The four most powerful positions in the country are now held by women but Dame Silvia Cartwright, Helen Clark, Margaret Wilson and Dame Sian Elias are not the only female foursome to attract attention.

Art watchers have been keeping a keen eye on a collaboration by four women artists including the ubiquitous Hinemoana Baker.

The fruits of the collaborative labour, an original concept project entitled Kissed, can now be viewed by the public at Porirua's Pataka.

Kissed, which sees the multi-talented Baker wear her 'poet' hat, features original artworks interpreting and incorporating poetry. The Kissed quartet is completed by poet Helen Heath and painters Kirsty Morison and Daisy Wood.

Heath, of Paekakariki, says the paintings have been created not just as illustrations of the poems. Instead, the poetry has become an integral part of the paintings, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, exploring domesticity and community.

"A kiss is a blessing, something we share with our loved ones, sometimes taken for granted, other times relished," says Heath. "We may be different combinations of lover, mother, sister, daughter, or granddaughter but we are all part of a family. Especially when they nag us, leave their wet towels on the bed or wake us in the night."The four most powerful positions in the country are now held by women but Dame Silvia Cartwright, Helen Clark, Margaret Wilson and Dame Sian Elias are not the only female foursome to attract attention.

Art watchers have been keeping a keen eye on a collaboration by four women artists including the ubiquitous Hinemoana Baker.

The fruits of the collaborative labour, an original concept project entitled Kissed, can now be viewed by the public at Porirua's Pataka.

Kissed, which sees the multi-talented Baker wear her 'poet' hat, features original artworks interpreting and incorporating poetry. The Kissed quartet is completed by poet Helen Heath and painters Kirsty Morison and Daisy Wood.

Heath, of Paekakariki, says the paintings have been created not just as illustrations of the poems. Instead, the poetry has become an integral part of the paintings, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, exploring domesticity and community.

"A kiss is a blessing, something we share with our loved ones, sometimes taken for granted, other times relished," says Heath. "We may be different combinations of lover, mother, sister, daughter, or granddaughter but we are all part of a family. Especially when they nag us, leave their wet towels on the bed or wake us in the night."