Miramar Mural
Wellington Art Club painted a community mural for the Peninsular Art Trail weekend 2016. Phil Dickson designed our mural for the…
Tony Clarke
CORNERSTONE SKILL
With luscious, almost glowing colour pouring out from the canvas, Tony Clarke’s work emits a sense of vibrancy making his art feel alive. The intricate texture conveys the feeling that you could reach out and touch the feather or fur.
Tony’s father was a very accomplished hobby painter and encouraged him from an early age. “He gave me a book at age 13 of Raymond Ching’s book of British Birds and took me out drawing over the weekends. I copied paintings from that book and studied originals at the International Art Centre.”
John Dumergue
BELIEVING IN BALANCE
An active family man, at age 71, John Dumergue has the balance right in his life. As a member of the oldest team in the Half Ironman in Wanaka, the swimmer being 72 and the cyclist, 82, his most important advice is believe in yourself. “This is what my running coach would say to me as I lined up for, say, an 800m race. I believe this applies to anything you do in life.”
When John was in his fifties, he spent five years training in the martial art of Kung Fu, with elements of Tai Chi. He became an instructor, enjoying the tutoring of beginners classes. He still runs regularly and counts the benefits as endless. He says art was never a career choice, it was just something he did during his spare time. Although, clearly John’s artistic abilities were part of his career choice after all, as he is also a carpenter by trade, having built his own house at the tender age of 21. Art comes in many forms and what will out, will out. Incidentally, he also has a diploma in writing. A multi-talented man. Now that he’s retired from his job as a Certified Kitchen and Bathroom Designer, he paints about four times a week.
Paige Williams
PAIGE WILLIAMS
PAIGE WILLIAMSI’m Paige, 19, and have just recently made the massive decision to withdraw from University to pursue a professional career in painting and illustration. It was the hardest decision to make. I was studying to get myself into some aspect of the gaming industry, however, the longer I studied, the more I felt like this wasn’t the place for me.
With the support of my friends and family, I am now trying to make a name for myself in the art world. I have a website at www.paigeyleigh.com and already have a small following on my Facebook page “Paigey-Leigh” where I get a lot of amazing feedback and encouragement that I’m going in the right direction.
Margaret Scott
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.”
Barbara von Seida
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.
Katrina McGettigan
100 BIRDS IN 100 DAYS
100 BIRDS IN 100 DAYSThe New Zealand Artist Magazine first met Katrina McGettigan at the Christchurch Art Show 2015, where, in awe, we watched her paintings sell like hot cakes. Katrina is an established artist in the Canterbury region. At that time she worked as a full-time pre-school and art teacher, inspiring young artists to fulfil their artistic talent. By night she spent her time painting.
Recently Katrina completed the colossal challenge of painting 100 birds in 100 days. “I had heard about the challenge and was inspired by other artists who had completed the challenge in previous years. So I thought it would be a great thing to gain a little more exposure, help with my technique and give me something to aim towards each day.”
Jamie Larnach
MOVING FORWARD
At the age of 13, Jamie Larnach overheard his father talking about a guy he knew as a teenager, who had a gift for drawing but never did anything with his talent. He thought that was a travesty. “That’s stuck with me all my life. I try to make the most of my talents. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by insanely creative and passionate people and they’ve always inspired me to keep moving forward and creating.
Inspired by New Zealand’s environment and the patterns that occur in nature, by geometry, coral, Arabic mosaics, and ancient architecture, I have been making artworks for 22 years, including music, jewellery, sculpture and festival dressing. In 1991, immediately after finishing high school I was pre-enrolled at Law school at Waikato University.
Jacob Barry
BEHIND THE FACE
Jacob Barry studied art in high school, but his talents were not appreciated, he failed. How many other great icons have failed at school, yet gone onto become well known success stories? There are many. One has to wonder what it is about these situations. Jacob shares with us here.
Jacob passed all other subjects, except art. Looking at what he is doing now, it seems crazy. He received much support from his teachers and parents, thankfully, and has gone on with his art regardless. “The response I got from each painting was the motivating factor.
Simon Lundqvist
PATIENCE, PERSERVERANCE AND TALENT
PATIENCE, PERSERVERANCE AND TALENTOne of Simon Lundqvist’s obstacles was to overcome spending some time in a wheelchair after an accident and having to relearn how to walk. “It was a really horrible experience, but I got through it, and in retrospect the whole thing taught me a lot of patience and perseverance. Now the only thing I have left from that ordeal is a very characteristic gait, and a different outlook on life really.”
This left Simon Lundqvist experiencing difficulty with concentration and a lot of free time on his hands. He became obsessed with drawing and sketching, finding he could focus on this and it made him feel better. “I think that single-mindedness really helped me to learn and develop. Ever since childhood I have been infatuated the idea of being an artist and this has grown stronger over time. I’m just really in love with the process of painting and I can think of nothing better than spending my days making art.”