Artists

Liz Payne

Liz Payne - Aotearoa Artist - The New Zealand Artist Magazine

A DEMANDING MISTRESS IS ART

Time, concentration, organisation and capital investment in materials. Liz Payne is delighted to dedicate all of the above to her demanding mistress, that of being an artist. Having studied with several tutors such as those from the Uxbridge Arts centre in Howick, Auckland - amongst others - including Amber Brook, Alvin Zhong (portraits) and Merv Appleton (landscape impressionist), she is thoroughly enjoying her retirement in this pursuit.

We asked Liz where she finds her inspiration: “I love a stormy sky, the colour and mood, the intense green of the sun shining through on the grass in contrast to the dark skies. The movement of sand and water as well as the vibrant colour of birds and their bright, inquisitive eyes.”

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Kirsten McIntosh

kirsten-mcintosh-aotearoa-artistKirsten lives and breathes her art, and the results speak volumes: “I always advise people to just keep going with your art if you love it. Live it and breathe it. See the beauty and keep going through the ugly stage; persevere.”

I didn’t have any formal art training until I got going. Being a full time Mum, I was home and thought that I should paint some paintings for my baby’s bedroom walls and I really liked the result. I eventually plucked up the courage to do some art classes, just classes with good artists in the area. I also started watching YouTube videos and then I went to every available art class that I could. I realised that my work was consistently turning out okay. I thought my art could be a way to make some money, whilst still being a stay-at-home Mum - and I went from there. I live and breathe it. Honestly, to get to sleep I visualise the next steps that I will take with my current painting!

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Vanessa Pollen

featured-vanessa-pollen-aotearoa-artistINHERENT TALENT

Vanessa Pollen hails from sunny Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty – and like the name of the bay, she has plenty of artistic skill and drawing talent, which has been sharpened by hard mahi. She recently told us her story, and here we share it with you...

I guess I’ve been lucky whereby I have always been able to draw. It certainly runs in my family with my father, aunt & granny to name a few all being very good artists in different mediums. My passion would be drawing animals, both pets and wildlife. It gives me so much joy when I draw someone’s much loved pet who has passed on or is still around. When we immigrated to New Zealand in 2016 and I saw how much people here loved their pets, just as much as I do (we had to leave our pets in Zimbabwe which was heart breaking) so I decided to begin drawing again and took it up full time in December 2019.

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Froyle Davies

froyle-davies-aotearoa-artistBRUSHSTROKE MILEAGE

By Matt Mortimer

There is something to be said for the lighthouse in the storm. To being the beacon of hope that shines through the darkness, piercing the gloom with a positive message to those braving the ravaging seas. Akin to this element of light across stormy waters and threatening skies, is the uplifting attitude and message behind the paintings of Manawatu-based artist, Froyle Davies.

Her wonderful outlook is summed up in her thoughts to budding creative types everywhere. “My best advice is mileage under the brush. Don’t give up. Keep creating, keep experimenting and keep learning. If you are an artist then you have to create. For me, painting is as necessary as breathing. Don’t let any art establishment or disappointment stop you from pursuing your goals. Not everyone will like what you do, but someone will. Find where you fit and go on and shine, she says.”

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Debbie Cleland

debbie-cleland-aotearoa-artistA PROMISE MADE

Brought up around the Otago Harbour area of Dunedin, Debbie Cleland distinctly remembers being out on a walk one day as an 11-12 year old and coming across a gentleman who had set up his easel on the water’s edge at Carey’s Bay. She was very curious to see what he was painting, and crept up quietly to peer over his shoulder. Immediately fascinated at how the watercolour paint flowed from his brush on to the page, creating the most beautiful watery reflections, she promised herself, “One day I will paint with watercolours like this man.” Many years later she attended a weekend art class lead by Barrie White. This experience motivated her to finally start painting, fulfilling her promise, the results of which can be seen below. Debbie explains . . .

I feel like my career has just begun. Over the years there has been little time for me to pursue my passion for art, due to raising a large family of four, (and all that entails), so I have not been as productive as I would have liked. There has been no specific space for creating art, except for the kitchen table. However, I now have a designated room in our home where I can work in solitude. I will soon have a lot more time to pursue my creative side as I intend to retire in September this year. This is a huge motivating factor for me to really get stuck into producing more works.

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Coral Noel Yang - Aotearoa Artist - The New Zealand Artists Magazine

Coral Noel Yang

Professionally trained in film production, giving her a solid foundation in visual language, storytelling, colour theory, cinematography, and lighting amongst other skills, Coral Noel Yang’s predominant painting training comes from her mother who is a premier painter in Taiwan and also from various classes she took throughout the years including a Master of Fine Arts (Cinema-Television Production) at the University of Southern California, USA and Art History at the Whitman College, USA, amongst others. She tells us about herself: 

I was very fortunate to grow up in an artsy family – my Chinese dad was a professor and my Japanese mom is a painter so I grew up immersed in a strong love for arts and literature, which continues to develop. With a passion for storytelling and visual arts I chose my professional pathway as a filmmaker. After earning an MFA in Cinema-TV production from the University of Southern California I embarked on a rich creative journey involving living and traveling in different countries, directing and producing films, TV commercials and children’s television.

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Cara Fotofili - Aotearoa Artist - The New Zealand Artists Magazine

Cara Fotofili

cara-fotofili-aotearoa-artistLIFE BEGINS AT 60!

Cara Fotofili always wanted to be an artist. She recalles that art classes and drawing diagrams in science class were the only things that interested her at school. Hugely influenced by her father, also an artist, Cara became ‘distracted’ by life in general. When she turned 60, she decided it was her time now, she went to art school and studied for five years and has not looked back. 

The biggest motivating factor to becoming a professional artist at this time in her life is that the creative process gives her peace, and takes her away from the conditional, habitual expectation to conform. Finally she feels free. “I work quite instinctively – a bit like how you might doodle while talking on the phone. I don’t make plans, but can see that many things that interest me are manifest in my finished work.”

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Andrea Choonoo

 


andrea-choonoo-aotearoa-artist
Photo Credit Ruslana Semenyshena

MULTI-TALENTED SAILOR

Born in South Africa, multi-talented Andrea Choonoo immigrated to New Zealand in 2000. Here she graduated with a Fine Art and Graphic Design Degree from Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland. She went on to study honours in Screen and Media Studies at the Waikato University and worked as a graphic designer in Sydney, Australia for seven years. 

After working in Australia, Andrea went on to sail around the world, capturing the beauty of life through photography and making video documentaries. “I love the outdoors, especially nature and this can be seen through my artwork. Fine art has always been a strong passion and this next venture is a huge undertaking, but also an exciting adventure.” 

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Debbie Lambert

debbie-lambert-aotearoa-artistINTREPID PLEIN-AIR

Having taken art as a subject through school to upper education and later followed with an art major at training college, Debbie Lambert’s oil and watercolour painting journey has been largely self-taught with workshops over the years held by a number of notable New Zealand and overseas tutors.

With both parents loving painting and keen amateur artists, she was encouraged from a very early age to ‘make art’. “In my early 20s my mother paid for me to attend a Randall Froude oil painting workshop. I was hooked. Later I attended another with watercolours, and loved that too. Because I loved both mediums and the special properties of each type of paint, I have continued to learn from many different tutors and paint (and sell) in both mediums. I also have utilized my teaching training and tutored many artists through the years.”

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Vanessa Owens

vanessa-owens-aotearoa-artistTAKING FLIGHT

Creative from an early age, Vanessa Owens always took art as a subject in college and loved it. She approached a local art gallery in her twenties called Naxos Art Exhibits in Wellington, since closed, where she exhibited her acrylic paintings successfully for three years, part time. The gallery owner was very encouraging and she had good sales which gave her a growing confidence in her painting ability and confirmed her desire to become a full-time artist.

After finishing college, Vanessa began to feel unchallenged and robotic in administrative job roles. In contrast, her painting has made her feel challenged, and the freedom has become intoxicating. “Perseverance has taught me that progress is gained in small steps, not giant leaps forward.”

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