The NZ Art Show this year has officially blown me away, the quality of the work I saw at the show was amazing and so inspiring. I attended the Gala Evening on Thursday night, a chance for friends, sponsors and ticket buyers to get first dibs on all of the artwork. There were drinks and nibbles, live music, lots of people and lots of excellent artwork. I've been part of three shows now, but have never gone along to a Gala Evening. It was a bustling night of excitement as people put little red sold dots on their favourite pieces, nabbing them before anyone else could.
I sold 'Heat Wave' and 'The Mummy' to two lovely girls who took the time to talk to me about my work and tell me why they liked it so much, which was amazing. It was so nice actually meeting buyers and having a conversation with them. It means so much to me for anyone to even stop and look at my work, let alone buy it.
We spent a good couple of hours weaving through the maze of carefully hung artwork and admiring the incredible range of artists and styles on show. There were so many pieces that I loved but I wanted to compile a few of my absolute favourites into this post. These four artists were the stand-outs for me and there were aspects of all of their art that I would love to apply to my own work. For me, it's all about colour and when you're surrounded by so much incredible art, those pieces that simply pop off the wall and speak to me are bright, bold and original.
The NZ Art Show is still on for two more days at The TSB Arena in Wellington. So, if you're in the city stop by and check it out, there's a world of crazy cool and inspirational art to be discovered and a chance to support emerging kiwi artists!
Anthony Gordon
I've never seen acrylic paint used in such an effective way. I love the way this looks, the flat colours and almost cartoon-like shapes. I attempted to paint like this with acrylic for my school portfolio last year and found it so tricky to get those flat colours, without a single hint of brush-strokes. I love the colour palette that the artist has used throughout all of his works, I'm not sure if they are intended to go together as a series but they all compliment each other so well. My personal favourite was the very Wes Anderson like pink building on the top right, gives me major Grand Budapest Hotel vibes! I love the way he used a gradient of yellow paint to allude to light shining from a window, something that is so difficult to achieve and he has pulled it off so well.
Tanya Blong
Another absolutely dreamy use of acrylic. I was immediately drawn to Tanya's work as I painted with almost identical subject matter for my school portfolio last year. I loved painting the human figure but found it to be so much more interesting when the figures were wearing bathers, as opposed to clothes. This allowed me to really work on the shape of the body and create soft curves, uninterrupted by the random textures of clothing. However, Tanya paints her figures in a very different way to me, but I love it. She uses her brush in a much looser way, blending colours together to create a beautiful pink hue on the skin. I especially love the painting in the second image. The way her body is framed by the lush greenery of the palms and her reflection beneath her in the water.
Tanya's work was nearly all sold out when I went back to The Art Show yesterday, so get in quick if you want to check it out!
Claire Mcguinness
One thing I've never been able to paint successfully is human faces, I find it infuriatingly impossible. So Claire's work has me both stunned and very jealous. I love the simplicity of the colour blocked backgrounds, drawing all your attention to the face and the soft tones of the skin. I'm definitely more drawn to portraiture when it's a bit more abstract than photo realistic. Whilst both are incredible, I find there's a certain level of predictability that comes with super realistic paintings. Claire's work is the perfect balance between the two. I adore her use of soft colours, with pops of bright turquoise and green. She simplifies some features, in order to make others stand out, which is so effective.
Mahani Del Borrello
My personal favourite of all the work I saw at this year's show was Mahani's. It sits in prime position as you walk through the entrance to the show, her four images on display grabbed me instantly. I guess it's pretty obvious why I adore her work so much. The colours, the subject matter, the compositions and overall simplistic beauty. Her images definitely have that distinct Californian feel to them, which will always entice me. She works with strong lines and geometric shapes to frame her compositions, leading your eye across the work and guiding you to the intended focal point. I especially love the red shipping containers, with the gorgeous pinky blue sunset colours in the background. I have no idea how she creates such amazing images, or what she does to manipulate them post-production, but I absolutely love it!
Bella 🌼
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