Artists

Finding his motivation at the age of 13, in the idea that an artist creates a new world with every painting they do, M Francis McCarthy started to apply himself very diligently to learning as much as he could about the creative process. Trained for graphics at a vocational high school, the early portion of Michael’s career as an artist was focused almost entirely on the human figure.
However, later, as a commercial illustrator for 13 years, he did very little work with the human figure, mainly concentrating on animals, dinosaurs and landscapes for various design projects. Being paid for what he loved doing was great and he made a good income, but he found it very challenging, over time, to maintain the inspiration that was the initial catalyst for becoming an artist in the first place. “I worked predominantly with digital media, which is fun, but I found the way to inspiration as an artist for me was best served by working with oil paints on an actual painting surface. I feel very fortunate to have maintained a reverence and desire to create artwork after so many years of having to perform as a commercial artist.” From quite a young age Michael had it in his mind that he would become a landscape painter: “This is interesting because I did very little landscape work prior to sitting down with paints and canvas in 2008. However, I have always found a lot of inspiration in landscape paintings and I like how they can be a neutral space for our consciousness to occupy.” Inspiration from studying the past Masters, especially in regards to tonalist landscape painting, sees Michael constantly creating studies, trying to improve his own abilities and vision. “I have an ongoing series on my blog ‘landscapepainter.co.nz/new-blog’, featuring studies I do after the past Masters of Tonalism.

See landscapepainter.co.nz/new-blog.

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Mark Anstis is not sure he can call himself an artist. “When applied to me, I think I’d prefer to earn that title rather than claim it. But I have always loved drawing, ever since I can remember. Five to ten years ago, I started to see a lot more examples of amazing artwork appearing online, and realised I actually knew nothing at all about drawing, and that I had better see about learning.”
“I found out about the Florence Academy of Art (Italy) searching for an art school online. There isn’t an institution in New Zealand – that I know of at least – that specialises in teaching realist art to the rigorous extent I wanted. So I made up my mind to find something overseas. I knew enough about art history to know that Florence had, for a long time, been the centre for the kind of art that I was interested in.” Absolutely amazed at the artists gallery on the website, he took a sabbatical from his day job in Wellington and travelled over to enroll in short, intensive study-condensed versions of their three-year curriculum. The school teaches in-depth traditional drawing and painting skills, working from life and focusing on the human figure. “At the end of my sabbatical I came back to my desk job in Wellington, sat down, and after about five minutes my mind was made up. I kept saving for the next 18 months before I stopped working full time and moved to the UK for a couple of years, via Florence again, to focus on learning to paint.” Since returning to the family farm in Opotiki, New Zealand, Mark has been concentrating on plein-air landscape painting, “The farm and surrounding area is stunning, and I hope to try and capture something of the native New Zealand bush and rural landscape. I really enjoy doing landscapes, but probably portraiture is my favourite genre, there is just something about painting people, so I try to keep this up as often as I can.”

Follow Mark here.

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Originally from Northampton, England, Claire says she always knew she’d be an artist. After a two-year Arts Foundation Diploma, begun when she was only 16, Claire studied Fashion and Textiles at John Moore’s University in Liverpool, gaining a BA Honours degree.
“It was also where I began to see how artists can make a living through art; that became my business model if you like.” Later, Claire travelled extensively, collecting textiles, objects, ideas and inspiration from many countries. “Travel has always inspired me” she says. “I love to wake up in a new place and absorb all the unfamiliar sounds and scents – as well as the different light and colours. Although my artistic influences are mainly European – I love the Pre-Raphaelites, Klimt, Schiele and the moody landscapes of Turner – I find myself gravitating to places like Bali and the Pacific Islands for fresh inspiration. I need to be near the sea.” Claire’s early work included embroidered collages of faded sepia photographs set in decayed environments. These were exhibited in galleries and museums around the UK, including a solo show at the Bankfield Museum in Halifax. During that time, her work was exhibited and sold in Craft Council UK galleries and shops.
See more about Claire here.

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Born in Russia, Nick Morte attended art school as a teenager in the early 90s. Those years were hard in Russia and the teachers mostly worked for free, due to delays with salaries and insane inflation. The teachers were so dedicated that they often spent extra hours with the pupils, ensuring they got as much information as they could digest. However, instead of studying for a degree in fine art, Nick opted instead for civil law and qualified with a Bachelor Degree. He went on to become a tattooist, and now resides in Christchurch, where he is continuing his love affair with oil painting.

“When I graduated from university, I already knew that I didn’t want to work as a lawyer but rather wanted to do something creative for a living. A few years before that, I’d tried tattooing a friend (just out of curiosity at first) and, by the time I finished my civil law studies, I was looking for a tattoo apprenticeship. This search led me to Moscow, where I stayed for a while and eventually became a well-established tattooist.” In 2008 Nick started to travel, taking his work as a tattoo artist with him. This journey lasted some years and took him to most of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He finally decided to settle in Norway, staying there until 2016. But the Norwegian authorities deemed being a tattoo artist “not a real profession” – a decision that was baffling to Nick – and this meant he left Norway and the European Union. He travelled to New Zealand and returned to painting again: “Just like at high school – painting to escape reality, painting as self-medication, painting as a cure that heals the soul and clears the mind,” he says. After taking a year off tattooing, he discovered that he might be able to make a living from painting. “This was the moment of true, infinite gratitude – I’m not trying to please the public but as long as my art seems to resonate with people, I’m happy to share it with wide audiences.” Nick has found that working as an artist means everything to him.

See more about Nick here: Nick Morte.

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Mastering art is an endeavour that requires a vast amount of patience spanning decades rather than days; an ability to remain fluid and open-minded, yet still in the moment. South African native and Kiwi artist Martha Mitchell has grown to understand these fundamental lessons over time in her bid to perfect her paintings of human expression and sentiment through portraits. An insightful individual and a motivated family woman, Martha shares how she has found balance in life through artistic teachings.

Martha Mitchell grew up on a small farm just outside of Pietermaritzburg; the second largest city in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, known for its mountainous terrain and beautiful landscapes. Growing up surrounded by such natural magnificence, Martha has always displayed a flair for creativity which resulted in her choosing art as a staple class in high school, before going on to gain a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Natal, majoring in Fine Arts. “I have always been interested in art. To me, creativity is something that I can’t suppress or ignore. I need to express the ideas and thoughts that occupy my mind, and this has always driven me to pursue art as a career. After university, I taught in schools for a number of years in South Africa, all the while continuing to create in my free time. Since moving to New Zealand in 2008, working for wages has been put on the back burner more often that not, and I’ve become more focused on honing my own creative abilities in the last nine years.” Just prior to the Mitchell family’s move to New Zealand, Martha had been offered a teaching position at Tikipunga High School in Whangarei. Excited at the prospect of overseas travel and new opportunities for her husband and young children, Martha gladly accepted the offer and the Mitchell whanau made the journey into the unknown – a decision that would prove rewarding for all.

If you would like to get in touch with Martha, or view more of her work, visit her website . Martha Mitchell

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From the moment he could walk, Jack Magnus McDonald, who prefers to be known as Magnus, created and built things. He was four years old when his parents took him on the Interislander ferry and he was so infatuated by the vessel that he spent the following two weeks at kindergarten reconstructing it out of Weetbix boxes. It ended up so big that his parents had to tow it home on the tandem trailer behind the farm truck.

Although Magnus never had any formal training, he has been surrounded by a strong network of creative minds while growing up, offering support, inspiration and guidance. As a naturally observant person, most of his skills have come from watching and learning. While the desire to create has always been present along with his fascination – bordering on obsession – with objects, it wasn’t until he won a local art competition that he decided to take art seriously. “My winning piece was a contemporary, multi-media composition on corrugated iron which represented the now-ruined Christchurch Cathedral. The prize money was mind-blowing for 16-year-old me and, on top of that, I sold the painting to the local law firm. I was hooked.” Magnus’ father, Mark McDonald, is an established artist who became well known in the 80s for his vibrant, moody prints of Mount Taranaki. Magnus enjoys his fathers mentoring, and the talent is strong in the bloodline. When it comes to canvases, Magnus doesn’t really prefer a specific brand, opting to get his canvases custom stretched using professional archival quality materials. He enters the ‘zone’ when he is painting, so listening to podcasts is impossible as he needs his attention for the paintings. So he plays hip-hop and New Zealand reggae and, as he stands at his easel, he uses the freedom to ‘bust out a few moves’. To new artists, Magnus says: “You can be the best artist in the word but if no one lays an eye on your work then what is the point? Marketing is a key skill in the life of any artist. I am not talking about trashy flyers or posters in the local café. What I am talking about is telling a captivating story which resonates with a specific audience and builds your profile as an artist. Balance your time between the easel and the people.” Solid advice there. Magnus has artwork in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

See Magnus' work here: Magnus McDonald.

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Formally trained in graphic design, Georgette Thompson has never lost the drive to express herself through paint. Starting art classes at Art Metro in 2014, under the tutelage of Livia Dias, the frequency and productivity of Georgette’s art has blossomed.

Currently practicing her art in her spare time, outside full time work as a graphic designer at Harvey Cameron in Christchurch, Georgette likes to challenge herself consistently to improve, whether painting a tricky face, complex scene or object. “I love choosing to create either realistic or imaginative works. I use oil painting to challenge my technical abilities, striving for realism. I get satisfaction from conveying a scene or portrait convincingly, whereas I turn to wash and ink drawings as a form of relaxation. In these drawings I have no set outcome in mind, the process controls the outcome, which in turn makes the results unique. I like that I am not fixed to one style or medium. It is also rewarding watching the viewer’s experience of my works. Seeing others enjoy my work is such a buzz.” Her ambition when painting portraits of those who have passed away is to bring life and connection into the piece for the loved ones left behind to enjoy. “This is something that photographs do not necessarily achieve,”’ she says. Her favourite medium is oil paint, and she has come to appreciate the extended working time that this medium allows. “It sure beats acrylic paint in this regard, and I don’t miss the palette drying out on you halfway through! I recently completed a commission of a local scene of the Canterbury Plains viewed from Mt Hutt which reveals the beautiful patchwork of farmland divided by hedges and fence lines. There was much detail to capture and it was also the largest landscape I have done to date.” For new artists, Georgette advises to “get yourself out there. For too long I was too timid to share my work. It is obviously a scary thing to show your work to others but it is also the most rewarding. Try it.” She has work in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.”

See Georgette's work here: Georgette Thompson.

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