UK ARTIST Gerry Defries
Gerry Defries, who considers himself a colourist in the impressionist style, has exhibited widely in England, America and France. He paints…
Uriel Tian
INSPIRATIONAL FANTASY Growing up in Barcelona, Spain and watching fantasy films filled with amazing creatures, Uriel Tian found the 1990s and…
Karin McCombe Jones
THE ESSENCE OF COLOUR With a plethora of training in all sorts of artistic areas including art and design, dance,…
Karen Gourley
IMMERSIVE DETAIL “I love when an idea in my head comes to life on paper and translating that idea into a…
Diana Peel
FLORAL FREEDOM With a Master’s Degree in design and having had full training in visual arts, Diana Peel has found herself…
Carina Sim-Smith
CARINA CREATES Born in Singapore, Carina Sim-Smith is a marine biologist by profession and a very talented artist in her free…
Adair Davis
HOW COULD I NOT? Born into a creative family with parents who belonged to a vibrant arts community, Adair Davis tells…
Vjekoslav Nemesh 2022
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.”
Sarah Pou
COLOURFUL AFFAIR
Studying Visual Communication at Unitec in Auckland from the early age of 17, Sarah Pou went on to have her art showcased in several high street art Galleries in Auckland and then later in London. She met her husband when she was travelling in England and her artistic career was put on hold in favour of consistent income.
After the birth of her first child she painted childrens nursery artwork and one of her customers proclaimed that she was an ‘illustrator’. This resonated with her and after returning to New Zealand and having their third child, she felt an overwhelming desire to create again, which she could not ignore. She started to develop her style whilst working and looking after her young family. “Time was very limited so I carved out time in the evenings. Although it was tiring, I felt fulfilled and content when I was creating.”
Hiria Anderson
PAINTER OF LIGHT
Hiria Anderson prefers to be known simply as Hiria, a preference which reflects her shy and retiring nature. Brought up with her grandparents who were practitioners of Raranga (weaving) and Whakairo (carving) she grew up surrounded by creativity, loving drawing and making things with her hands.
“I’ve grown up around creatives so it was a natural transition for me to make art my career. As a young person I remember wanting to become an artist so I didn’t have to talk to people. I was fearful of having a job in front-of-house, reception, or serving in a shop. Anything to do with people I didn’t want to do. Well, I’ve come a long way in thinking from back then.”