Artists

LevinAdventureParkMural2-aotearoa-artist

Levin Adventure Park Mural

A huge colourful mural has transformed the wall at Levin Adventure Park’s northern border.

At a ceremony to celebrate the mural’s completion last Thursday, Horowhenua Deputy Mayor Garry Good described it as a 300 square-metre landmark piece of beautiful artwork. “From Council’s perspective, it’s the most amazing mural in New Zealand. You won’t see anything like it in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, anywhere. We’ve set a standard with this here in Horowhenua,” Mr Good said.

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Robbie Graham

Robbie Graham - aotearoa artist

TURNING INSPIRATION

I have always been interested in art since I was a small boy, always drawing and inventing things out of wood. When I was living in Perth, WA, I had the opportunity to stop work and try new things. Once I discovered woodturning, that was it, I was hooked.

I find my inspiration in nature, which has a big influence in my art and living where we do by Lake Taupo, not far from native forests which are very inspirational. A number of NZ turners have been a big inspiration for me after arriving back in NZ in mid 1995, particularly Alby Hall and Rolly Munro. Being an artist is better than getting my hair cut and getting a real job! But seriously, I just love creating art, especially endeavouring to achieve the ‘nearly impossible’ with my style of art woodturning.

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Ben Woollcombe

Ben Woollcombe - aotearoa artist

DISTILLED INSPIRATION

After almost four years of studying Industrial design at the Wellington School of Design in the early ‘70’s, Ben Woollcombe realised industry was not such an inviting option when the alternative was that he could create things of his own fancy and have people appreciate them, even buy them. The motivation to become an artist came from being able to make his own decisions and “enjoy living by my own wit rather than swapping my time for a pittance, while manifesting someone else’s dream.” He loves being able to use his time as he pleases - fishing, entertaining friends, sailing, painting or digging the garden.

Ben always enjoyed the Geography & Biology sets during his early education through correspondence school, as they usually involved illustration of some sort. A high mark in art was his main reason for gaining school certificate. 

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Ken Clark - aotearoa artist

Ken Clark

Ken Clark - aotearoa artist

THE INDIVIDUAL ART OF MOVING IMAGES

Ken Clarke, an intelligently creative cinemetographer has always considered film and television an art form. Here he brings his vision to us, and considering his tremendously varied artistic background, we are privileged to include Ken in our pages, bringing all aspects of art into your home.  Ken tells us his fascinating story.

I have a BFA(Hons) in Film from Canterbury University. I started it in 1980 and didn’t finish until last year. I have spent most of my life up till now working in the film and television industry; first as a make-up artist, then a stop-motion animator where I sculpted puppets and props and then in post-production and digital effects.

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Margaret Scott

Margaret Scott aotearoa artist
Photo by Pip Guthrie

PRIDE AND PASSION

When Margaret Scott got married, she started painting as a way to supplement their income. Early farming years were tough and she found she could sell paintings of Mount Taranaki to tourists and gift shops. “If I had a hundred calves to feed or four children to look after, I still found time in the evenings to paint. I am constantly thinking of the next painting and what I will paint. I live by the sea and spend lots of time walking, looking at the environment, taking photos and making workbook drawings. Gathering resources is a very important part of being an artist and a teacher.”

It has been a complete need, a passion and drive that has brought Margaret to this point. Having just published her first book, ‘Self-portrait of a Paua’ she laments about the lack of support from the government for artists. “We used to have a thriving arts environment, supported by local arts councils. I was chairperson of the Egmont Community Arts Council for over ten years and we had exciting projects, exhibitions and workshops, all government funded. There were four arts councils in Taranaki and it’s much harder to get funding from the local councils. There is virtually no funding available for solo artist’s ventures, for example, my book, which I had to fund myself. “I am very proud of this book, as it is part autobiographical, historical and resource. The students I teach encouraged me to do this as they felt I should reproduce pages from my workbooks. This makes the book a valuable resource for both teachers and students alike.”

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Barbara von Seida

Barbara von Seida - aotearoa artist

EXPRESSION IN COLOUR

My aim as a painter is to create images that reflect my personal interpretation of my subject. Painting is not really a creative act until such time as the personal judgment and emotional reaction enters into it. In my opinion the ultimate aim of an artist is not to produce a record of something, rather to establish a personal view with a deeper narrative beyond the surface. What a painter feels is more important that what he or she sees. My work starts with a strong feeling and ends with an expression.

Raised near Dusseldorf, Germany, Barbara trained for five years in Art and Design, three years in textiles and two years in product design at University of Applied Sciences in Krefeld. She worked as an employee for, amongst others, the international company Vereinigte Seidenwebereien A.G. (United Silk Weaving Company) in Krefeld, and later, as a freelance fabric designer. In early 1984, Barbara migrated to Bantry Bay in County Cork, south-west Ireland where she opened the Country House Gallery featuring her watercolours, which in a short time were much sought after with both the local population and overseas visitors alike, culminating in her being invited to exhibit at the Royal Hibernian Society in both 1988 and 1989.

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Lynn Webb

Lynn Webb - aotearoa artist

EXPLORING THE COAST

“Waves, rocks, reflections on the sand, boat sheds reflecting on the water - these are my inspiration,” says Lynn Webb, oil and watercolour artist from Tauranga. “Having grown up in the small untouched coastal settlement of Tongaporutu, within the crumbling cliffs and the black reflecting sand amongst the waves and rocks, fills me with an exciting inspiration to capture the many moods of the coast, the sea and the never ending procession of breaking waves.”

Not having had any formal training, Lynn says she has been creative since she was little. “Even as a child I loved to draw. I guess as the years have gone on the urge to paint became stronger and so it began.” Inspired by the likes of Richard Robinson and John Crump, Lynn prefers a loose style of painting, often using a palette knife to capture light and colour in her work.

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Mille Dunstall

My dead uncle-mille-dunstall-aotearoa-artistBorn in 2000, Mille is another youth artist who is proving that this century is producing excellent artists. With one sibling, Mille’s family isn’t particularly artistic. “I’m kind of the odd one out”, she says.

Waihi College have Mille’s attendance and she has decided to take art this year, planning to get into a graphic design course in the future. From the looks of what she is producing thus far, we believe graphic design would definitely be the way for Mille to go. It might be worth Mille’s while to investigate illustration as well, a noble, well established art form.

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Richard Page - aotearoa artist

Richard Page

Richard Page - aotearoa artist

UNDER THE SKIN

New Zealand-based sculptor Richard Page aims to rival the perfection of nature in his work. Using techniques acquired through collaborations across the world, Page creates stone-based sculptures that reference or play with the physical force and beauty in organic formations. Richard’s work often combines smooth, voluminous forms with intentionally rough-cut textures, as the contrast highlights the naturalistic elements of both styles. Similarly, the raw textures hint at the process that goes into producing the more refined ones, providing a sense of time and context for the viewer.

Whether sculpting abstract, geometric pieces or more impressionistic works, Richard’s work shows a clear aquatic influence in both composition and texture. His choice of stone often corresponds to the patterns found in marine life, while the curving surfaces of his work resemble the smooth character of ocean rocks. Even in the contrast of refined and raw, or hard and smooth, the sea provides a model for Richard’s naturalistic take on erosion. Richard’s gift is the fine precision in reproducing the organic qualities that nature has to offer. 

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