it comes to nudity and is not only uncomfortable
with seeing other people’s bodies, but sometimes
their own too.
Winning the Cliftons Regional Art Prize for
Wellington towards the end of last year was, and
still is, very much a proud moment for me. The
experience of actually winning was very unusual
though, and something I am not at all used to.
My partner bought me a very nice bottle of
Pinot Noir afterwards and we laughed in baffled
excitement all weekend. Being selected for the
first time as a finalist for the prestigious Adam
Portrait Award this year was incredible, I felt like I
put my best work forward so having it chosen by
judge Mette Skougaard, a world-renowned expert
on portraiture, is really memorable. Furthermore,
my entry was selected to go on tour around the
country for 12 months, and sold just prior to the
tour kicking off up in Auckland. There were a lot
of high fives all round after hearing about that.
Thinking that I am not good enough for the
task set ahead of me is a personal obstacle I face
on a near daily basis, and I have to fight hard
to ignore the negative taunts sitting upon my
shoulder. But once that first stroke of paint hits
the surface, I zone in on the feeling of the paint
as it moves about the panel, and that’s when I
find my happy place.
The human form is definitely my preferred
subject - there is so much to express in the
movements of muscle and flesh, and yet find
the subtleties in a delicately placed finger or a
slight upturned lip. It’s also completely relatable
because we are all made of the same stuff, we
all experience the same basic emotions and our
brain can read even the smallest flicker of muscle
movement to tell us that something is wrong, or
reward us with something to smile about. The
body is beyond fascinating.My favourite medium
Oil paint is by far my favourite medium to
work with. I love the way it feels to push around
with my brush or fingers, the freedom and
experimentation it offers by its longer drying time,
the smell. The richness in colour and texture is
perfect for the style of painting I do.
The oil paints I use are Schmincke Mussini,
Schmincke Norma, Old Holland and
Williamsburg. These are by far the best I have
used in terms of richness of colour, quality
of pigments and a creamy viscosity that I just
love about oil paint. Before I started working at
Gordon Harris art store, I thought the cheapie
student grades were fine, but once I actually
learnt about the paint itself and how it works,
it was a no brainer to use high quality paints
that give you that magic you expect from oils.
The misconception is that oil paint is far more
expensive than acrylic, but they are actually‘Big Girl’s Blouse.’ Oil on Panel. 1500 x 700mm. Finalist in the Adam
Portraiture Award 2016.