Creative Connections

Muse Gallery, founded by Kaye McGarva in 2017, is situated in Havelock North, in the Bay of Plenty, Aoteaora NZ. In this episode I talk to Kaye McGarva, a professional artist herself and the owner/director of Muse Gallery. This bis a conversation I'm sure many artists will be intrigued to hear. Kaye shares how and why she started Muse Gallery 9 years ago and the challenges of starting a gallery with no former experience in this area and how she grew the gallery from the ground up. We explore how Muse Gallery organises their yearly exhibition programme, the current stable of artists at Muse Gallery, how/why they were selected and how connecting with more experienced established artists helped the gallery to build their good reputation. Kaye gives some super helpful tips to artists when approaching galleries: the dos and don'ts; her preferred ways for artists to connect and share their work; how and why they choose the artists to join the gallery; what feedback or advice they may pass on to artists approaching them and what they look for in an artist beyond their work. We talk about how the gallery deals with artists not selling work, how she feels about artists experimenting and changing styles, gallery commissions and pricing work, her view on artists selling work themselves, artist contracts, how the gallery elevates the artists and communicates the ideas behind their artists work. Kaye explains what type of gallery she sees Muse Gallery as, what if offers as a gallery, ways they make the gallery feel accessible, how the gallery operates and where this gallery fits in the NZ gallery landscape. And so much more! This is a fascinating chat which I know you'll benefit from listening to. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Caitlin Johnston is a multi media artist living near the Hibiscus Coast north of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. As a Kiwi, much of Caitlin's work shows the deep connection that we have with the ocean and the land in Aotearoa. The way it makes us feel, and how we are connected to it. The sounds of the waves, the emotions we feel, the endless beauty of coastline and the nature of New Zealand inspires her work. Caitlin uses upcycled surf boards and various other found materials as her canvas, then incorporates mixed media, acrylic paint, drawings and pure oxidized copper often sealed with a resin pour. 2 years ago at the age of 30, Caitlin made the decision to devote herself to being a full time artist. She began by entering art shows which proved to be very successful, giving her the confidence to continue and deadlines to work towards. In this episode Caitlin talks about her love of trying out new techniques and experimenting with found materials such as discarded surfboards, old frames, mirrors and wood. We discuss her use of copper leaf, the oxidising process, her approach to painting on the back of a mirror and her love of experimentation. Caitlin has a very positive, reflective attitude to her growing art career. We talk about the term 'self taught artist'; how she has found her distinctive, very original style; her love of portraiture and where that is heading; what she loves about the regional NZ art shows; why she thinks she needs to "show some restraint" and the narratives and ideas behind her work. Subscribe to the Creative Connections Podcast You Tube channel to see a video of this episode. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Fiona Kerr Gedson is a fibre artist who has used feathers as her primary medium for more than 25 years. She works from her home near Ōpōtiki, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa NZ. Fiona’s meticulously crafted, intricately designed feather pieces have a calming and meditative presence. Her work reflects and honours the things most important to her – her family, her spirituality, shared experiences, life stages and a sense of kotahitanga (unity). Her most recent collection, Pilgrimage, is the embodiment of this. Inspired by walking the Camino de Santiago – completing 1500km over 8 1/2 weeks, this series responds to the many stained glass windows found in chapels and cathedrals on Fiona's remarkable life changing hikoi, which she undertook in 2022. In this episode we have a beautiful conversation about walking the Camino and how this has consequently influenced her art practice. Fiona shares a personal experience of losing her precious father 3 weeks in to the pilgrimage and how she managed to process and manage her initial grief and keep walking. We discuss another influence in her practice, her work with Family Constellations (a method of family therapy or systemic therapy), and how this has also informed her practice. Fiona shares how she started working with feathers in her early twenties; how she sources the peacock, turkey, guinea fowl and hen feathers; her positive long term connections with galleries; her meticulous creative process; her framing approach and the meditative aspects of pattern. And so much more. You can see the uncut video of our conversation on our You Tube channel Creative Connections Podcast. I'd love you to subscribe! Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Lucy Eglington is a painter originally from the UK who immigrated to Aotearoa in 2003. She works from her hole studio in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Working primarily in oils, Lucy’s paintings explore human states of mind: dreams, successes, losses, grief and love and the narratives we tell ourselves. She often uses animals to represent ideas and feelings and to add individual narratives to each work. With a successful track record of sell-out shows and recognition in prestigious art awards, her works resonate with audiences around the world. In this episode we have a gorgeous chat about the ideology behind Lucy's work, the way she uses animals in her work and what they represent to her, what she is communicating through her work, how she wants the viewer to reflect on through her work, her love of portraiture, her creative process from sketching and note taking to filing her ideas and her painting approach. We have an uncut video of this chat which will be available soon on our You Tube channel, which is currently under development. This will contain images of the work we are talking about and could be a fantastic resource for art teachers, artists and interested creatives, and for people who just love to watch instead of listen. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Alexandra Tylee is a painter living in Poukawa in the Hawkes Bay. From her early twenties until her early forties Alexandra setup and ran 2 successful businesses, Fuel espresso in Wellington and Pipi Cafe in Havelock North. She has also written 3 cookbooks and an award winning children’s fiction book called If I Was A Banana. Alexandra started painting around 5 years ago. Selling Pipi cafe in 2023 allowed her to devote herself more to her painting practice and since then she has had two sell out exhibitions at Muse Galley in Havelock North. In this episode we talk about her passion for cooking and how it intertwines and connects with her love of painting, feelings, memories, stories and the still life paintings she likes to paint. We discuss how she sees running a business as a creative outlet and her approach to working in hospitality, how she feels now she has sold her business and has finally got time to devote to paintings, the painting lessons she had with NZ artist Helen Kerridge and why that felt important for her to do. Alexandra shares how she choose the objects for her still life works, what they mean to her and what they communicate, the way she sets up a composition that reflects the way she sees things, how she combines different elements and objects in her own unique way and how her paintings create stillness. We also talk about the 4 books she has written and her love of writing despite being dyslexic - I've included the video of Alexandra reading her children's book at the bottom of her blogpost. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Anna Stichbury is a contemporary New Zealand artist from Wellington whose practice spans painting and installation, distinguished by her bold use of colour, layered textures, and dynamic mark-making. It was a pleasure to meet and talk to Anna, an artist I have admired for a long time, and hear all about her fascinating art practice. We discuss how Anna studied design in Wellington after high school, what she gained from this course and a significant moment that lead to her first gallery representation in her early twenties, which marked the beginning of her established full time professional artist career of more than 25 years. Anna works around a number of themes and styles which all connect and talk to each other in different ways. We explore her floral paintings, her installation work and her most recent portraiture work and how she approaches and manages each of these series. Anna shares how her latest focus on portraiture came about and the joys and challenges of exploring a new genre within her practice. We chat about collage, installation, materials, working between styles and media successfully, maintaining personal creative projects alongside her professional work and why this works for her. And so much more. Anna has a solo show Listening To Flowers coming up at Parnell Gallery August 12th - 26th 2025. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Sur Collective is an artist collective founded in 2021 out of a need to create a sense of place and redefine the space Latina artists use as migrant women in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Sur-Collective are 5 wahine from Colombia and Chile who work with different art disciplines such as sculpture, drawing, painting, textiles, ceramics, photography and embroidery. Today I'm speaking with one of the collective artists Cat Guevara, a ceramic artist who migrated to Aotearoa from Colombia 8 years ago. We have a fascinating chat about how Sur Collective came about and why, how it feels to be a Latina practising artist in NZ and how the collective artists use the arts as a tool to connect, relate and communicate, always with a focus on bringing their heritage and a certain flavour to this land. The Collective see the all of the work they do a bit like a portfolio: the work they create as individual artists that reflects on the collective, art activations, workshops, their studio space at Corbans Art Estate, installations, artist talks, community projects as well as group and solo shows. We talk about some of the amazing Sur Collective art activations and community projects they have delivered, the ideas and stories behind the projects, what they hope to achieve from this work and how they engage and communicate with their audience. We discuss their approaches to the funding process and Cat has some great tips for people applying for funding. Cat talks about her own ceramic art practice and how her work connects back to her heritage, her ancestors and her culture. She shares how she finds living in Aotearoa and NZ people as a Latina wahine and what she has learnt from us, which is super interesting! I am so happy to have had this conversation with an artist and collective who have immigrated to Aotearoa and hope to speak to more immigrant artists who are building community and relationships and developing their art practice here in Aotearoa. Sur Collective: Catherine Guevara (Ceramist); Juliana Duran (Visual Artist); Jesu Vasquez (Visual Artist); Lina Castro (Industrial Designer, Embroidery Artist); Romina Ortega (Visual Artist) https://www.instagram.com/sur.collective/ Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

This episode is different to our usual format. Mandy is in the Kumeu Arts gallery at the podcast group show CONNECTION with 4 previous podcast guest artists who have work in the show. Contemporary Fine Artist Dita Angeles https://www.ditaangeles.com/ Abstract photographer Chris Melville http://www.chrismelville.co.nz/ Painter Yvonne Abrcrombie https://www.instagram.com/yvonneabercrombie Contemporary painter Coral Noel Yang https://coralnoelyangart.com/ Each guest was asked what they've been up to artistically since we last spoke on the podcast, to talk about their work in the show and how it relates to the theme of connection, which work in the show is the on they'd most like to take home and why, what they think of the show and what's next for them. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Hello and welcome to season 9 of Creative Connections. I’m so excited to be back with weekly episodes and a fantastic varied line up of artists booked in from now until mid December 2025. This episode is a bit different. I was interviewed by artist Julie Battisti for The Creative Kind Podcast a few months ago and I thought you might be interested in listening to our conversation. We’re talking community. Which is very topical at the moment alongside the current Connection group show at Kumeu Arts which I curated, involving 60 artists who have been guests on the podcast. This exhibition runs until July 19th 2025 and is absolutely well worth a look. The opening last Friday was a wonderful demonstration of the community that is developing through this podcast, made up of listeners, guest artists, other artists, and some of our Aotearoa galleries. I mention in this episode my previous business Creative Matters, which has been sold since we recorded. Creative Connections is my new business, encompassing creative work in communities, schools and on the podcast, all with a visual arts, collaboration and community focus. I hope you enjoy this episode and make sure you follow The Creative Kind Podcast if you don’t already, where Julie explores listener questions and visual arts topics with artists and experts, offering diverse perspectives and insightful discussions I know you’ll enjoy. The Creative Kind Podcast Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow CREATIVE CONNECTIONS on Instagram Learn more about Creative Connections and see images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog

Janette Cervin is a contemporary painter. She lives in Warkworth, north of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with her partner and artistic collaborator Jake Kennedy. Jan creates beautiful large-scale paintings that offer an invitation to an immersive antipodean paradise teeming with exquisitely detailed New Zealand flora and fauna. A unique illusion of depth is created through the combination of traditional painting conventions and applications of thick layers of glossy resin, which is where Jake Kennedy comes in. This is a very special chat with Janette and I loved welcoming Jake to the conversation part way through to talk about his involvement in Janette's artistic process. Jan and I explore a number of personal life challenges Jan has had and how these have influenced her paintings. We discuss her early successful career in craft and decorative painting which formed the context for her commitment to explore formal art/academic education as an adult student, completing a masters degree in fine art in 2014. Jan shares how her paintings evolve, the the happy accidents that have informed her practice, her folk art inspired painting techniques and the different brushes she uses for different parts of the flowers and how she creates the incredible depth and layering in her paintings. It was beautiful to see the formidable team that is Jake and Jan together and inspiring to see the obvious love and respect they have for each other. We talk about their shared goals, the way they work together, how they compliment each other and how they both contribute to their art practice and process. Jake goes into detail about his part of the resin process: experimenting with colour, using pigments and dyes with resin, 2 pot polyester resin application, his process of layering, sanding between layers and reusing and reconstructing old paintings. This is the most gorgeous chat with 2 lovely NZers, I know you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Alice Alva is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Kirikiriroa – Hamilton, New Zealand. Her work is informed by an interest in patterns, ornamentation, architecture and craft-based processes. In addition to her art and design work, Alice is also an art educator and a māmā to her daughter Daphne. She is an advocate for the visual arts in Aotearoa, New Zealand and is on the executive committee of ANZAAE – Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Art Educators. This episode is our very first episode with our new podcast name CREATIVE CONNECTIONS. Same podcast different name and branding. I so enjoyed meeting Alice and we had the best chat. We talk about materiality, what mediums in art might be taken more seriously than others, the challenges of attitudes to embroidery or textiles in the art world, the different ways textiles can be viewed and what Alice loves about craft based art. Alice shares how she combined painting and design after studying both visual arts and design earlier in her career, and why she moved from computer based design to teaching high school art. We explore how she came to embroidery, how her embroidery practice has developed over the years, becoming an integral part of her creative practice. Alice talks about her sketchbook / workbook practice, her interest in ornamentation and how she has brought all the disciplines, styles and themes of her practice together. We discuss how the shift in scale working on murals excites (and exhausts!) her and provides balance to her practice. We delve into how Alice's priorities and approaches have shifted since becoming a mother and the ways she shares her making process with her daughter Daphne, why and in what ways nature inspires her, how using text and the titles of her work helps her to communicate things that are important to her. And so much more! So let's just get into it! You're going to get so much from this conversation. You can see Alice's beautiful work at her 2 galleries, The Mandarin Tree Gallery in Hamilton and Masterworks in Auckland. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Michelle McIver's is a contemporary artist who grew up in rural Otago and is now living in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Her work explores the interplay of light, colour, and form through abstract compositions. Using simple geometric shapes, she layers and juxtaposes blocks and bands of colour to create depth and structure. Each painting is an exploration of how light interacts with form, evoking a sense of balance in its abstract simplicity.' Michelle and I feel like kindred spirits. I loved sitting down with her and having a good chat in my little studio. We explore how she went from figurative drawing from a young age to abstract painting later in life, her short lived experience studying art at Uni after leaving school, her experience living in Japan for 7 years and how this time has influenced her and her work. We discuss how she came to seascape and landscape painting, her connection to the sea and to land, Michelle shares her personal story of how the Christchurch earthquake disaster deeply affected her and her family, forcing a move out of the city 4 days later and a new direction. We explore a pivotal time in Michelle's practice when she studied painting at Browne School of Art in 2024, the ways her art practice evolved over this time and how the guidance from the teachers has helped her to gain confidence in her work - helping her to settle on her own ideas, talk about her work and push her thinking and techniques to finally develop her personal style. Michelle talks us through her early and current artistic practice and process, her painting techniques using glazes and acrylic paint, how she approaches scale, titling work and her connection with her 2 art galleries Turua and Gallery de Novo. And so much more! Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

The Resale Royalties Scheme brings New Zealand in line with global standards to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their work is resold. It means NZ art resold here and overseas will return a payment to our artists or their successors. Today I'm speaking with Chief Executive Sam Irvine. He explains everything artists, successors and art market professionals need to know about the Resale Royalty Scheme. I recommend you check out their website https://resaleroyalties.co.nz/ after listening to this episode which has all this information and more set out in a very readable, intuitive way with PDFs you can download, guidelines and helpful videos. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Isaac Weston is a full-time copper artist based in Matua, Tauranga, Aotearoa NZ. Isaac’s creative process is a unique blend of artistry and alchemy, combining acids, salts, and sunlight to reveal the hidden beauty of copper. This approach allows him to bring out light, shadow, texture, and vibrant patinas, showcasing the organic elegance of the metal. From sculptures to wall art, Isaac creates high-quality gallery pieces that reflect his ongoing fascination with the ever-changing textures and colours of his materials. I loved talking to Isaac in my studio at Muriwai. We explore his past careers and how he came to be a full time artist 8 years ago in his forties. He explains how copper became his medium of choice, what inspired him in the beginning to make and what gave him the confidence and impetus to keep going in the early days. Isaac shares how he has developed his art practice to become a successful sustainable career through diversification, the creation of his own garden and art gallery with the support of his wife Lara, connecting with gallerists and community groups, building relationships and putting himself out there as much as possible. We go deep into Isaac's fascinating creative process: how he sources and reuses railway sleepers and copper, his process for creating patinas on his copper works; how he creates different patina colours and textures; his approach to scale and shape; how he comes up with designs; his cutting and connecting processes; his varnishing techniques and the development of his large range of sculptural works. He shares how he visualises work in his mind before he comes to make it (often when he should be sleeping - I can relate to that!), ways he has created tools and developed techniques over the years through perseverance, problem solving and modification. We talk about why he has decided to market his work under two brands, Isaac Weston Artist and Rework It, how he manages deadlines, how he has learnt to say no over the years, how he manages his 'show pony' and 'peacock' tendencies and we also touch on tricky topics like people copying his work and cultural appropriation. Isaac's enthusiasm and passion for what he does is infectious and his entrepreneurial approach to his work is inspiring. You're going to love this chat. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Sefton Rani describes himself as a maker, who uses paint as his primary material. Based in Auckland, he is a visual DJ who mashes up industrial materials with Cook Island narratives, to create modern Pasifika art. Sefton is the current Parehuia Artist in Residence at McCahon House, which is in Titirangi West of Auckland NZ. McCahon House Artists’ Residency, named Parehuia by local kaumatua Eru Thompson in 2008, is amongst the most prestigious artists’ residencies in New Zealand. Three residencies a year, each of three months duration, are available to outstanding professional artists. Artists receiving the residency live and work in the purpose-built French Bay house with an attached studio. I met Sefton in the studio this week to have a chat about the residency, being an artist in residence, the work he is creating over this 3 month period, how he has been inspired by past events and his surroundings, his thinking and development and of course his creative process. This is the second time Sefton has been a guest on the podcast - you might like to go back to episode 73 which we recorded in March 2023 to hear more about Sefton's life and art practice. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Claudia Aalderink is a self-taught artist based in Kihikihi, near Hamilton in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is also the founder and director of The Mandarin Tree art gallery in Gordonton. Her works are created by meticulously fragmenting discarded beehives in a non-symbolic approach. Within a reduced visual vocabulary of circles, squares, rectangles, and lines, she explores the subtlety of colour, scale, and composition Originally from Holland, Claudia says her 2005 move to New Zealand has been ‘life changing’ for her family and her art. We have a beautiful chat with all the windows and doors open in the studio on a gorgeous summer's day, serenaded by cicadas (and the builders next door!). We talk about how Claudia discovered her medium of choice - beehives, how she sources and stores the boxes, her systems for selecting which parts and which colours to use, It was fascinating hearing about Claudia's creative process. Claudia likes to work with a variety of scale and shapes, combining them in different ways. She shares her approach to design, composition, colour, space and shape, the ways she incorporates different elements found on the beehives and how she comes up with the titles and what they mean to her. We explore the charring part of her process, how she embraces imperfection and unexpected elements within the boxes, the introduction of stitching and the importance of artistic collaboration. Claudia shares how she randomly discovered and fell in love with a building in Gordonton 10 years ago, previously a BP service station, which she went on to turn into her own art gallery The Mandarin Tree. We talk about some things she has learnt as a gallery owner and business woman, the challenges of juggling her business and her art practice and how the two parts of her life connect and compliment each other. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Sara Langdon is a contemporary New Zealand landscape artist living in Beachlands, East of Auckland. Sara currently draws inspiration from the beauty of familiar and distinct volcanic landmarks around Auckland city and the Waitemata Harbour.The New Zealand landscape is Sara's source of inspiration and reason for painting. Sara paints places she is connected to and loves, places she wants to explore and respond to so that people who feel this same connection are able to enjoy a tangible reminder of a place. In this episode Sara shares her journey to eventually finding her art practice, trialling other creative careers along the way that never quite felt like the right fit for her. We talk about her initial connection with Parnell Gallery in 2013, her fascination with Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland volcanic mountains and tree scapes and her love of capturing texture, atmosphere, pattern, tone, line and light in her work. We discuss the addition of houses in her work and the challenges these present, how she finds commissions and Sara shares her approach to framing, varnishing, composition, painting skies, building relationships with galleries and the value of creating beautiful limited edition prints of her paintings. She unpacks her acrylic painting process, starting with a photograph. We talk social media and marketing, her personalised stationery and how she builds and maintains connection with her audience and collectors. Sara has an upcoming joint show with landscape artist Matt Payne at Parnell Gallery: Salt and Light III, April 1st - April 15th 2025. Opening event on April 1st 5.30pm - 7pm. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog

Born in Oxford in the UK in 1984, James Watkins moved to Auckland, New Zealand at a young age, kicking off a lifelong journey of travel and creative exploration. James thinks of his intuitive painting practice as limitless and sees defining his practice as a certain style or describing himself as a certain type of artist as restrictive and unnecessary. In this episode James shares how he never really felt creative as a young person but discovered photography in his late teens. From photographing beautiful things around him, James went on to explore writing, poetry and arts journalism and then made his way to abstract drawing and painting in his mid twenties. We discuss materiality, why he likes to use more than one medium in a painting, why he likes to create what he calls 'history' in a painting, his techniques for starting a painting and the metaphors he see in his paintings. He talks about how and why he 'listens' to a painting and how abstraction for him is a form of therapy and self expression. James thinks of 'excitement' as one of the ingredients and resources he leans on most in his art practice and when he loses that excitement his creativity retreats. We dive deep into the pros and cons of Instagram for artists and explore his approach to building community, connecting with galleries and sharing his work. This episode is like no other. James has many interesting perspectives on life, life as an artist and ways of thinking about and responding to art, creativity and process. To be honest, talking to James has really made me think about my own life as an artist and my artistic process. You can see the work of James Watkins in the NEW COLLECTORS GROUP SHOW at The Frame Workshop and Gallery in Auckland NZ from February 20th - March 8th. Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast

Working at the intersection of art and technology, Delainy Jamahl's art practice focuses on data as the central narrative. He creates immersive and interactive installations that explore and visualise, transforming complex information into engaging visual experiences. It was lovely to meet Delainy and to speak with a creative technology artist - the first of his kind on the podcast! In this episode we explore the creative and technical routes he took and the great influence an artist mentor had on him that lead him to consider channelling his skills into an art practice. We discuss in detail two of Delainy's stunning works: Sight Unseen - which is a unique photographic dataset of infrared and colour infrared images of Wellington, continuing his exploration of visualising the invisible and revealing the beauty of the unseen. Rivers of Wind, a mesmerising immersive digital artwork, uses 8 years of historic weather data from the Wellington Airport weather station to produce its flowing visuals. We get into the technical side of immersive video and sound work, which although new to me I actually found super interesting. Delainy shares the feelings he is trying to express and create with the work, how people react to it, the ways he communicates the ideas behind his work and his creative process. We talk about a collaboration Nowadeus with NZ artist Tim Christie, who has also been on the podcast, and other plans he has for collaborative projects and spaces. Delainy is the owner & director at Artificial Imagination and the co-founder of The Grid, which produce captivating digital art experiences, collaborating with artists to challenge the boundaries of imagination. https://www.creativematters.co.nz/post/delainy-jamahl-visual-artist-creative-technologist Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast

Anna Gibbs is a contemporary painter living in Banks Peninsula, near Christchurch in the South Island of Aotearoa NZ. If you search her name on Google you'll see she is described as an "internet personality" which probably comes from the amazing work she does on the Instagram social media platform and her loyal audience of more than 100,000 followers. Anna is interested in conservation and fortunate to live on a rural lifestyle-block populated by many native birds and plants. Her oil paintings are inspired by her daily observations of the interaction between native flora and fauna. She is deliberate with her composition and, whilst her work is detailed, she describes her subject with neither abstraction nor absolute realism. In this episode we have a fabulous chat about all sorts of things - such as why Anna likes to gild her backgrounds with 24ct gold leaf and her delicate gilding process, her strong connection to NZ native birds and why she loves to paint them and her passion for conservation. Anna speaks of her apprenticeship with painter Judy Curnow, who studied with legend New Zealand painter Tim Wilson, and how that influenced her painting approach particularly with glazing techniques and helped her confidence as a self taught painter. We explore her painting process, framing, the size of her paintings, her gorgeous studio, how she prepares for an exhibition and her upcoming show at Little River Gallery. She shares some tips for Instagram and how she feels about this platform This is another quite long episode but it's full of really interesting tips and treasures and is so worth listening to - maybe over 2 walks or 2 commutes or 2 art making sessions, however you like to listen. You can view Anna Gibbs unbelievably beautiful paintings at her solo show South Island Songs at Little River Gallery from January 30th - February 24th 2025 https://littlerivergallery.com/ Support the show Ngā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/ Learn more about Mandy and the podcast https://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast