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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Getting to know one another.

Here's your opportunity to get to know more about your fellow members and their art. If you'd like to participate, contact our VP: Karin

Q&A with Jeanette Brough (February 2025) 

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1. What is your name? Jeanette Brough (aka Jet) 2. Where are you originally from? Masterton [my birthplace], via Sydney, The Snowy Mountains, Stradbroke Island, Lord Howe Island, The Southern Highlands NSW, Queenstown & Arrowtown. It’s been a wild ride! 3. How long have you been a member of AGN? One year 4. In a sentence or two, how did you get into art? I have always had a creative vein. In my business life I expressed this in food presentation & floristry. In my own time I enjoyed working with found objects. Selling our business created the opportunity for me to explore new forms of expression, which I love. 5. What medium do you use? Acrylic, mixed media, coveted finds & in my travels, items eliciting a creative response 6. Where do you make your art? In my woman cave – Our garage 7. What is your style of art? Abstract 8. What is your approach to making art? I get inspiration from my travels. Recently in Taiwan I found some arresting tapa cloth. Mostly however, I just go for it. 9. When do you know a piece is finished? I am on a learning curve. I am trying to practice the mantra leave it alone, leave it alone. Sign-next please. 10. What themes are most important to you in your art? Colour and texture 11. Who are your favourite artists? Salvador Dali. In my school days I perceived him to be quite loony. Many years later I visited his museum in Figueres, Spain. I learnt that his artistic expression included but was not limited to sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, film & poetry. I reflected on the expression don’t judge a book by its cover. Frida Kahlo is another artist I admire. 12. What is your favourite colour? Flower? Bird? Africans say living without yellow is like living without the sun. I love all flowers and perhaps should have been a florist. The avian world is filled with many extraordinary species. My favourite however is the hummingbird. 13. What is your favourite environment or landscape? My happy place is anywhere outdoors. On my bike in New Zealand or in my global wanderings I relish the new around every corner. 14. What is your biggest indulgence in art materials? Recently, ink 15. What art form have you never tried but would like to? I am very much a novice but willing to try anything. We all have preconceived notions. Recently Jaquie would hear nothing of my protestations that I cannot draw. This is my new challenge. 16. Have you sold any of your art? Do you have a website? Yes, I have enjoyed selling some of my art. I do not have a website. 17. What is art for you? “The purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Pablo Picasso

Q&A with Robbie Burns (January 2025)

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What is your name? Robbie Burns Where are you originally from? Gisborne How long have you been a member of AGN? 10 years In a sentence or two, how did you get into art? I always had an interest in art at school, but never did anything about it until 10 years ago. What medium do you use? I started drawing in graphite and coloured pencil, and now paint in oils. Where do you make your art? We have converted our master bedroom into a studio, where I paint and my wife embroiders. What is your style of art? Realism What is your approach to making art? Purely selfish. I create for my own enjoyment, if other people like it, then that’s a bonus. When do you know a piece is finished? When I sign it. With my style of painting, I think it’s easier to tell when it’s finished, rather than, say, an abstract piece. What themes are most important to you in your art? Nothing really, although I do like a still life using chiaroscuro lighting technique. Who are your favourite artists? There are numerous, but probably Caravaggio and Vermeer top the list. What is your favourite colour? Flower? Bird? My favourite colour is the one that looks like the one I’m trying to mix on my palette. Favourite bird is the Lyrebird. It can imitate any noise it hears. (If they could paint, they’d be very wealthy.) Don’t have a favourite flower. What is your favourite environment or landscape? Favourite environment is the one above ground - long may it last. What is your biggest indulgence in art materials? I bought a tube of Rose Madder Genuine. Thank goodness I wasn’t painting the house! What art form have you never tried but would like to? No others, other than painting. It keeps me occupied. Have you sold any of your art? Do you have a website? Yes, and no What is art for you ? A challenge.

Q&A with Judith Gerritson (December 2024)

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Where are you originally from? Cheshire, England How long have you been a member of AGN? Nine years. In a sentence or two, how did you get into art? From birth. What medium do you use? Oil, watercolour, pen & ink, pastels, mixed media. Where do you make your art? Garage or kitchen. What is your style of art? Impressionist style. What is your approach to making art? Illustrative. When do you know a piece is finished? Some time later… What themes are most important to you in your art? Telling a story or a place. Who are your favourite artists? Impressionists. What is your favourite colour? Blue. Flower? Geranium and freesia. Bird? Morepork, blue tit. What is your favourite environment or landscape? Vignette. What is your biggest indulgence in art materials? Oil pastels. What art form have you never tried but would like to? Ongoing mixed media. Have you sold any of your art? Yes. Do you have a website? No. What is art for you? A relentless pest.

Q&A with Barry Burrows (November 2024)

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Where are you from originally? Rhodesia/Zimbabwe How long have you been a member of Art Group Nelson? I’ve been a member of AGN for about a year and a half How did you get into art? My mother really enjoyed painting. I caught the bug from her. I appreciate now that she was pretty good with landscapes and flowers. What medium(s) do you use in your practice? I often play with pencil on paper. Sometimes drawing natural objects like trees, shells or landscapes. Other times, it is abstracts playing with straight or curved lines, shading, perspective and depth of field. My colour paintings are done with egg tempera which is very unforgiving and time consuming. However it can produce very radiant colours and sculptural forms. Where do you make your art? I have a mini studio in the house with a bit of garden view. What is the style of your art? I have two almost opposite styles of art. I do some still life pictures from nature such as sea shells or flowers. In complete contrast, I go completely abstract. What is your approach to making art? I spend a lot of time browsing through art books and magazines and often visit galleries... When something really pulls me in, I try to work out the particular elements that caught and held my attention. Then I try to give it a go. I think it’s about creating an ambiance -- a treat for the eye and mind. When do you know that your piece of art is finished? Having overdone pieces too often, I have hopefully learnt to take a good break from the momentum near the end. A day or two even. That commonly turns out to be the finish line. What themes are most important to you in your art? My favourite themes include trees and shrubs and close landscapes. In abstract works it is mostly about playing with straight or curved lines to create rhythms and using textures and shading to give some depth of field. Who are your favourite famous artists (and do you have a favourite NZ artist)? My favourite NZ artists are Jane Evans (who was a neighbour), and Toss Woollaston. Other artists would be Durer, Monet and Paul Klee. What is your favourite colour, flower and/or bird? Colour: Rose Red (a Rowney color), Flower: Camelia, Bird: Tui. Beautiful black and white. So important for painting. What is your favourite environment or landscape? Upper Moutere and Japanese gardens in spring or autumn. What is your greatest indulgence in art supplies? Tubes of egg tempera paint. Very expensive! What kind of art, that you have never made, would you like to try making? I would like to try sculpture. Do you sell your art? Do you have a website? I haven’t sold a single piece of art!! And no I don’t have a website. What is art to you? Now that is very hard to explain. I think of music as a form of art. Think of a violinist who has composed, and played and recorded her music. Every violinist would have a unique composition, message, style, character, mood and more. She might be trying to please and impress an audience, or simply to please herself, or do both at once. In a few words, art to me is discovery, expression, pleasure and a kind of therapy.

Q&A with Tania Spitzmesser (September 2024)

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Where are you from originally? South Africa How long have you been a member of Art Group Nelson? 18 months I think How did you get into art? I’ve been involved with art since I was a kid. I started as a dancer. In my early 20s I fell in love with calligraphy and watercolour and that started my visual art journey. What medium(s) do you use in your practice? Mixed media, basically anything that I can lay my hands on. Paint, pen, fabric, paper, seeds and beads, scraps, packaging, old book pages… Where do you make your art? I have a space in my bedroom What is the style of your art? Grungy mixed media What is your approach to making art? Having fun and taking myself on adventures. When do you know that your piece of art is finished? I'm not sure that I do. What themes are most important to you in your art? Colour palettes, emotions, landscapes, resilience and fragility. Who are your favourite famous artists (and do you have a favourite NZ artist)? Picasso, Hockney. My favourite NZ artist is Ann Robinson. What is your favourite colour, flower and/or bird? I love green, especially emerald green. My favourite flower is an iris. My favourite bird is a phoenix. What is your favourite environment or landscape? I love the desert. What is your greatest indulgence in art supplies? Anything I can eco dye with. What kind of art, that you have never made, would you like to try making? Hand built pottery. Do you sell your art? Do you have a website? Yes I do. I’ve just taken my website down. I prefer to deal with people in person. In five words or less, "Art to me is: freedom and adventure."

Q&A with Jo White (August 2024)

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Where are you originally from? Auckland (mostly) How long have you been a member of AGN? At least 3 months now! In a sentence or two, how did you get into art? Both of my parents were full-time potters, and I trained as a graphic designer before working in advertising for many years. What medium/s do you use in your art practice? Watercolour usually, with the odd dip into alcohol inks. Where do you make your art? I have an attic studio/office looking out across the harbour to the Abel Tasman ranges. What is the style of your art? I try multiple styles, but I am 99% cat-centric. What is your approach to making art? It’s almost as good as a glass of wine at the end of the day. And way better than watching TV. When do you know that your piece of art is finished? When I look at it the next morning, and still like it. What themes are most important to you in your art? Cats. Cats. Cats. Who are your favourite famous artists (and do you have a favourite NZ artist)? Endre Penovac – a Serbian watercolour artist (who does amazing cats). No favourite NZ artist although many that I admire. What is your favourite colour, flower and/or bird? Pink (this week), sunflowers, tuis. What is your favourite environment or landscape? Forests. What is your greatest indulgence in art supplies? Daniel Smith watercolours (which can be eye wateringly expensive) What kind of art, that you have never made, would you like to try making? Linograph! Do you sell your art? Do you have a website? Yes, most of my work is commissioned. www.catopia.nz In five words or less: Art to me is my happy place

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