Abstract Archives - Page 4 of 7

Theo TAS Arraj

1 July 2016
Abstract, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Graffiti, Murals, Nature, Painting, Portraits, Spray Paint, Street Art

NATURAL CONNECTION

With an eye set firmly on inclusion in the global art community, Theo “TAS” Arraj has a natural connection with art as a way to communicate how he sees the world. Having recently committed wholeheartedly to a career as an artist he finds inspiration from the world around him.

Frequently drawing from his environment, aspects of nature, music and the people which surround him inspire his passion for his artistic endeavours. TAS likes to observe other artists and their processes but is proud to say his skill comes from the practice of his craft. Likening his humble beginnings within the street art culture and graffiti to those of Mankind’s ancestors, who also wrote on walls, both tell a story in different times but draw from the same impulse to share their vision.

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featured-pic-barbara-shaer-aotearoa-artist

Barbara Schaer

1 July 2016
Abstract, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Impressionism, Nature, Oils, Painting

SOULFUL EXPRESSION

Coming from a fairly long line of artists, Barbara Schaer is thoroughly enjoying her own ability to express herself through painting. Her grandfather was and her mother is an artist, her brother, a photographer and her sister gifted with writing. Having been self employed since age 25, she finally started painting, realising it was her ultimate path to happiness. “The joy I felt, the release and healing that came was amazing. Words cannot really describe this feeling. I can express myself through colours on canvas. I love colour, always did and now mixing and matching on canvas is just wonderful. I feel this is my path and I just love it. I have taken many different career paths, enjoyed them all, but painting takes enjoyment to a completely different level.”

As a child, Barbara always played around with colour, using watercolours on paper. Her mum would paint with watercolour, and she would try to paint the same way but after finding she was unable to get the same results, she gave up. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Barbara first encountered New Zealand when she came over as an agricultural exchange student in 1979 where she spent her time on a dairy farm, milking cows. She later immigrated to New Zealand in 1981.

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John Dumergue

1 July 2016
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Collage, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Floral, Impressionism, Landscape, Mixed Media, Painting, Portraits, Stylized

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.

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Barbara von Seida

1 May 2016
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Floral, Impressionism, Landscape, Painting

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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Richard Page

1 March 2016
Abstract, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Carving, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Nature, Sculpture, Stone

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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Natasha Bethune

1 January 2016
Abstract, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Ball Point Pen, Contemporary Art, Drawing, Emerging Artists, Expressionism, Figures, Symbolism, Youth Art

THE ART OF INNER HEALING

At the age of 18, Natasha Bethune tells us of her hardships and how she is devoted to her art and the healing she receives from creating.

Drawing is all that I’ve ever known - as a kid it’s all that I remember doing. My heart aches thinking about pursuing anything other than art. I love being alone in nature. Any place of solitude, that forces me to think and feel whilst listening to deep emotional music that conjures memories and beautiful desires of ‘what if’s and I wishes’.

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Serge Souslov

1 January 2016
Abstract, Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Driftwood, Featured Artists, Impressionism, Maori, Metallurgy, Nature, Sculpture

VIBRANT TALENT

Serge Souslov, born and raised in Irkusk, Russia, has had a passion for art since childhood. He trained at art college between the years of ‘76 - ‘85 and has brought his incredible talent to New Zealand, where we celebrate his contribution to our rich and vibrant art world.

Serge attended the Art College and The Institute of Culture in Russia where he learnt how to play the accordion, compose music and create art pieces. Thoroughly enjoying pushing the boundaries, Serge’s ideas and inspiration come from observing marine life and whimsical sea creatures, as well as from dreams and fantasies dating as far back as his childhood. He is currently a part-time artist but finds his ideas keep pushing him to create.

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Jamie Larnach

1 January 2016
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Landscape, Nature, Painting, Surrealism

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.

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Simon Lundqvist

1 November 2015
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Emerging Artists, Figures, Mixed Media, Painting, Portraits, Youth Art

PATIENCE, PERSERVERANCE AND TALENT

One 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.”

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Simon Kerr

1 November 2015
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Contemporary Art, Emerging Artists, Figures, Painting, Street Scenes, Stylized, Symbolism

SIMON KERR

One-time member of the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall gang, prison escapee and activist, Simon Kerr has turned his remarkable talents to painting, creating a body of work which is both narrative and allegorical, the story of his life and redemption and a commentary on the place of human beings in the world. These works are often autobiographical in nature, exploring Kerr’s controversial history and his Devonport upbringing.

Simon Kerr gained notoriety in the 1980s when he set up the Hole in the Wall Gang (complete with t-shirts!). He also made headlines throughout the 1980s for numerous escapes from custody, including from Mt Eden and Paremoremo prisons. He stowed away on a cargo ship to Australia after escaping from Mt Eden in 1987. In 1994 he mounted a 13-day rooftop turret protest against remand conditions in Mt Eden that ended with the Armed Offenders’ Squad forcibly bringing him down.

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