A thief who stole thousands of dollars worth of art has been caught on security camera making off with his loot.
Popular Kiwi artist Hayley King, who goes by the name “Flox”, is shocked and devastated at being the victim of a break in.
“They came through the front door, which is really quite public. They took just under $20,000 worth of hand-painted artworks," she told 1 NEWS.
Footage shows the thief making off on foot in the early hours of Saturday morning, wearing a fluorescent shirt and with arms full of colourful paintings.
As he goes, he leaves a trail of evidence, with pieces of art toppling off the pile he’s carrying - tumbling to the ground.
Flox is well known for her use of bright flowers, ferns and native birds.
The now-empty hooks and blank patches of wall in her showroom are a stark contrast.
“They knew what they wanted. I think and they went straight for the artworks, for the big signature pieces, and left behind the iMac and the tech, so yeah, it was just really strange," Flox said.
Weeks of hard work went into the stolen pieces.
Flox told 1 NEWS: “My work is very layered and very time consuming. It’s hard to put time on these pieces because they are all made up of very intricately hand cut stencil work."
Some of the pieces taken were recovered after being dumped nearby, but a number of others are still missing.
Police have carried out forensic work, and say anyone with information should get in touch.
Flox is raising awareness about the break-in on social media, and hopes the pieces will be recognised if they come up for sale.
“I think the aesthetic is very specific and if people do see them out and about or if they do pop up on any online forums, then I feel like I’ve got a lot of support out there and there is a lot of people keeping an eye for me," she said.
The artist is calling for the thief to do the right thing, and she’s even prepared to make a deal.
“Bring them back, let’s have a chat," she said. "We can work something out for sure.
"I can teach you how to do it if you want."
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