Menu

Nature

Investigate-sue-laursen-aotearoa-artist

Sue Laursen

sue-laursen-aotearoa-artist-the-new-zealand-artist-magazine.jpg

TURNING THE LIGHT ON

As the first thing Sue Laursen thinks about when she wakes up and the last thing she thinks about when she falls asleep, the urge to create has always been very strong for her. “I very quickly realised art was connected to my mental wellbeing and as I was brought up in a generation where I was not allowed to show my thoughts or emotions, by the age of 16, I was using my art to tell my story.” 

When she was 16 she was a member of and had her work accepted at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts. “This, I recall, some people seemed to be a little amazed about. At the time I didn’t really appreciate the significance of it, but I do now. As the years went on, my style of painting changed and I drifted away from the NZ Academy of Fine Arts, and did my own thing, as the academy no longer liked what I did. Such is life.” 

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Field Of Dahlias-Livia-Dias-aotearoa-artist

Livia Dias

Livia-Dias-aotearoa-artist

CLASSIC BEAUTY

Livia Dias is an artist who enjoys painting nature, gardens and people. Livia grew up in an environment surrounded by art. At the age of 13, she began learning drawing and painting from her uncle, Gilberto Dias, who is a professional artist and art tutor in her home country Brazil. Her passion for art has never stopped since then. She’s been working as a full-time artist and art tutor since 2000. 

She had a classical training based on the Old Masters teachings and glazing techniques which she is very grateful for, because she says that it taught her the importance of developing the skill set to create the illusion of form and depth on a flat surface that is crucial for her art. Her uncle was her first inspiration. She was amazed at what he could create with a brush! He introduced her to many other artists in a variety of styles which contributed to shaping her artistic journey. 

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Featured-Laura-Buchanan-aotearoa-artist

Laura Buchanan

Laura-Buchanan-aotearoa-artistTHE POTTERY PLACE

Switching between studio pottery and ceramic sculptures Laura Buchanan, also known as Lulu, has moved around New Zealand quite extensively, but has now settled in a small seaside community, near Whanganui. She introduces herself to us and tells us her story.

I started making clay sculptures about 15 years ago, while living at Muriwai Beach. My husband was a paramedic, so worked nights regularly. I’d get our two young daughters, Maddie and Pippa off to bed, then spend my evening creating with clay. The femine figures which were formed, related to that maternal stage of my life. Without access to a kiln I’d make silicone and plaster molds of the clay forms, to later cast the sculptures using concrete. 

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Legacy 1-Alice Spittle-aotearoa-artist

Alice Spittle

Alice Spittle-aotearoa-artistBeing an artist for Alice Spittle is all about being in nature, around harakeke, sharing time with her Nani’s and other artists, preparing fibre, weaving and most importantly, this is all so she can share and pass her knowledge to her children and future generations. “My children and husband are my motivation and constantly support and encourage me to follow my passion.”

Having studied Māori design and art at Te Wānanga O Raukawa (The University of Ōtaki) in 2001, with Pip Devonshire and Elaine Beven, Alice spent many years with influential weavers learning traditional arts practices. “In 2017 I went back to study level 5 raranga and focused on kete whakairo (finely woven patterned baskets) at Te Wānanga O Aotearoa with Morehu Flutey-Henare.” Her journey to becoming an artist began when she and her immediate family moved up to the Kapiti Coast. “My husband was working full time and I was home with our daughter. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or even what I was passionate about. My mother-in-law brought me some paints and brushes and got me to try playing around with paint, which I really enjoyed. My stepfather and mother knew about the Te Wānanga O Raukawa and encouraged me to go check it out. I did and that was the start of me looking into raranga and painting. I had always been creative as my mother was always playing with clay or doing watercolours. so this felt comfortable for me.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Cast Glass-Shallows-toni-tittleton-aotearoa-artist

Toni Tittleton

toni-tittleton-aotearoa-artistREFLECTIVE SCULPTING

Having always been creative and taking as many art classes as she could at school, but knowing nothing about glass casting, Toni Tittleton studied glass production and design at Whanganui Glass School, graduating with a diploma in 2012 and specialising in cast and kiln formed glass.

Pleased to have completed her diploma by the age of 20, once she had completed her studies she had to think outside the box – “I was challenged with the question all students face - what now? My goal was to create art for a living, however. I had no money for materials or to set up a studio.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Feature-mike-brown-aotearoa-artist

Mike Brown

Mike-Brown-aotearoa-artist-the-new-zealand-artist

FULL CIRCLE

Mike Brown, a bone carver born in Pukekohe, now living in North Taranaki, says his art flows directly from his reflections on life.  Carving has become a means of communication about what is important to him - speaking without words. “As a kid, art was important to me, but as the pressure went on at school and university, raising a family and working long hours, art became peripheral. Now, in my senior years, I have found more time and space. As a result, my desire to create has blossomed once again – I’ve gone full circle – how cool!” Mike shares his journey with us.

I am a thoughtful and reflective artist with a particular interest in people, their connections, relationships and spiritual journeys. Belonging is key. “You are never alone – you are part of something bigger than yourself.” For me there needs to be meaning to the pieces I create. I ask myself “why am I making this”? What does it mean? What is its significance? And if a commission, who is going to be wearing this? Each piece is unique in design and meaning. 

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Feature-boat-ken-tanner-aotearoa-artist

Ken Tanner

ken-tanner-aotearoa-artist-the-new-zealand-artist

ROOM TO MOVE

Brought up in the London suburbs and having studied art as a school subject, an enthusiastic teacher encouraged Ken Tanner to maintain his interest in art, which he has done for over 30 years. Training as an engineer and then working in construction management, Ken found there was not much room for creativity in his daytime work, so art as a hobby became a welcome respite, giving his creative mind room to move. He moved to New Zealand in 1974 but busy with his wife and children, and his work, he only really started to paint in the 1990s. Since then painting has become a large part of his life.

Ken’s inspiration, he says, is mostly to do with the creation of an image, rather than trying to convey some political message. “I really enjoy the realism but I did an abstract course some years ago and I now also enjoy developing the realistic image into a more abstract form.  I have entered some of these paintings into the Howick Art Group’s annual competition and they have taken 1st prize.  One of the judges, Evan Woodruff, said that the work was more abstractionism than pure abstract.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Dylan-keys-aotearoa-artist-Archee-the-new-zealand-artist-magazine

Dylan Keys

dylon-keys-aotearoa-artist-the-new-zealand-artist-magazine

CREATIVE INTUITION

Self-taught artist Dylan Keys has been creating since he was a small child. “I always wanted to be a full-time artist but it was an unexpected series of events that led to it actually becoming a reality. Unfortunately, I’ve been in poor health for a number of years and one of the ways I cope with the pain and unpleasant sensations is to distract myself by drawing and painting.”

“A few years ago, I did a realistic charcoal drawing which caught the attention of leading motivational speaker Craig Harper, who is also a writer and educator in the areas of health, high performance and personal development. He shared my work with his online audience and I soon had a few commission enquiries coming in for charcoal portraits. Although my preferred style has always been a very loose and expressive one rather than realism, I decided to make the most of that momentum. I launched my website and social media pages soon after and I’m lucky enough to have been a full-time artist since.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Featured-uriel-tian-aotearoa-artist

Uriel Tian

uriel_tian-aotearoa-artist-the-new-zealand-artist-magazine-

INSPIRATIONAL FANTASY

Growing up in Barcelona, Spain and watching fantasy films filled with amazing creatures, Uriel Tian found the 1990s and 2000s a golden age for fantasy films. He was absolutely delighted to find the world he could create just using his imagination. This made him realise that he could do something like this and he began to direct his life toward becoming an artist. 

“I studied Practical FX (A practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques) for the film industry in Barcelona in THUYA Academy in 2012, and then I began my Sculpture degree in 2014 in La Llotja Arts School in Barcelona.” Loving the feeling he gets while creating and the freedom that comes with it, Uriel knows he can challenge himself to become better and better. “I like to have dynamic projects and I feel I could never get tired of working. That also makes me understand how powerful it is to pursue your goals and dreams.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Featured-nemesh-aotearoa-artist

Vjekoslav Nemesh 2022

Vjekoslav Nemesh - Aotearoa Artist - The New Zealand Artists Magazine

NEMESH

Artist Nemesh Vjekoslav, hailing originally from former Yugoslavia (now Serbia), has developed his own unique style of painting, calling it semi-abstract. His work is vibrant, colourful and representative of a prolific connection to spirituality.

Demonstrating exceptional drawing skills from early childhood, his main interest was drawing comics. “However, that changed in my early 20s when a schoolmate commissioned me to create a large oil painting. This commission progressed into a more detailed and graphic representation of my artistic style.”

register and subscribe

Subscribe Today

Read More
Load More

You cannot copy content of this page

Back To Top
×Close search
Search