Mary-Jane Steffens

 

ABOVE: Hope In Sepia – 680 x 680mm. Pastel

A Lifelong Love of Art, Movement and the Human Form

Mary-Jane Steffens has always been an artist at heart. From the moment she could hold a pencil, creating art was a natural part of her life. As a young child, she even painted a mural on her parents’ wardrobe doors – an early indication of the creative drive that would eventually lead her to exhibit internationally and establish herself as an award-winning pastel artist.

Although largely self-taught, Mary-Jane has spent years developing her skills and exploring different creative disciplines. She trained as a photographer, graphic designer and web designer, building a career that allowed her to exercise her creativity while maintaining a reliable income. These experiences also helped develop her eye for composition, colour and visual storytelling.

However, there came a point when she knew that creativity needed to become more than a part of her working life. “I knew that if I didn’t take the leap of faith, I might never achieve what I had wanted to do my whole life – to be a full-time artist, creating the work I want to create.”

Finding her artistic voice

While Mary-Jane enjoys exploring creative possibilities, it is the human form that continues to draw her in. Faces, figures and the expressive qualities of the body are at the heart of her work. Her current work centres on dancers, where movement, drama and the beauty of the human form come together.

Two artists have remained lifelong inspirations: Impressionists Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt. Degas’ ability to capture movement and everyday life has long fascinated her, while Cassatt’s intimate portrayals of family life and ordinary human moments continue to resonate. Their work embodies qualities Mary-Jane admires deeply: freedom, atmosphere, movement and the ability to tell a story without documenting every tiny detail.

She loves the expressive freedom of Impressionism, where a painting can suggest a moment rather than explain it. This philosophy is reflected in her own approach, allowing her subjects to emerge through layers of colour, mark-making and carefully considered details.

A significant turning point in her artistic development came through an intensive portrait-painting course with Studio Escalier in Argenton-Chateau, France. Immersed in the study of Old Masters techniques and portraiture, she experienced a dramatic leap in her skills.

The art of pastel

Although she has experimented with various mediums, Mary-Jane has always found her way back to soft pastels. For someone who loves drawing, they offer the perfect balance between the immediacy of a drawing medium and the richness of a finished painting.

“I am a drawer. I love drawing, and pastels allow me to draw while also allowing me to create complete paintings.”

Pastels suit her temperament, too. They can be quick, responsive and forgiving, allowing her to work instinctively while making changes along the way. As she readily admits, she is not the most patient person!

An excerpt from Art & Color 365 magazine describes her process particularly well:

“Each piece is built up of multiple passes,” she explains, “and with each pass I make corrections and changes. The final passes are all about the finer details and highlights.”

This layered approach gives her work a quality that can be surprising when viewed up close. From a distance, the viewer sees the complete image; closer inspection reveals the individual strokes and the intricate process behind it. Mary-Jane loves watching people approach her work, look more closely and discover how the image has been created. For her, that moment of discovery is one of the great rewards of being an artist.

Music is another constant in her studio. What plays depends on her mood and the kind of day she is having, ranging from relaxed old-school blues to upbeat Kiwi music and heavier sounds during longer working sessions.

Recognition and milestones

Mary-Jane’s dedication to developing her practice has brought increasing recognition, with awards across New Zealand, Australia and the international pastel community.

Among her most significant achievements are winning the General Section of the Pastel Artists of New Zealand (PANZ) Purely Pastel National Exhibition Art Awards in both 2025 and 2026 – two consecutive wins. In 2026, she also won the People Choice category at the Pastel Society of Australia’s PSA National Art Awards and received the Art Focus Medium Award for pastel at the Tasman National Art Awards. In 2025, she placed second in the Art & Color 365 Pastel Competition, earning a four-page magazine feature and article.

International recognition has followed. At the International Association of Pastel Societies’ 49th Open Division Fall Online Exhibition in 2026, she received an Award of Merit. With artists entering from around the world and only a little over 100 selected for the exhibition, this was a particularly meaningful achievement.

Yet one ambition remains firmly on her horizon: becoming a finalist in the Adam Portraiture Award. It is a long-held dream, and Mary-Jane feels she is finally reaching a point where she has a genuine chance of making the shortlist. Her first two entries were unsuccessful, but she is undeterred. “Fingers crossed for the next Award.”

Staying connected and looking ahead

Being part of the artistic community is an important part of Mary-Jane’s journey. She is an APANZ member of Pastel Artists of New Zealand, an artist member of the Pastel Society of Australia, and an artist member of both Nelson Suter Art Society and Otago Art Society. She is also a collective artist member of Wall to Wall Art Gallery and Mapua Gallery.

For Mary-Jane, art societies offer far more than opportunities to exhibit. They connect artists with one another, expose them to a wide range of styles and perspectives, and help their work reach a broader audience.

She currently has work available through Wall to Wall Art Gallery in Nelson, Mapua Gallery in Mapua and Nelson City Framers The Gallery in Nelson. Her art has also found homes in New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, the United Kingdom and the United States.

There is also a new project taking shape in the background. It is still in its early stages, so details remain under wraps, but she hints that it will bring more drama and movement into her work. Given her fascination with dancers and expressive figures, it promises to be an exciting new direction to explore.

Outside the studio, life is shared with her awesome and very supportive husband. Mountain biking was once a favourite pastime, although art has largely taken over. These days, she enjoys running the dog, walking, playing golf and spending time with her husband.

The courage to keep creating

For Mary-Jane, being an artist is about more than awards, exhibitions or sales. It is about having the freedom to create the work she wants to make. She believes one of the most important lessons for artists is to resist the temptation to stop too soon. “It is easy to reach a point in a painting where the fear of ruining it becomes stronger than the desire to improve it.” Her advice is to push through that hesitation. Often, the work will become stronger by taking another risk. And if it doesn’t, there is always the option of reworking an area, starting again or accepting that some pieces simply won’t reach the vision you had for them. Not every artwork will be a winner. The next one might be.

Her advice to aspiring artists is equally straightforward: “If it is what you truly want, go for it.”