Sampling wine in a tasting room in Martinborough three years ago, artist Lisa Matthys had a flash of inspiration: “I thought all this sipping and tasting could be a great metaphor for us trying something new in life.

New beginnings were on her mind, as she and partner photographer Salvi Frika had just moved from Nelson to Wairarapa to set up home at Harvest Gallery, a lovingly restored historic building on Greytown’s main street, where they showcase their own work and a range of New Zealand jewellery and objects.

So began a long-running series of paintings celebrating “wine, art and pleasure”, in which the sensuous forms of wine bottles and glasses are captured in an  expressive, textured style. Lisa’s paintings have been bought by overseas investors, restaurateurs and appear on Hawkes Bay vineyard Salvare’s labels.

For Salvi, the move inspired photographs refreshingly different from postcard views of Wairarapa. Describing himself as an “intuitive” photographer, he often heads out for a day in search of new viewpoints, “I like being inspired by form and light, texture and line and I want it to happen naturally.” His image of a lone power pole in a moody Tararuas landscape was highly commended in the 2008 Last Picture Show competition, run by North & South magazine, and he was a nominee in the prestigious international Black & White Spider Awards, 2008.

Salvi’s Wellingtonian sister suggested Greytown to them, and a day exploring the town clinched the idea. Lisa had been running a studio, gallery and market stall, having completed a Diploma in Fashion & Textile Design at Nelson Polytechnic. Salvi had decided to commit to fine art photography after working as an advertising and editorial photographer for six years.

Since then, they’ve carved out a life that allows them to work on their individual projects, without being too restricted by commercial demands. “You literally do invest your life into a creative practice and it’s not something you can establish overnight, it’s a long process,” says Lisa. Visitors can get an insight into this through talking to the artists on site, something that wouldn’t often happen at dealer galleries. A recently opened room gives people a quiet, private place to hang and discuss a piece before buying.

But sometimes there’s not much chit-chat at all, says Lisa. “I had a large canvas in the window for a matter of hours and an investor who had been enjoying the vineyards came in and with very little enquiry bought it on the spot and asked for it to be sent to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.”

This is typical of the increasingly international clientele they’ve noticed since opening Harvest and three years on they have sent works all over the world as well as throughout New Zealand. “It’s great having people connect with what you are doing,” says Salvi. “It’s humbling, really.”