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Isaac Weston - Copper Artist
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 showNgā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/Learn more about Mandy and the podcasthttps://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog
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Sefton Rani - Parehuia Artist in Residence
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 showNgā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/Learn more about Mandy and the podcasthttps://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog
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Claudia Aalderink - Contemporary artist
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 compositionOriginally 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 showNgā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/Learn more about Mandy and the podcasthttps://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog
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Sara Langdon - Contemporary Artist
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 showNgā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/Learn more about Mandy and the podcasthttps://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog
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James Watkins - Painter
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 showNgā mihi, thanks for listening! Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/creativematterspodcast/Learn more about Mandy and the podcasthttps://www.creativematters.co.nz/podcast See images of each guests work and relevant links on our blog https://www.creativematters.co.nz/blog
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