ABOVE: ‘Old Garden Shed’ –
I was struck by the peace and silence of this old garden shed, as the light passed through the dusty windows and reflected onto the old glass bottles. The abstract shapes of the rafters and windows, the dried flowers and the limited palette of browns and tans added to the sense of passing time. This painting won the Best Painting award at the Estuary Arts Centre Merit Award show. Watercolour, 30cms x 42cms
THE JOURNEY – TIM HOUGHTON
For as long as Tim Houghton can remember, a cluster of interests – art, world cultures, people, travel and faith – have resurfaced, like a giant Rubik’s cube, to define the direction of his life.
Tim discovered early in life that he was “hopeless” at most subjects, especially math and physics. But it was equally clear that English and art were his strengths. And all these years later, those are still his main skills.
‘Flower Seller on Nagin Lake’
Early one misty morning on Nagin Lake in Kashmir, India, I sketched and photographed this shikara filled with flowers to be sold, being paddled way into the morning sun. I completed the painting when I got back to New Zealand in my studio, trying to capture the peace and beauty of the moment. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
Having grown up in Jersey, a small island 22 kms from the coast of France, Tim loves being around water, surfing, swimming and sailing.
‘Window on Side Street, India’
In India even simple things display amazing beauty…like this scene of someone’s laundry hung out to dry. Still dripping, bright orange and yellow saris and the white cloth are flanked by the faded turquoise doors, marked, scuffed and worn. The composition is divided by the diagonals of the wires. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
Tim spent four years studying Fine Art at the Cardiff College of Art in Wales. He uses the term, “studying” loosely…looking back, most of those long-lost years as a young man were spent at parties and pubs and experimenting with all kinds of drugs and philosophies while trying to figure out who he was. A year-long overland trip to India was all part of the journey that brought Tim to where he is today.
He is fascinated by the colour and vibrancy of the world’s cultures and peoples – and the challenge of capturing these visual experiences on paper or canvas. Travel, more than anything, drives his creative soul…he has travelled to over 60 countries, most recently to Eastern Europe and Morocco. And he can’t wait to go again! While overseas Tim has had the chance to experience first-hand the art of many artists who he admires and who inspire him.
Before moving to New Zealand, Tim lived, worked and painted for 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
His motivation has always been more about “being creative”, rather than specifically painting. He loves writing, photography, video and design.
After art school he was able to side-step into graphic design. Most recently he spent eight years as Communications Manager at Mission Aviation Fellowship here in New Zealand, writing stories and articles, doing magazine layout and design, designing banners, brochures and posters and developing content for social media.
‘French Harbour, Cherbourg’
I took my paints on my month-long sailing trip along the northern coast of France with my father. Pulling into small harbours along the way, I was struck by the quiet lapping of water on the hulls and the slap of the halyards on the metal masts. They were places of peace and serenity, with names like St. Vaast-la-Hougue and St. Malo. This painting captures the geometric patterns of sails, winches, flags, ropes and hulls. This would be the last time I would be with my father. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
Now he is back painting full-time and what Tim loves most about being an artist is how it helps him to see the world in a fresh way. Art provides a door to deeper observation and to appreciating the amazing beauty of the world, both here in New Zealand and overseas.
Tim loves working alone in his home studio in South Auckland, a place of peace and calm where he can focus on painting. Leaving behind all the distractions brings him to a place where he can sense God’s presence.
At the same time, he enjoys connecting and sharing with other artists around the world, learning from what they are doing and being inspired by their work. Being a bit of an extrovert, he enjoys being part of a creative community where he can work and share ideas with others.
On a personal level, every Sunday he is in church. Being part of a vibrant church that shows compassion and love to those in the community is the heart of his week.
At this stage in his journey Tim has many goals. He wants to continue developing his own distinctive voice and style as an artist, so his work is widely recognised. It’s important to him to be able to sell his work consistently. It’s easy to have thousands of “likes” and “followers” on social media – but he finds having someone put down their hard-earned money to buy one of his paintings fulfilling on a whole other level!
Tim is striving to work in a freer, looser and more expressive way. He says that he will always relish the challenge of sitting in front of real-world subjects – a landscape, the ocean, a person, a street – but he is not interested in merely replicating what he sees.
‘Hands of Drummer, Egypt’
On a trip to Egypt, I took this photo of a drummer’s hands and completed this painting in acrylics later in my studio. I was impressed by the contrast of the weathered hands, the texture of the drum itself and the patterns of shadows on his simple white clothing. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms. He believes it is important to never stop learning and growing. Right now, he is learning a high-end video editing programme called Resolve. He is working on a book, which he will probably self-publish and shooting short videos on many aspects of what he has learned over the years as an artist.
Recently Tim started a program called “A Glorious Obsession” with Youth with A Mission (YWAM). The vision is to bring together young people from all sorts of creative backgrounds—photography, painting, dance, the spoken word and video—in order to provide a platform for them and coach them in their artistic gifts.
Tim believes that, “When creative individuals get together exciting things happen; collaborations take shape, passions are ignited, skills are shared, opportunities are created – and dreams are activated!”
Over the years he has come to appreciate the Hawaiian concept of aloha, the Jewish shalom and the worldview of the Māori…which all speak of connectedness of every area of life, including family, physical health, spiritual growth, right relationships with others and with God. Tim also admires how indigenous cultures honour all those who have gone before, as well as the importance of leaving a legacy for those who will follow.
Tim has reached a point in his life where he sees creativity not as something that only happens when he picks up a paint brush – but connected to all the other aspects of his life.
One of his favourite quotes is by Helena Bonham Carter, “I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink tea. How you decorate your home, or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art”.
Tim says that, like many artists, the biggest obstacle has been overcoming the inner voice that throws up doubts and negative thoughts.
Looking back, limitations of time has also been a huge obstacle. Much of his life has been spent working with people, starting with 11 years inner-city community development in Oakland, California, then refugee resettlement at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre (MRRC) and youth at risk in New Zealand. Tim says that he doesn’t regret all those years, but it has meant that he hasn’t had as much time for painting as he would have liked.
‘Reef, Samoa’
One day in the Pacific Island of Samoa, I walked out across a reef, peering down into cracks between the rocks into the depths. As the waves broke over the reef the water flooded in and out of the crevices and the brilliant blues and greens became deeper and more mysterious. To capture the liquid colors of water as they flowed around the rocks, I glued paper and cardboard to the paper, added texture paste then poured liquid paint and let it run, mix and flow across the surface of the painting. I repeated this at least eight times, building the layers until I was satisfied. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
Tim loves teaching and helping new artists explore their gifts and encouraging them to keep going. At times, he knows, art can feel a bit like climbing a mountain. “When you are halfway up, you can look up to the peaks ahead and begin to feel overwhelmed. You see all the mistakes you continue to make and how far you still have to go. But then if you turn and look back down you can see how far you have come! So, don’t give up!” Thomas Edison famously said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”.
He strongly recommends that new artists get involved in a local arts group or painting club. “There is so much wisdom to be gained just by hanging out and painting with others.”
He also suggests people take advantage of the huge amount of teaching available online. When he hits a slow spot, Tim enjoys jumping onto YouTube and just sitting back and watching how other artists paint, without the pressure to “do” anything. There is a storehouse of inspiration for free online, so much that it can be overwhelming. But to get started, he suggests googling Charlotte Giblin, Andrew Tischler, Art2life, Cesar Santos and Art School Live by Eric Rhoads.
Life drawing has been an important part of his artist growth. He is part of a group called “Drink and Draw”. About 30 artists of all stages meet each week in Auckland to do life-drawing. He has been going for about five years and enjoys the informal atmosphere, the wine and pizza, but most of all the opportunity to sketch alongside others. However, the greatest contribution to his personal development has been his wife! All through the years she has faithfully encouraged and supported him. She comes to help frame paintings and hang them in galleries. She is his sounding board about new ideas. She will always give her honest opinion about a painting. Without question, she has made the greatest contribution to Tim’s art career!
Tim is attracted to quiet, remote places; back alleys, deserted beaches, steps down to a lake where Indian women wash their clothes. Light inspires him, especially when it backlights an old boat, a road, a flower or stormy skies. And colour that stands out and strikes him, as he says, “full on, like a slap in the face!”
‘Storm Over Muriwai Beach’
The West Coast of New Zealand is famous for grey sand beaches and, in the winter rough, stormy weather. The waves and rip tides can make it a dangerous place to swim, but walking the empty miles of Muriwai beach on this stormy day was a celebration of seagulls, wind, dark clouds and white surf. Acrylic on paper, 79cms x 50cms.
His favourite medium is watercolour but after a season (say, months) of working with watercolour, he becomes frustrated and breaks out the acrylics! Both require a completely different way of thinking and working, and he finds the process of jumping from one to the other rejuvenating and claims, “It keeps me fresh”.
He is a complete sucker for art supply stores! They are his “happy place”, and he could buy everything available quite happily. However, one of his favourite art mediums is the simple pencil! He says that learning to work effectively in pencil – without the distraction of dozens of colours or complex materials – is foundational and the best way to develop observational skills.
Tim finds that each individual painting is a journey. It begins with an idea of the destination and how it will be reached; but through diversions, delays and discoveries along the way it often “arrives” somewhere completely different. No matter how carefully he plans a painting, once he starts, it’s almost impossible to know where the journey will take him.
Tim is currently looking for a gallery that wants to carry his work. He says, “It’s a bit like marriage. Ideally, it’s a long-term, two-way commitment!” There are lots of good galleries, but he is looking for one that shares the same passion, at the right level and with whom he gets along well! It needs to be a comfortable fit, so they both enjoy working together.
It fascinates Tim that once a painting is finally finished, selling it presents another challenge; it feels a little like letting go of one of your children. It disappears from your life and begins a journey of its own. He wonders whether one day he will run into one of his paintings in some unexpected corner of the world.
Happy painting!
See more about Tim here: www.timhoughton.org
TOP Left to Right: ‘Night Road’ – This painting was made from a photo on a quiet, dark road on a rainy night. I was fascinated by the patterns of the branches and trees, the range of tones from the light blue of the sky behind the trees to the dark of the branches. I added the texture of damp leaves and mud to the small orange patch of light from the streetlamps reflecting on the dark wet road. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms
‘Late Afternoon Light, South Island’ – One of my favorite experiences is driving the empty country roads that wind through the beautiful countryside of the South Island of New Zealand. Late in the afternoon, we noticed the last sun hitting the sides of the mountains. The sky and snow in the distance took on a range of subdued blue-grays, tans and pinks, which were in turn reflected in the still waters of the lake. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
BOTTOM Left to Right: ‘Wedding, Kashmir’ – My wife and I were invited to a family wedding in Kashmir, northern India. This painting captures the expression in the young woman’s eyes as she contemplates her upcoming marriage. The wedding itself was an amazing experience (about 30 sheep were killed for the feast). Kashmir is a place of extraordinary beauty. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms
‘Pacific Island Woman’ – South Auckland, New Zealand has the largest Polynesian population in the world outside of the Pacific islands themselves. With neighbors from Tonga, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji and many other parts of the “liquid continent” I have been fascinated by Pacific Island cultures and communities, and this painting captures the life and experience etched on the face of this older woman. Acrylic on paper, 56cms x 76cms.
Hey there, love your work buddy 🙂