LIFE changes compelled Ōpotiki artist Fiona Kerr Gedson to undertake a 1500-kilometre pilgrimage, which became the inspiration for her latest series of work now on display in a Queenstown gallery.

The internationally-acclaimed artist whose intricate feather works hang in homes and collections around the globe, undertook a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in 2022.

It was a time of change in her life when she found herself seeking new purpose.

“My four children had all left home, really this was my first taste of freedom - I had been a mum from a very young age,” she said.

“I was feeling somewhat disillusioned, with the broader external world we all found ourselves in, in 2022, and also internally. I realised that bringing children up had given my life purpose every day. Now what?”

She decided to walk.

While the most commonly walked Camino begins in Saint Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, then tracks across Spain and ends in Santiago de Compostelle, Kerr Gedson said she wanted to experience French wine and food, so started a “a further four weeks back” in Le Puy-en-Velay.

It was a good decision – those extra kilometres were “magical”.

“For the first three weeks, I loved every single step. Though I was also questioning the ease of my ‘way’, wondering if I wasn’t testing myself enough,” she said.

She questioned whether the Camino should be harder, whether she should be walking it alone rather than enjoying the company of fellow pilgrims she met along the way.

It turned out to be the best and the worst of times, and Kerr Gedson found herself appreciative of that company even more when, three weeks in, she received a devastating call from home to say her dad had died unexpectedly.

There was no more questioning the ease of her journey after that. The physical, spiritual and emotional challenge was undeniable.

On her brother’s advice, she continued. “Don’t come home. Walk it out, Sis, walk it out,” he told her.

So, she continued as planned.

“All up, I walked for eight-and-a-half weeks, covering about 1500km,” she said.

She had four rest days during that time, hitched one ride, caught one bus and endured a few “chunky” blisters.

She said she met some wonderful people, many of whom she remains in touch with, and received a commission from one of her walking companions. This piece now hangs in a home in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Along the way, Kerr Gedson stopped at churches, which provided the inspiration for her latest series of work, now on display in Queenstown at Artbay. “Pilgrimage” opened on July 12 and runs till August 1.

“Being outside all day made entering the sanctum of each chapel or cathedral along the way all the more potent, and the patterns of the stained-glass windows were captivating,” she said.

It’s a series of work she is proud of and one that feels “significant”, given that the Camino pilgrimage marked not just a physical feat but a turning point in her life.

Kerr Gedson’s work has always reflected and honoured the things that are important to her, and this series, inspired by the patterns of the stained glass she admired while walking, is no different.

“This series honours my dad, and what became a much harder pilgrimage.”

She said the larger pieces in the series were literally inspired by the places after which they were named. The small pieces are named after her fellow pilgrims to acknowledge their significance to her Camino.