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John White

John White - Aotearoa Artist

WILD PASSION

“Don’t be afraid, all the great painters had to start somewhere. You will make many mistakes so go ahead and start making them”. Adeptly using the time honoured mediums of oil and watercolour, John White portrays his love of wildlife through richly built paintings, softly painted, revealing the passion he has for his subject. Having built his skills over a lifetime he continues to create, advise and exhibit in New Zealand and overseas.

You know the first thing people ask me when they see my art is “how long have you been painting”? My answer is that I have always painted. I was brought up in a small place called Macandrew Bay on the Otago Peninsula with my three brothers and one sister. One of my brothers is my identical twin who is also an artist. We are the only ones in our family who do art, so my parents really did not understand what it was all about but they did encourage us. In my late teens I used to come home after playing rugby on a Saturday and paint watercolours on our kitchen table. If we had any visitors my mother would bring out my paintings and show them.

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Carla McKnight

carla-mcknight-aotearoa-artistCarla McKnight ‘s favourite subjects are equestrian and aviation (warbirds). She works mainly in acrylic but has been known to play around with other mediums. “I’ve learned what works and doesn’t work by giving it a go and taking risks.” She finds the use of a ‘white-light’ lamp essential and uses a variety of brushes, sponges, scrapers, an airbrush and a spraygun. Carla tells us about herself . . .

I was born in Holland and my family immigrated to New Zealand when I was nine years old. I’ve always loved seeing artwork of horses from a very early age. Around 14 years old I started trying to draw horses but found it frustrating as I didn’t like the results. I was always on my horse, Misty, with my best friend Leeanne on her horse, Kelly. We used to ride all over the place and on wet days we watched cowboy movies and tried our hand at art, and that’s where it all started. My parents were very creative, so I guess that gave me a boost, but they didn’t ride horses or make art.

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Julie Freeman

Julie Freeman - aotearoa artist

A self-taught artist, Julie Freeman has always loved art as a hobby. When she moved overseas after marriage in 1980, she was able to pursue her art while her husband Michael was completing a Masters in Product Design at the University of Illinois. She began doing animal portraits and some figurative work, which gradually progressed from black and white to colour. After living in the USA for eight years they transferred to the UK. Life was pretty busy with two young children but she persevered, mainly doing commissioned animal portraits, which became popular through word of mouth. Julie tells us of her journey from then through to winning the 2016 Unison Colour Cup at the PANZ ‘Purely Pastel’ National Awards in Mapua.

We returned to New Zealand at the end of 1993, and my primary focus was on the children, the home and part-time work in a local art shop. As the children got older I had a little more free time and started to focus on pastel as my preferred medium. My first exhibition was with two other professional artists, Merle Bishop and Joan Taylor, at A Fine Line Gallery in Matakana in December 2009 which was a turning point for me as an artist. My work for this exhibition covered a range of subjects, focusing on what I thought would be popular with the local residents and I successfully sold the majority of my work.

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Tony Clarke

Tony Clarke - aotearoa artist

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.”

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Paige Williams

PAIGE WILLIAMS

I’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.

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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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Fran Gould

Fran Gould - aotearoa artist

GRAPPLING WITH GRAPHITE

My love of being an artist started with a Folk Art course at Waimea College in Richmond. Gradually art became more important in my life. After hearing the enthusiasm from several members of the art group I had joined, regarding courses with The Correspondence School in Wellington, I decided to enrol. I met my tutor in Wellington and he was happy for me to pursue figurative work, which was and still is, my passion as an art form.

My partner had a massive heart attack and several operations later, recuperative time, along with the process of ‘just being there’ as he got his strength back had a huge effect on me physiologically. After a while I started my second year at the correspondence school. My partner by this time was well enough to model for me, so I photographed him for my work and the ideas came fast and furious. My painting fitted into my studies “the human condition”. It all turned out to be very cathartic and the finished article, at the end of the year, achieved NZCA excellence. The whole project transformed me, mainly from the stress of the previous year. 

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Christine Redfern - aotearoa artist

Christine Redfern

Christine Redfern - aotearoa artist

BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES

Christine Pickstone-Redfern spent her childhood years watching and assisting her father, the renowned Queensland artist, George Pickstone, sketch, paint and carve. Her passion and inherent talent ensured her participation in scholastic art activities, where she spent much time sketching and entering art competitions. Winning an Australasian scholarship to the Melbourne Art Training Institute boosted her confidence. She re-trained to become a nurse. 

Christine has a very interesting perspective in life. All of her creations are unique - ‘one of a kind’. She will not reproduce any work (not even try to) twice, and the worst thing you could say to Christine is: “It can’t be done, it’s not possible.” She wants to know why, and you while you are explaining, she’ll do it anyway and when you finish explaining, she will be standing proudly next to her latest creation, defying the rules.

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Nina Cook - aotearoa artist

Nina Cook

Nina Cook - aotearoa artist

ARTISTIC COMMUNICATON

Nina Cook’s artistic intent is to communicate but unfortunately, the very character traits that enables her artistic self, makes the act of self-promotion extremely uncomfortable. “I never intended to show my work, but have received such kindness and encouragement from my beautiful husband, children, friends and gallery owners. For me, art is more a vocation from which I would be delighted to earn a living.” Nina tells her story.

I completed a Bachelor of Design at Christchurch Polytechnic School of Art and Design in 2006. The drawing classes at CPIT were to a particularly high standard and an incredibly valuable learning experience. Apart from that I am self-taught.

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