Still-life Archives - Page 2 of 3

Julia Henderson

1 November 2014
Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Figures, Floral, Kiwiana, Maori, Painting, Realism, Still-life

THE DISTINCTIVE VOICE

Growing up and being schooled in the United Kingdom, Julia Henderson attended a very conservative grammar school, where art was not considered an appropriate career choice. She studied Biological Sciences and went on to do a BSc and PhD in Ecology. She still felt the urge to get involved with the arts though and after immigrating to New Zealand 25 years ago, she obsessively studied art, taking numerous classes and workshops covering all aspects of art – drawing, painting in all media, print-making, colour theory and art history including Maori and Pacific art.

After deciding to take the next step and try to make a career out of art, she began entering competitions, experiencing some success. Finally a friend convinced her to approach a gallery with her work, and to her delight and beyond her wildest dreams, Julia was offered a solo exhibition. The sell-out show, held nearly 20 years ago, cemented Julia’s ambition and she has prospered ever since.

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Mehrdad Tahan

1 July 2014
Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Drawing, Featured Artists, Figures, Hyper Realism, Illustration, Impressionism, Oils, Painting, Still-life, Watercolour

KNOW YOURSELF

From an early age Mehrdad Tahan had an interest in drawing and studied techniques used by the Old Masters. By the age of twenty, he had established his first studio where he taught drawing and calligraphy as well as exhibiting his own works.

In 1990 Mehrdad left Iran for New Zealand, which resulted in a pause in art while he improved his English and learnt about our culture. Family reasons dictated a move to Sweden, and a new culture and language to learn. 1999 saw Mehrdad return to New Zealand and settle in Christchurch.

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Kathryn Millard

1 July 2014
Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Impressionism, Landscape, Nature, Oils, Painting, Pastels, Seascape, Still-life

THE INNER ARTIST

It is an intense and intimate relationship and interaction with the world around her that feeds Kathryn Millard’s artistic soul.

“My life is about energy, rhythm and sensation, and translating that into a piece of art,” she declares. “It is about inventing the perfect technique, my own unique language for my response to nature. It is the experience of what I see happening all around me that stimulates me and gets me going, not the thing itself, that is the underlying subject of my work.”

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Karen Panton

1 July 2014
Abstract, Acrylic, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Birdlife, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Illustration, Nature, Painting, Portraits, Still-life, Surrealism

THE ART OF HUMOUR

Karen Rosaline Panton is one of those exceptional, largely self taught artists who has developed a sense of style and presentation all of her own. Reading her comments in this article and perusing through some of her paintings it is evident that Karen lives her art; each painting has a voice and meaning, each one a soul.

Apart from the odd day class, Karen, who currently hails from Napier, says she has enjoyed several short courses with the likes of Krispin Korschen, Rua Longley, Marianne Muggeridge, Megan Schmidt, among others. “All fabulous artists,” she enthuses, “who have stretched my mind sideways, up and down and inside out, that is when they could catch up with my own train of thoughts.”

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Jo Chester

1 May 2014
Abstract, Animals, Artists, Featured Artists, Figures, Oils, Painting, Portraits, Realism, Still-life, Surrealism

HOLD ON TIGHT

“Art enables us to find and lose ourselves at the same time” Thomas Merton.

“Ever since I can remember I have always been drawing and creating images,” Jo Chester explains when asked about her entry in the world of art, “I had a very supportive teacher at Rotorua Girl’s High who encouraged my talent and insisted that I apply to Wellington Polytechnic to study graphic design.”

This ultimately resulted in a career with art as the baseline. “I have worked as a Graphic designer, Textile designer, even designing jeans at one stage as well as drawing up fashion shots for a retail outlet.

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Amanda Brett

1 March 2014
Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Floral, Impressionism, Landscape, Painting, Still-life, Watercolour

THE COLOURS OF WATER

“All my life I had always wanted to be an artist,” Amanda says, “but it got lost amongst a business career, and that of being a wife and mother.” Continuing she adds that High School was a big waste of time for her.

“I had many ideas for my future but I am sad to say my school would not support any of them. I wanted to become an architect, but I wasn’t allowed to study any of the foundation courses. I was even told by the school career counsellor “not to worry about art or music school as I was just going to get pregnant, so why bother?”

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Pauline Gough

1 March 2014
Acrylic, Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Figures, Impressionism, Landscape, Mixed Media, Nature, Painting, Seascape, Still-life, Street Scenes

CALL OF THE ARTIST

When asked what motivates her, Pauline Gough says simply: “It is the love of it. It’s important for me to love the whole process – if it feels like work, I shouldn’t be doing it.”

Recalling her early years when the call of the artist flowed strongly in her heart, Pauline says she has always loved anything to do with art: “I wanted to do art at school, however my school in Wellsford, didn’t offer this as an option in those days. My mother looked into some individual lessons and the principal of Rodney College said he would try to arrange an art teacher; however this never amounted to anything. “Art as a career was what I desired, teaching is where I ended up,” she says wryly.

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Jane Pestell-Litten

1 March 2014
Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Featured Artists, Figures, Oils, Painting, Portraits, Realism, Still-life, Street Scenes

LIQUID LIGHT

Jane Pestell-Litten is a trans-Tasman fine artist working primarily in the traditional mediums of charcoal and watercolour, or oils on linen. Jane’s work is exclusively figurative (whole and portrait). Her charcoals are large and lively and strong in line and style.

She is driven to capture the brilliance of light and paints in the style of the Photorealist movement. Her work depicts the actuality of what the eye can see, yet allows for subject ambiguity to enable individual interpretation. Her work is held in numerous local and international private and public collections.

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Kellie Edwards

1 January 2014
Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Expressionism, Featured Artists, Figures, Illustration, Landscape, Painting, Pastels, Realism, Still-life

A FOCUS ON LIGHT AND AMBIENCE

Kellie Edwards spends a lot of time outside her studio thinking and planning, and as a long distance runner she has plenty of time for thinking.

When she is not running, Kellie works part time-caring for children of local families. This time spent with children has been a good counter balance to her work in fine art, being the opposite of contemplative studio time. The transition back into almost full time art has helped her work past being the perfectionist, and having less studio time in the week has been great leverage to keep her fearlessly moving forward.

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Alan Waters

1 January 2014
Abstract, Animals, Artists, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania, Contemporary Art, Featured Artists, Illustration, Nature, Painting, Still-life, Surrealism, Watercolour

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART

Mistakes are wonderful learning tools – if one analyses the process honestly and comes out the other end more determined than ever.

This is the personal philosophy of Alan Waters who has been described as New Zealand’s answer to Rene Magritte, a Belgian painter and one of the leading figures of the Surrealist movement. In fact one of Alan’s favourite pieces of art is `Clairvoyance (Self Portrait) 1936’ by Magritte. He says this image was one of many that really excited him and started his career as a full-time artist 19 years ago.

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Chris Dews
DEWSY ART Chris Dews was born in the Isle of Wight, UK, and is the…
Jamie Harkins
ABOVE: Jamie creating his work on Mount Maunganui Beach, Tauranga THREE DIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE Always wanting…
Joanne Luker
ABOVE: Rangitoto Porcelain SHARDS OF JOY Born in the UK, Joanne Luker loved art at…
Sonja Walker
ABOVE: Sonja with her Tasman National Art Award Merit Award painting - 'Everything but the…
Jill Richards
Above: Golden Days COLLAGE AND STITCH Jill Richards’ family originated from the UK, then moved…