Fiona Newton
FINDING WHENUA
FINDING WHENUAHere in Aotearoa we are blessed to have an abundance of stunning natural beauty around us to inspire creative works and fire the coals of our imagination. This connection to our whenua is more than simply sightseeing or exploring to artist Fiona Newton, this began and still forms the base for much of her work today, including an approach of kaitiaki – guardianship of the land. This includes utilising discarded items she finds along the way.
"I began gathering off the coastline, finding marine waste, sea glass, sea stones and sandblasted crockery on old tile and brick, my concern was respecting the beautiful coastline (keeping it) free of rubbish. A lot of it comes from boats and people throwing waste off the cliffs," she says. "I’m very visual and notice the beauty in most simple things especially nature and our incredible Aotearoa. We have fantastic coastlines, rivers, mountains, and native bush. We are the lucky country! I see myself as an environmental artist. I work with found objects in nature in my garden art and found objects in my sculptural work, recycling and sustainable art. I began mosaicking on concrete, making garden art."
Claire Wallwork
CONQUERING DOUBTS
CONQUERING DOUBTSAs a young woman and throughout her life, whenever Claire Wallwork thought of her dream career, she saw herself as an artist creating beautiful works and loving it,and yet she never really imagined that it was something that could actually eventuate. Three years ago, she had a catharsis where she asked herself,’what is holding me back?’ When she realised that the only thing stopping her were her own self-imposed limitations, she began to pursue her dream in earnest. ‘From that moment I replaced my student paints for professional ones and dedicated all my time and resources into mastering my craft and stepping up to the challenge’.
I am self-taught and have learnt through a huge amount of experimentation, asking a lot of questions and through watching YouTube Videos to familiarise myself with various mediums and techniques. To describe the theme that has permeated every aspect and stage of my life, it has been the challenge of self-expression. As a child I was cripplingly shy, and it took many years to find my voice, and even more to be able to express it eloquently. I eventually found writing really supported me in that but then I discovered painting. After a lifetime of soul-searching and healing, I discovered that painting allowed me access to the feelings and thoughts that sat under the surface of my conscious awareness.
Alex Hoare
As with all artists across the board, the issue of confidence in ability is always a tenuous thing, especially when young and starting out. Alex Hoare is just such a young talented artist, who is finding out exactly how much talent he really has, both with visual and performance art. Colin Hoare, Alex’s father was featured in our September October 2014 issue, and visited us here in Whangarei around the same time, bringing his twin sons, Alex and James to introduce them. It is with great pride and pleasure that we introduce our readers to Alex, his talents and his reflections.
The only formal training for art I’ve had was in classes at school. My art class in high school was the foundation for my understanding of art and made me excited to create; it gave me a really good baseline understanding of how to apply different materials and techniques to my work to create art that looked the way I wanted it to. I remember we would experiment with so many different mediums and just have fun with creating art and I think that’s still so important to my creative process now.
Clint©
Clinton Christian’s proudest moment in his artistic career was the first time he ever exhibited in a gallery, a solo show at The Mandarin Tree Gallery, Gordonton, in 2018. This was a huge success, “It was kind of a ‘coming out’ show called ‘Resolution’, many of my friends didn’t even know I could paint. Creating the new work under pressure for the show, and almost selling half my work on opening day gave me the confidence to call myself an artist.”
Clinton Christian’s proudest moment in his artistic career was the first time he ever exhibited in a gallery, a solo show at The Mandarin Tree Gallery, Gordonton, in 2018. This was a huge success, “It was kind of a ‘coming out’ show called ‘Resolution’, many of my friends didn’t even know I could paint. Creating the new work under pressure for the show, and almost selling half my work on opening day gave me the confidence to call myself an artist.”Born in Hamilton, Clinton, most commonly known as Clint©, achieved a Certificate in Visual Arts at the Waikato Polytechnic in 1992. He was an A+ student at art school, but realised the income from being a relatively unknown artist wasn’t going to get him on the property ladder and so he joined the building industry. He trained and worked as a draftsman, which is an occupation that allows for some sort of creativity, but not enough for him to realise his true ambition of becoming a full-time artist. “Too many straight lines,” he jokes.
Wendy Ricketts
Compelled to paint and draw animals, especially their eyes, Wendy Ricketts tells us how she uses her artistic talent to focus and calm her busy mind while producing works for commission, family and friends.
Compelled to paint and draw animals, especially their eyes, Wendy Ricketts tells us how she uses her artistic talent to focus and calm her busy mind while producing works for commission, family and friends.I was first inspired to draw after seeing a study of a hare by German artist Albrecht Durer. I was taken by the detail and softness of the rendition. I love the faces of animals and the detail needed to produce them. I strive to produce it, sometimes to my detriment. You can get so caught up in the detail that you forget the result you were intending to achieve. Or the mood you were trying to show in the animal. Animal faces convey so much, especially the eyes. I have always loved the natural world and have a fascination with wildlife.
Wendy Leach
Three years at Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University (Diploma of Fine Arts) and two years at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design (Master of Fine Arts, 1st class honours) has seen Wendy Leach through to a fine career in visual arts. She tells us her of her process and progress.
Three years at Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University (Diploma of Fine Arts) and two years at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design (Master of Fine Arts, 1st class honours) has seen Wendy Leach through to a fine career in visual arts. She tells us her of her process and progress.I went to Elam when I left school, then trained as a secondary teacher. I became an art teacher first, then an exhibiting artist later. In terms of a philosophy that drives my creative soul, that would be the language and understanding of the power of opposites, yin and yang. These complementary opposites - dark and light, black and white, night and day, warm and cool, storm and calm - are fundamental to my current paintings as I explore the natural elements around me.
Sally Spicer
Sally Spicer’s portrait art is imbued with a vintage sense of drama, intrigue, and intimacy. Her pathos evoking images provoke simultaneously hopeful and wistful emotions. She recently described to us her approach to art.
Sally Spicer’s portrait art is imbued with a vintage sense of drama, intrigue, and intimacy. Her pathos evoking images provoke simultaneously hopeful and wistful emotions. She recently described to us her approach to art.The most important thing I have learned is to follow your instinct with your art. Critique from external sources is valuable, but you need to stick to your decisions if they feel right. I loved to draw from a very young age, favouring depicting people right from the start. I was really lucky to have incredibly supportive parents, who recognised my passion and helped to steer me in the right direction. My grandmother was a talented artist, as are my Dad and my aunt.
Lui Peti
Lui Peti’s art is surrealistic, emotive and a little quirky. His digital paintings are available to be enjoyed by everyone, with his original work sold online as affordable art prints. His hope is for people to enjoy his art as much as he enjoys creating it. With buyers already in Australia, the USA and Canada, Lui is well on his way to becoming a full-time artist.
Lui Peti’s art is surrealistic, emotive and a little quirky. His digital paintings are available to be enjoyed by everyone, with his original work sold online as affordable art prints. His hope is for people to enjoy his art as much as he enjoys creating it. With buyers already in Australia, the USA and Canada, Lui is well on his way to becoming a full-time artist.I love being able to visualise my thoughts and being able to create art from a process of thinking. I like pushing myself to be braver and reach deeper into my psyche to explore its essence. Perfecting my craft and being surprised by my progress is very satisfying.
Charne Christensen
BRIEF MOMENTS
BRIEF MOMENTSCharne Brent Christensen’s immaculate photo-realistic painting style does justice to the dramatic but serene landscape of the South Island. Blending the mists of the unknown with the hyper-realism of strong light on crisply defined mountain and lake scenery, he has developed a unique style which he shares with us here.
My art is inspired by the New Zealand landscape. I regularly take my eight-year-old dog Chow Chow on road trips around the South Island. I love to explore the countryside and every trip inspires a new creation. It’s as if the lakes and mountains beg me to capture them for one brief moment in time; so that they can be displayed in a loving home to remind us of their eternal beauty. I work full time, so I paint whenever I get the time - mostly on weekends. I have been driven to learn and develop my skills so that one day I can become known as an accomplished artist.
