Meg McIsaac

Vivian Grapentin always enjoyed art as a little girl, winning some school prizes, but after the sad passing of her second child, who was only three, due to a brain tumour, she turned to painting as a way to manage her grief.

Born in Malaysia, Vivian’s studies in Lincoln Nebraksa were interrupted by the sweet allure of love and marriage. Before leaving for Cape Town she had completed a BSc in Interior Design. “I did not complete my dual degree in Fine Arts and changed it to a minor in Arts instead in 2001. So as far as art training went I studied Art History, Drawing 101 and 102, Printmaking and Graphic Design but not painting, which I am currently doing.”

Her first painting was of her eldest daughter, with her fairy wings in the garden, from a photo taken at her birthday party, and this sold online to a patron from New York. Soon after the sale of this work, Vivian and her family moved to New Zealand. Due to the upheaval of relocation (again) and having more children, she managed only two paintings in the following seven years. At the end of 2015, after unsuccessful attempts to get a visa for her sickly father-in-law to visit New Zealand, she decided to paint animal portraits as a way of making some extra money to enable her family of seven to fly to Cape Town to see him. Unfortunately he passed away before they made it there. “I’d like to think that his legacy, as well as my daughter’s, lives on through my paintings as they were the inspiration to begin it in the first place.”

See Vivian's web page here: http://www.vgrapentin-art.com/ .

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When you ask Michael Yewen: “Have you any particular artistic ambitions?”, he answers ”Just to save the world, have fun creating art with cool people and make a living from that. When something amuses me, I think of a funny scenario. Like lots of dogs all in driverless cars barking at each other out of control at the traffic lights. Then I toy with some ways to present it. Often the first scenarios I see in my mind are like a Peter Jackson movie, so I then need to greatly simplify them to create something that I can complete in a reasonable amount of time.”

Michael has had no formal art training, and credits the many Art School Taupo events that he has been to for his artistic know-how. However, he was always an artist – “I was a real pain to the teachers. I recall several times going to the teacher when I was five and asking that she get us some better paints that were not just water, and brushes that were not just straw, and canvas that was not a sack. I clearly stated that it was not good enough and how did they expect me to paint with this. In the end I gave up - we are talking about five years old here – and I suspect the artist in me died a bit. But it was unstoppable and re-emerged when I hit my early 20s, with vengeance. Sessions of drawing dragons while groups of people watched really inspired me as a young artist. It was largely the attention of the other people that really got me going. I had drawn plenty of dragons by myself in my room, so these were well practiced. “One of my motivating factors for pursuing a career as an artist is how much I enjoy colour and sound. I like getting ‘sunshine out of a tube’ on a rainy day. That’s how I see yellow paint. The opportunity to interact with amazing people like other artists and large numbers of people via my art are other reasons, and the chance to influence people with my environmental causes. I have to maintain a connection to nature and interestingly, I get energy from creating. These days I create pretty much all day when I’m not researching or learning.

Contact Michael here: Trooder

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Having studied at Whitecliffs School of Art – Diploma in landscape, Summer Schools at University – Diploma in figurative design and ATI Certificate for adult education, Loretta Arthur is still going strong.

She cannot remember when she didn’t draw or paint, however in the 1950s, there was no money to be had and she was encouraged to pursue secretarial and accounting work. Although there was no special training in art at St Mary’s College Christchurch, the school she attended, she always managed to receive the art prize.

Loretta became involved in theatre and created many sets for production as well as acting and directing, “Art was always there, sketching on the boat at Christmas, observing figures and the like. When my four children were at secondary school, I decided to become serious about my art.”

Finding immense inspiration from black and white studies, photos and sketches, enjoying the atmosphere created, she kept herself busy sketching and taking her own photos. Loretta maintains she sees potential paintings everywhere around her, in everyday life and all occasions, with her preferred subjects being people in various situations, at the beach or in cafés and historic or old buildings. Her current projects include trying different styles and doing research on various mediums. She is currently enjoying experimenting with Biro and is looking for more inspiration for acrylic work.

The artists who have provided the most inspiration for Loretta are Monet, John Turner and her art tutor, John Horner at Whitecliffs School of Art. “I love impressionist art and using the alla-prima technique, the freedom of just painting on a blank canvas with no preparation; sometimes it doesn’t work, most of the time it does. I find this very therapeutic and suggest all artists do this at least once a year, especially after a big commission. There is a lot to be gained from the peace and solitude of creating something on a blank canvas and calling it your own.” Contact Loretta on NZ (0064) (0)21 941 767.

From an early knowledge that she was creative, but being pushed to be academic, Jo Pedersen has developed the courage to believe in herself and has come full circle as an artist.

Recovering from an illness at home, Jo trusted her instincts and decided to pick up a paintbrush and have a go. She’s never looked back. “When you absolutely know that it’s your calling and passion in life, once you get over the doubts in your mind and stop listening to the ‘nay-sayers’ out there, you find a way to make it work. It is a tough call to be an artist and takes a lot of determination and courage. I know for me, there is no other choice but to follow my ‘calling’, it isn’t a question - that is enough motivation for me”.

Jo is inspired by nature, nature in the world around and the inherent nature of human beings. She is connected in a spiritual and energetic way to life and this is her way of expressing herself. Being musically inclined, music is also very much an inspiration, but essentially, it is part of the beauty of life that she perceives. “I love the immersion in painting, it is a form of meditation where you switch off from the world and for me, that is healing. I also love the transformation from initial mark making to the finished piece, it is a journey. It is an amazing feeling when someone buys your work and they connect with it emotionally.“
See more of Jo's work here: Jo Pedersen

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Wendy Gillespie is an enterprising woman with large goals. How many other Kiwi artists have booked themselves into courses in Edinburgh and had a solo exhibition in New York (the Agora Gallery) over the last few years? She is also grandmother to six beautiful children, and holds a PhD in strategy and organisational improvement. Wendy is keen to assist other artists in putting their original artwork onto high-end products, as she has done with her own artwork. She tells us she is self-taught and recently published her first children’s book - Carter and the Tooth Fairy. Wendy shares her inspiration, motivation and passion.

“As a child I loved drawing. As a Counsellor and Primary Teacher I loved being able to help children transfer their energy into colour and form. Now as a trained strategist, budding artist who lives an eclectic life, I love being able to create the passion and mood into a picture. I have studied and worked in Strategic Management, Organizational Development for over 14 years. One promise I made to myself, when I finished academic study, was that I would do two things: learn to paint oils and to play the classical piano.
In the early 1980s I completed a correspondence course in Commercial Art and Graphic Design. I attended a week-long course with John Wilson in Brisbane in 2006, who taught me how to create beautiful atmospheric conditions. I also attended a two-week course in ‘Portraits in Realism’ in Edinburgh, with the School of Realism, which are techniques I have yet to start developing. My favourite old timers are the Masters who represented what they saw through realism, their every brush stroke and many layers tells a story. I love Charles Lindaeur and Goldie’s depiction of character, and many old Masters who represented depiction of mood through atmosphere, light and dark.”
See more of Wendy's work HERE.

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Sue Graham’s motivation is to portray the dramatic vistas of the North Island’s volcanic plateau and beyond, complemented by close-up elements such as native flora, plus other more whimsical themes. Her acrylic and watercolour paintings feature harmonious colour, creative texture, artist quality materials and contemporary design. Sue is frequently commissioned, represented around NZ and overseas, and regularly requested to tutor all age groups in the central North Island.

"My family was involved in the performing and visual arts, so I have had an appreciation since before birth. When my husband Robbie Graham and I lived in Western Australia, spending time out in the desert and bush areas photographing the abundant wildflowers there, we soon became hooked on looking for native orchids. Fascinated by their elegance and unique forms, I felt compelled to learn to draw and paint them. From there the ‘obsession with self-expression’ has grown into a huge and fulfilling part of my life, for which I am extremely grateful.
I spent a year doing the awesome Diploma of Art and Creativity from the Learning Connection in Wellington 2007, part-time. Of course over the years I have done countless art workshops and courses. Before I left Perth, Western Australia, at the end of 1994, I did half of a Preliminary Certificate in Art and Design.
At first I thought it was a trifle self-indulgent to be producing paintings and selling them, but I soon discovered that it was more about the connection I made with people through my art that really mattered. The paintings are not just material ‘things’ to decorate a house. They are memories, emotions, atmospheres and dreams that can really enhance people’s lives. It’s the most amazing way to communicate; painting something that has moved me in some way, hanging it on a wall, the work speaking to another person whom I have never met, and then it goes home with them to live and keeps communicating something special to them over the years. I personally find this very powerful and meaningful."
See more of Sue’s work at the Wildwood Gallery.

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Melissa McDougall drew like all children usually draw. Both her parents were artistic; her dad Ewan was taught by Colin Wheeler in the 1960’s and her mother, Suzette, raised her in an artistic environment with books on Surrealism and Modern art.

“Mum’s drawing skills were excellent and she encouraged my creative writing and painting. I was good at writing and art but I enjoyed making a tangible image that others could appreciate. I was always inspired and wanted to learn more. I also had a lot of ideas to implement. I was taught different styles of drawing by my High School art teacher, Trevor Gray. While attending Claremont Art School (1989-91), I took Anatomy drawing at the Anatomy Department at the University of Western Australia. In 1996 I began a three year Bachelor of Fine arts at U.W.A., a course mostly focused on art criticism and history. I was 25 at this stage and had already been exhibiting independently for five years, so I began University late. My mother’s death (aged 53) was probably my biggest life changing event. She had cancer and died when I was 31 and it led me to something of an existential crisis. She was a solo parent during my childhood so we were very close. I became aware how much I had relied on her as a friend and artistic collaborator. I had dedicated my show ‘Love and Shadows’ to her in 1999. The birth of my lovely daughter Charlotte in 2005 did a lot to bring back some optimism to my world, and in 2007 my beautiful son Michael was born. My work began again, this time working parallel to family life.
See more of Melissa’s work HERE

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Watching her mum creating her artworks, thinking she was performing magic and inheriting her father’s exceptional design skills as a builder, it’s not surprising that Jane Riley has ended up as a talented, inventive artist in her own right.

Inspired by the seen (she constantly takes photographs) and the unseen (spiritual) world, combined with her well of emotions, the result is vibrant, moving artwork that resonates deeply. Jane is also inspired with the Renaissance Period, enjoying the vast techniques mixed with the spiritual icons. “I couldn’t wait to travel to Europe and explore all that art history that I had only previously absorbed in books.” Jane constantly challenges herself to better herself, finding that once she mastered the techniques she could stray from them and evolve, inventing other ways to express visual communication. “I get excited by textures, new mediums and fresh ideas. Some of my biggest mistakes have been my biggest breakthroughs. I am very experimental, take lots of risks and apply a variety of the learned techniques to my varied repertoire of self taught ideas and mistakes. I hope to inspire people and enhance their visual beauty of living.” She strives to live the ‘Life of Riley’ that was born to her and become a full time artist, focusing and surviving off her art alone. This is a wonderful scenario and she has had periods in her life when she has found a way to do exactly that. However at other times she juggles her creative streak with part-time employment to pay the bills. She does battle with this though and finds being away from her studio robs and depletes her creative juices. To achieve her goal, Jane wants to ensure steady growth with sales and promotion and wants to achieve more international connections.
See Jane’s website HERE.

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