Bev Smith

Above: Autumn Leaves (June 2023) – Acrylic and Collage on Canvas (under tuition of Heather Matthews – Tindalls Bay). 400 x 300mm

Framing the Natural World: From Outdoor Educator to Award-Winning Artist

For nearly five decades, the natural world was less a subject for a canvas and more a way of life for Bev Smith.

“From navigating rock faces and flying paragliders, to instructing or managing at major outdoor pursuits centres across New Zealand and the UK, my career was defined by the elements,” Bev says. “But a life lived in the wild has a way of leaving an imprint. Today, in near-retirement and living on the edge of a coastal sanctuary, that lifelong connection to the environment has finally found its visual voice. My journey into art has not been a sudden departure, but a circle closing.”

Early Sparks and a Fifty-Year Intermission

Before the outdoors claimed my career, art had already made a brief, unforgettable mark on my youth. As a 14-year-old student at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, I spent hours with black and white crayons on grey paper, trying to capture the massive, twisting roots of a Fig Tree Bole in Western Park.

To my astonishment, that single sketch took on a life of its own:

• It earned a Merit at the Auckland Star Secondary School Art Exhibition in 1973.
• It was selected by Clark and Matheson Printers Ltd for their 1975–1976 calendar.
• It travelled across the globe, earning a Merit award at the Young Artists Exhibition in London in 1977.

Though the original artwork remained in the UK—never to be seen by me again—a copy from the calendar remains framed on my wall today. It stands as a quiet reminder of a talent put on pause.

A Bachelor of Science, a teaching diploma, and a deep passion for climbing pulled me down a different path. For decades, my classroom was the great outdoors. I worked as an instructor and Operations Manager at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC), Deputy Director at TSB TOPEC, and taught at various centres from Scotland to the Lake District. I worked with people from all walks of life, including youth at risk. It was rewarding, consuming, and left no time for a canvas.

The Turning Point

The shift back to my artistic roots came with a mixture of time and a medical diagnosis. Nearing retirement and facing a confirmed diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the reality that time is precious became undeniable. I needed to explore what could rekindle that dormant spark.

Living at Army Bay on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, the universe provided the perfect catalyst. Just 500 metres from my doorstep lies the Shakespear Open Sanctuary, a haven teeming with rare native birdlife and breathtaking coastal landscapes.

Through a friend, I discovered local artist Heather Matthews, who ran term courses nearby. I attended classes through 2023 and 2024, slowly learning the discipline of the brush. By Term 1 of 2025, I was bringing my own original concepts to class, looking to Heather simply for fine-tuning and feedback.

The culmination of that work was a triptych of acrylic paintings depicting a native New Zealand Northern Dotterel (Tūturiwhatu) consuming a worm. To my absolute delight, the piece won the Estuary Arts Centre Merit Award for the “Adult student – painting under tuition” category.

Fifty years after my first merit as a teenager, I had won another. I was stoked.

Capturing ‘Moments in Time’

My artistic style is heavily anchored by my scientific background. Having studied biology, I am fascinated by the intricate details of nature—a trait I deeply admire in the detailed work of Rei Hamon. I also draw deep inspiration from Dick Frizzell’s iconic capturing of the New Zealand landscape.

Because nature rarely sits still long enough for my detailed style, my process relies heavily on my phone camera. When I am out walking and notice a specific interplay of light, composition, or movement, I capture a photograph to freeze the moment.

Technique and Tools

• The Medium: I work exclusively with acrylics on board or canvas, appreciating how easily the medium allows for layering and quick corrections.
• The Backgrounds: Using flat synthetic brushes, I execute soft washes and faded backdrops. This intentional blurring ensures the main subject—whether a bird or a landscape—truly ‘pops’ for the observer.
• The Space: My creative journey is supported by a community. I spend my Monday mornings painting with the Hibiscus Coast Painters at the Stanmore Bay Community Hall. The local Re-Circle Shop at the Whangaparaoa Plaza gives me as part of that group a great opportunity to exhibit my art as does being now an active member of the Estuary Arts Centre in Orewa. For both locations I feel very grateful.

Art with a Purpose

At this stage of my life, art is not just a personal joy; it is a vehicle to give back to the environment that inspires me. I want to use my work to promote the conservation goals of the hopefully a Predator Free Whangaparāoa Peninsula initiative. To turn this passion into action, I have committed to donating 10% of all my art earnings (after commissions) to Forest & Bird and the Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society (SOSSI).

Right now, sitting before my new easel, I am working on a painting of a local fishing kayak rigged up at dawn. The image was caught last year at Te Haruhi Bay, capturing the soft pinks and grey-blues of the morning water with Rangitoto Island resting quietly in the distance.

It is a beautiful piece of the country, and I finally have the time to sit, look, and paint it.