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Lui Peti

lui-peti-aotearoa-artistLui Peti’s art is surrealistic, emotive and a little quirky. His digital paintings are available to be enjoyed by everyone, with his original work sold online as affordable art prints. His hope is for people to enjoy his art as much as he enjoys creating it. With buyers already in Australia, the USA and Canada, Lui is well on his way to becoming a full-time artist.

I love being able to visualise my thoughts and being able to create art from a process of thinking. I like pushing myself to be braver and reach deeper into my psyche to explore its essence. Perfecting my craft and being surprised by my progress is very satisfying. 

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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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Andrew Swarbrick

Andrew Swarbrik - aotearoa artist

THE HUMAN CONDITION

With very supportive parents constantly supplying him with art materials and encouragement, Andrew Swarbrick has overcome his physical disabilities to emerge as a very talented artist. Lucky enough to be using his talent every day as a tattoo artist, Andrew tells us his story.

I have been interested in art from a young age, and have been drawing for as long as I can remember. At age 12, I had a large operation to help alleviate some of the physical disabilities I was born with, which resulted in me being wheelchair bound for just over a year. As there wasn’t much to do in hospital in those days, my folks were constantly bringing me comic books to read. I promptly copied all of my favourite pictures from them and then pursued other artists books, which I also feverishly copied from, learning all the time. I didn’t fare well with art at school and am largely self taught. After school, I worked in various factories over the next six years or so, while trying to build a portfolio to go to university as an adult student. That portfolio landed me an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist.

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John Dumergue

John Dumergue - aotearoa artist

BELIEVING IN BALANCE

An active family man, at age 71, John Dumergue has the balance right in his life. As a member of the oldest team in the Half Ironman in Wanaka, the swimmer being 72 and the cyclist, 82, his most important advice is believe in yourself. “This is what my running coach would say to me as I lined up for, say, an 800m race. I believe this applies to anything you do in life.”

When John was in his fifties, he spent five years training in the martial art of Kung Fu, with elements of Tai Chi. He became an instructor, enjoying the tutoring of beginners classes. He still runs regularly and counts the benefits as endless. He says art was never a career choice, it was just something he did during his spare time. Although, clearly John’s artistic abilities were part of his career choice after all, as he is also a carpenter by trade, having built his own house at the tender age of 21. Art comes in many forms and what will out, will out. Incidentally, he also has a diploma in writing. A multi-talented man. Now that he’s retired from his job as a Certified Kitchen and Bathroom Designer, he paints about four times a week.

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Mille Dunstall

My dead uncle-mille-dunstall-aotearoa-artistBorn in 2000, Mille is another youth artist who is proving that this century is producing excellent artists. With one sibling, Mille’s family isn’t particularly artistic. “I’m kind of the odd one out”, she says.

Waihi College have Mille’s attendance and she has decided to take art this year, planning to get into a graphic design course in the future. From the looks of what she is producing thus far, we believe graphic design would definitely be the way for Mille to go. It might be worth Mille’s while to investigate illustration as well, a noble, well established art form.

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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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Mike Greenwood

Mike Greenwood - aotearoa artist

CRIKEY! IT'S MIKE GREENWOOD

A larger than life, grumpy sweetheart with a brilliant sense of humour, Mike Greenwood started drawing and painting at the tender age of 12. In school, he was only ever interested in art and sport and has been actively pursuing these passions for 64 years.

Mike left school at 15 and played football until he retired aged 33, intending to be a full time artist. As all artists do, Mike found it hard to exist on the income from his art and decided to start his own domestic fencing business. In this business, he not only did fencing, but retaining walls, decking and landscaping, designing all jobs himself.

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Jacob Barry

Jacob Barry - aotearoa artist

BEHIND THE FACE

Jacob Barry studied art in high school, but his talents were not appreciated, he failed. How many other great icons have failed at school, yet gone onto become well known success stories? There are many. One has to wonder what it is about these situations. Jacob shares with us here.

Jacob passed all other subjects, except art. Looking at what he is doing now, it seems crazy. He received much support from his teachers and parents, thankfully, and has gone on with his art regardless. “The response I got from each painting was the motivating factor.

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Simon Lundqvist

Simon Lundqvist-aotearoa-artistPATIENCE, PERSERVERANCE AND TALENT

One of Simon Lundqvist’s obstacles was to overcome spending some time in a wheelchair after an accident and having to relearn how to walk. “It was a really horrible experience, but I got through it, and in retrospect the whole thing taught me a lot of patience and perseverance. Now the only thing I have left from that ordeal is a very characteristic gait, and a different outlook on life really.”

This left Simon Lundqvist experiencing difficulty with concentration and a lot of free time on his hands. He became obsessed with drawing and sketching, finding he could focus on this and it made him feel better. “I think that single-mindedness really helped me to learn and develop. Ever since childhood I have been infatuated the idea of being an artist and this has grown stronger over time. I’m just really in love with the process of painting and I can think of nothing better than spending my days making art.”

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Cherol Filbee

Cherol Filbee - aotearoa artist

A PORTABLE OCCUPATION

Cherol Filbee has been heading in the arts direction her whole life. She loves being an artist. “I am never bored and my work is portable. My husband Peter, a top croquet player, enters tournaments all over NZ and likes me to accompany him. He knows I am lost without a project, so the deal is that I take my art work with me. When he played the world champs in London, I enrolled in a five day portraiture class at the Heatherly School Of Fine Art.”

Qualifying from The Learning Connection with honours in art and creativity, Cherol studied part-time, starting in 2010.
Awarded a scholarship for every year but one, she explains that simply drawing has become the basis of all her work. “I love faces and like to portray them as portraits or caricature in 2D and 3D. Cats have also featured quite a lot in my work. I like to challenge myself and work from life rather than a photo reference.”

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