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Judith Milner

judith-milner-aotearoa-artistCOMPOSITIONS OF LIFE

By Matt Mortimer

Many artists will shy away from portraiture. If the symmetry and, attention to detail aren’t enough, there’s also the making a likeness that is accurate to the subject. Not only does Auckland-based artist Judith Milner embrace this challenge – she excels – to the point of being commissioned to do just that.

Judith explains one such time, that was a little more special than most;  “In 2020 I was commissioned to paint portraits showcasing nine of the driving forces behind the Women’s Fund for their granting round event.  It was an honour to be able to paint these amazing women doing such important work in the charitable sector and to have my work displayed at the venue.”

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Cindy Woest

cindy-woest-aotearoa-artistHONEST ABANDON

While visiting Dougie Chowns one Sunday, I met a neighbour of his, Cindy Woest. Cindy is a very talented woman with a pioneering spirit and endless ‘get up and go.’ She has the ability to tramp into a spot she enjoys, with her canvas and paint, and just - in a couple of hours - produce a painting so true to the view, yet with a loose, pleasing technique. Cindy also writes for this magazine as well as others and is indeed, multi-talented. She tells us her story

I love being outside – the sights, sounds and physical connection with everything outdoors makes me somehow feel part of a larger whole. Being in nature, as a specific part of the ‘outside’, leaves me with a sense of generic wellbeing that travels with me when I return to my ‘inside’ and very average life. The uplifting impact of this residual feeling (which can last for days) has drawn me into capturing that ‘happiness essence’ so that I can use it to stir up good memories for myself and hopefully others viewing my work.

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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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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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Andrea Choonoo

 


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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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Tammy Gabriel

tammy-gabriel-aotearoa-artistFINDING IDENTITY

By Matt Mortimer

The great Roman philosopher Cicero was credited as saying; “The face is a picture of the mind, as the eyes are its interpreter.” These words seem to resound beyond a quotation and take on a literal meaning for Albany-based portrait artist, Tammy Gabriel.

“I get inspired by photos of interesting compositions, but mostly ones that show expression on faces. My goal is to capture that expression in my painting. I love photos of interesting body compositions creating unique shapes too,” she says. “Individualism has been an area of interest to me my whole life and I am drawn towards uniqueness. I try to capture a person’s individual personality through my paintings.

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Amanda Gleason

amanda-gleason-aotearoa-artist

Painting en plein-air is a dream for many landscape artists. Unfortunately, the hurdles of self-consciousness and a lack of appropriate equipment often constrain us to the studio. Amanda Gleason has broken these chains and is now flying solo; loving her newfound artistic freedom. 

My mother was an artist and art teacher, so I was surrounded by art all my growing years. I work full time as Practice Manager at a physio clinic, but once my children had finished high school, I had the time to pursue some formal art classes and over the last five – six years I have become increasing impassioned with my painting and drawing. I have had classes in oil painting, portrait painting (based on the old masters’ techniques), drawing and landscape painting. I have also done a number of workshops through the Howick Art Group, including life drawing and still life painting.

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