soon as I saw Sue Lund’s incredible work, I knew had to be part of it.  I remember working out that if I started at Level 4 and worked through all the levels part time end to end I could be there for 6 years.  That prospect filled me with joy and I committed to coming to TLC and staying as long as they would have me.

What areas of art/creativity are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about many forms of creativity – art, music, performance, sewing.  My own creativity is currently mostly focused on painting.  I love painting portraits, mostly of family, friends and dogs.  I also love painting seascapes and landscapes.  My favourite class ever was life drawing with JoElle Gragilla, who taught in the style of Cecil Collins – a very free, sometimes abstract, way of life drawing. But I also loved printmakin

In the print room, I felt like a frantic kid at the fun fair, running back and forth to the press, and the screens… an overwhelmingly wonderful garden of delights.

What did receiving the scholarship mean to you at the time? 

Receiving the scholarship felt like such an endorsement of my art, at a time when I was having a bit of a confidence wobble (oh, they are as common as speed bumps in Wellington!). 

The first couple of years at TLC were a whirlwind - great stimulation and mentorship, wonderful teaching, lots of exploration and experimentation.

By Level 6 I had settled into a clear preference for painting and put pretty much all my creative efforts into it. 

I learned fantastic things from all the painting tutors – I spent a couple of weeks copying Marc Hill as he  casually painted an iceberg landscape on the wall of the studio before that was banned.  I learned about the push and pull of a developing work, every time I looked up he had changed direction and that was so permission-giving.

Alan Poole helped me find my interest in portraits and taught me to see more accurately, so I could find a likeness.  He also helped me to move towards my goal of looser interpretations, retaining the character and emotion of a person.

From Gary Freemantle I learned humour and taking myself lightly.  His artistic eye sees so differently, and getting a small insight to his vision is humbling.  I tried to look differently, to appreciate what he sees.   I loved his frankness, and I loved what happened to my work in his classes.

I’ve had the very great privilege of both being mentored by Justine Turnbull and being tutored by her.  What an incredible human, a delightful and emotional artist.  I love her work and aspire to having some of her looseness and variety in my own work.  The scholarship was a huge boost to my commitment to TLC. 

Although I had emotionally committed myself to staying as long as I could right from the start, some of the changes in the last 2 years have been difficult, and I had some moments of doubt about whether the format of Level 7 would be appropriate or beneficial to me. 

My attitude through the TLC experience has been ‘trust the process’.  Although I didn’t start out with the aim of exhibiting, selling, being an ‘Artist’, through taking one tiny step after the other, that’s where I am now, and it felt painless. 

Receiving the scholarship helped me to set aside doubts and reinforced my trust.  I’m not sure where I’ll be at the end of this level, but if I just keep doing the mahi and staying open to change, my journey will continue on its own sweet way.

How did the scholarship support or change your ability to study?

In spite of wanting to take every opportunity that TLC could offer me, our family finances took a nose dive in the middle of 2025.  I didn’t know this was going to happen when I was awarded the scholarship.

The scholarship was like a steel girder, underpinning the structure of my choices.  It was Fate reinforcing that I need to stay on this path. 

What opportunities did it open up for you?

The Janet Law scholarship has given me the opportunity to study weekly with Justine Turnbull, painting tutor and extraordinary artist.  For me change happens slowly and with much practice.  Having weekly guidance, instruction and inspiration from Justine over several terms helps me to keep change and growth in front of mind, and not just repeat what I already know.

What’s something you discovered about yourself during your time at TLC?

I discovered that dogs help creativity.  Bringing dogs to TLC helps me to take breaks and refresh.  They also help me connect with students and staff, and bring my whole self to school.

I discovered that I actually like collaboration.  All through my life I have said that I hate team work. To me team work meant compromise, doing more than others for an unsatisfactory group result.  Through the group collaborations in various classes I saw the value of serendipity, the joy of the whole being greater than the parts.  I have gone on to do two collaborative projects, one with my choir, one with my workplace.  The results have amazed and delighted me, and humbled me. 

I also discovered that with the right collaborative partner we can achieve so much more.  My collaborations with Brighid Jamieson have been so fertile, in terms of exhibiting and participating in art shows that I would never have dreamed of doing alone.  Her unwavering positivity and passion for creativity inspire me to focus on what needs to be done, and what’s possible.

Did you have a favourite project, artwork, or breakthrough moment while studying?

My favourite breakthrough was learning how to stop procrastinating, get the heck on with something and inspiration will follow.  Karla Vink told us at Level 4 that Picasso said “Inspiration exists but it has to find you busy”.  I put that into action every time I start.  I gesso a couple of canvasses, I muck around with an inspirational photo and a ‘warm up’ painting, and next minute I’m in the middle of a project that sets me on fire.

I hope it doesn’t sound too self-centred to say that I love many of my artworks.  I think that’s probably because I mostly paint people that I love or admire, so when the work is done, I want to keep it, and keep looking at it.  I wonder whether that’s because many of my people are overseas, and painting them brings them close.

How did the TLC community influence your journey?

Where to start?! TLC is an entirely unique educational organisation.  There is zero focus on making the students conform to a standard, no compulsion to complete tedious assignments and no grades are assigned to work. 

The entire focus is on enabling students to uncover their own strengths and loves, on making them The Most … the most THEM that they can be. 

And the emphasis on valuing the students by the staff means that the students are freed from competition against each other, freed to appreciate each other and themselves.  It’s truly an incredible creed.  I had no idea that it would influence not just my art and studying but my work and attitude to life. 

How has your creative practice developed since receiving the scholarship?

My creative practice has continued to be the engine of my life.  Although I only started Level 7 in June, I knew of the award in November last year. It gave me certainty that I would be able to continue studying at TLC without a break, which in turn meant that I didn’t have to break my stride, and just kept up my regular practice.  I have had pause for thought about what aspects of the rhythm of being at TLC I will need to replicate for myself when I leave: the recording of my artistic efforts, the regular meet ups with other artists, the ongoing learning and probably most valuable is the mentorship.  I view this final course as the time I put those structures in place outside TLC so I have a sustainable practice when I finally have to leave at the end of Level 7

Are there any projects, exhibitions, or creative work you’re especially proud of?

A project I started during Level 6 came to fruition during the beginning of Level 7.  I challenged the folks I work with on the maternity ward to represent the work we do on a pillow case.  I put together an exhibition of those pieces for the International Day of the Midwife in May. 

Photographs of the exhibition were sent to the New Zealand College of Midwives, and I was invited to exhibit them at the NZCOM conference in Hamilton in August.  It was an example of something I would never have had the confidence to start let alone complete had I not walked through Levels 4-7.  The joy it brought to each person who submitted a pillow case and the way it has enhanced my working relationships with them has made it such a worthwhile project.  It’s not over yet though.  My colleagues are keen to repeat it next year, and at the conference several midwives from across the country were keen to replicate our collaboration in their own work places.

Looking back, what would you say to someone considering applying for a scholarship?

I would say (in fact I DO say!) “have a go!  The process is quite straightforward, and the scholarships are generous.  Receiving a scholarship brought me a huge sense of acceptance and endorsement of the path that I had chosen to follow into creativity.

What advice would you give new students just starting out?

I would congratulate them for taking the first step, and tell them to trust the TLC process.  Before I started each level, when I read the ‘conditions’,  I didn’t really relate to them, they sounded like just so much academic waffle.  I had no idea how I would put them into practice, and frankly I didn’t really care, I was just there for the art.  I got on with creating, and in mentorship meetings my mentors interpreted what I had done, and how they related to each condition.  Seemingly effortlessly, just by doing what we do at TLC, I ticked off each condition one by one.  Seeing the conditions getting met, gave me perspective on how artists operate, how they fit into The Art World and gave me a framework for understanding my own sense of who I am as an artist, and what success looks like to me.

How do you see creativity shaping your future?

I am so grateful to TLC for its unexpected and quirky ways.  There are so many good folks working there, creating there.  I always feel held by them, and observe my fellow students being held. 

Frankly, I see me creating my way through old age.  The way creating makes me feel, I want to feel that often and forever. 

When I look forward, although aging and becoming frail frightens me, I know that as long as I can hold a brush or push some paint or charcoal around, I can get that feeling.  

But meanwhile, I feel urgent to keep learning and developing my skills and style, to see what comes out next.  I want to always take a class, get involved in exhibitions, take every opportunity that’s offered.  I want to immerse myself in the local art community, to continue to see people looking at my work and thinking that it’s art … that amazes me!  I’ll probably never rid myself of Impostor Syndrome, but perhaps I’ll become friends with it.

Thank you TLC for the opportunity to reflect on my time at TLC and all the precious opportunities for growth that has provided.  Thank you for the generosity I’ve experienced, not just the scholarships, but the true generosity of spirit that is the mainstay and Kaupapa of TLC.

Penny has taken part in the South Coast Art Trail with Brighid Jamieson, the Wellington Art Show (AASA) in 2024 and alongside Brighid in 2025, and exhibitions at the LAB Gallery at TLC.  Follow Penny on Instagram and with Brighid as The Creative Itch Collective.