Birdlife Archives - Page 5 of 5

Monika Welch

1 May 2014
Abstract, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Featured Artists, Figures, Mixed Media, Nature, Oils, Painting, Pop Art

LET US BE ARTISTS!

It was the love of art and an inherent creativity that paved the way for Monika Welch, a former musician, to become a full time artist.

“I never had any formal are training and just blundered and blustered my way through,” she quips, adding that she did not enter the world of ‘art’ until she was 35: “It was New Year’s and my friend Julie asked what shall we do this year? Seeing as we’d both dabbled in writing and music I replied: ‘let’s be artists, and that was that.”

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Greg Maddox

1 May 2014
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Driftwood, Featured Artists, Impressionism, Installation, Nature, Sculpture

DRIFTING WITH PASSION

Trained as a signwriter, Greg Maddox’s five year apprenticeship taught him a range of disciplines in engineering, carpentry and the art of hand rendering signs using brush and airbrush, something he loves with a passion.

And if you think signwriting is mundane, Greg’s skills have taken him all over the world, including Europe and the USA. He was involved in creating 3D apples for the ‘Big Apple Campaign’ that now adorn the streets of New York City and another project in South Street, Seaport. “Moving to Europe was great, as the culture was a pleasure to immerse yourself into. I spent many hours in the English Garden, Munich rendering pastels of the human form. It was bliss. “I thought making money as a portrait artist was me for the rest of my life.”

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Brian Looker

1 May 2014
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Featured Artists, Figures, Oils, Painting, Surrealism

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REFLECTION

When Brian Looker returned to New Zealand after an absence of twenty years living in Australia, it was like coming to an unknown country. It was the catalyst he needed to become a full time artist. “It seemed a fitting time, to follow my dream and make a commitment to pursue my art on a deeper level,” he says.

“It seemed a fitting time, to follow my dream and make a commitment to pursue my art on a deeper level,” he says. “For many years my wife and I had visited artists in their studios in many countries around the world, each time thinking what a perfect lifestyle they had. Truthfully the only difference between dreaming and having is that first step of doing.”

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Don Wilkie

1 March 2014
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Aviation, Birdlife, Featured Artists, Figures, Impressionism, Oils, Painting, Realism

SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

Painter, published author, and printer - Don Wilkie does not set limits on his range of creative talents.

“Painting provides the space and relaxation in which I lose myself in creating,” he reveals, “one of my biggest joys is when the painting is completed and seeing what has been achieved from a blank canvas.”

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Bernd Huss

1 January 2014
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Coloured Pencils, Featured Artists, Landscape, Painting, Realism, Seascape

MOMENT IN TIME

For someone who has not had any formal training and who only started taking his craft seriously two years ago, Bernd Huss has attained an extremely high standard and received numerous accolades for his work.

As long as he can remember Bernd has enjoyed drawing. At first he restricted himself to copying photographs of people from magazines always trying to capture as much detail as possible.

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Tanya Finlayson

1 January 2014
Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Carving, Enamel, Featured Artists, Figures, Kiwiana, Painting, Realism

CARVING A NEW FASHION

“Have a goal, have something to achieve and then go and fulfill it. It always a nice feeling to look back on the journey of how you realised your dreams.”

So says Tanya Short, who some may remember as Tanya Finlayson making and selling handmade jewellery and sewing children’s clothing at the Whangarei markets.

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Karen Neal

1 November 2013
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Drawing, Featured Artists, Ink, Oils, Scratchboard

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

Karen Neal is a self-taught artist who, on leaving school, intended studying a fine arts or graphics course, but instead opted to work in the newspaper industry. She spent three years travelling to countries such as Africa, Japan, Switzerland and the UK, returning to New Zealand to work in a variety of administration and graphics roles.

It was in 2009, in her early 40’s, when Karen was stressing over a leaky home, that she picked up a pencil and drew a giraffe. A stress relief perhaps, but one that began a four year evolution, and now she is a full time artist. “I love all aspects of being an artist, it’s a dream come true to finally take it up full-time. I still pinch myself. I knew this was my passion, I finally found my niche, although it took a while to have the confidence to put myself out there and call myself an artist.”

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Sandra Whyte

1 November 2013
Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Featured Artists, Hyper Realism, Oils, Painting

CAPTURING MEMORIES OF LIFE

After a few life-changing events, Sandra Whyte found time on her hands and decided to try her hand at painting. She took some night classes, and discovered she had a real talent and eye for detail. In a short space of time she began selling her artwork and completing commissions. The allure of being an artist full time led her to resign from her position as a bank officer, which she had held for 28 years. She feels this is the best decision she has ever made.

Sandra has found that being largely self-taught can raise issues in the budding artists career. “Having a ‘name’ seems to take precedence above quality in the art world. This seems to become more of an issue as my career develops. I am breaking through this barrier now, thanks to opportunities created by select clients and galleries having a belief in my abilities. I have had to hang on to small achievements and push sceptics aside.”

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Sally Heritage
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