Virginia Watson
ABOVE: Golden Bay - Oil From Burnout to Backcountry: The Artistic Evolution of Virginia Watson For many, the dream of leaving…
Caitlin Johnston 2
OCEANS OF TALENT Caitlin Johnston has been featured here before in 2021, and has come on in leaps and bounds since…
Jennifer Stebbings
PROLIFIC DETAIL
Born in Motueka, New Zealand, Jennifer Stebbings didn’t have any formal fine-art training, however she did go to Christchurch Polytech for a year, doing visual Communications. “I have always loved painting and drawing from my first memory. I went into commercial art thinking fine arts wasn’t really an option for a ‘real job’ I always knew that art in some form would be my only path.”
She moved back to New Zealand, from England in 2014, and for the first time, circumstances allowed her to pursue painting full time. Her biggest obstacle was confidence: “I battled to have confidence in my product with no apologies. I had my first exhibition when I was about 18, and an art critic said my path is in design as I have no knowledge of colour. I probably didn’t, but I was gutted. Now I would think, well, that’s just your opinion which you are entitled to. Thats not to say I wouldn’t take criticism on board, but it wouldn’t bother me now.”
Tut Blumental
Born in Israel, Tut Blumental has been passionate about art from a very early age, exploring and working with different methods…
Elise De Silva
DRAMATIC LIGHT Born in Australia, and having a talented mum as an artist, Elise De Silva reflects on her fondest memories…
Gaylene Lonergan
SILK Gaylene Lonergan was taught the art of painting on silk by a master silk painter in Bali, Indonesia around 30…
Lanie Wilton
GISBORNE MAGIC When Lanie Wilton was growing up, she says, there was no shortage of talent in her family. Her mother,…
Gwyn Hughes
NATURAL PROGRESSION Gwyn Hughes’ father and grandfather used to paint and it was a natural progression for him to become an…
Iwen Yong
NOTABLE TALENT
Born in Kuala Lampur, and immigrating to New Zealand at the age of six, with his family, Iwen Yong has never formally trained as an artist. “I have never had any formal education in art and no one in my family (extended and immediate) have had any experience in the creative field so it was hard to bridge that gap. Growing up I would never consider art as a profession (more of a hobby) so it was a tough decision to give up a stable income and career aspirations to take a risk and pursue art full time."
Iwen grew up in Maungaraki, Lower Hutt and went to Puketiro primary, Hutt Valley high school and then Victoria university. “I went to university to study accounting and commercial law and then I qualified and worked as a chartered accountant. While at work one day I drew a picture of my dog, Gus, on the whiteboard. An older lady who was an artist asked my boss Marie who the artist was. She approached me and asked if I had ever tried oil painting. Growing up I wasn’t really exposed to the arts and I didn’t even know what a canvas was. She offered to bring her student grade oil paints for me if I wanted to give it a try. I was reluctant at first but I found it relaxing and I really enjoyed the creative process. However, accountancy is quite different from pursuing a career in fine arts.”
Lacey Middleton
SYMBOLIC DETAIL
With a diploma in Creative technologies from WelTec, Lacey Middleton began painting seriously when her twins were babies
as a way to earn extra cash while looking after her three young children.
“Art was something I was naturally good at, and it brought in extra income. My realistic paintings seemed to sell as fast as I could make them, and word of mouth sales meant I began to have commissions come in. I also studied art history for seven years, and adore the renaissance and impressionism styles. The work of great artists, like Monet, never ages.”