Art creative not painting pretty
Jodi Newnham isn’t interested in painting pretty pictures.
The versatile Auckland-based artist will have a range of work for sale at the upcoming Mt Albert Grammar School Fine Art Show 2016.
‘‘I just really love textural things or sculptural things, I don’t paint pretty pictures,’’ the mother-of-two says.
Despite this Newnham still intends for people to be able to relate to her work.
‘‘I always hope so, whether it’s the colour that strikes them or the movement...even a painting I’ve got here [in the art show] is predominantly blue but for me it was all about the movement and just the gesture in the movement of, say, the brush and the form.’’
It all began for Newnham when a teacher at primary school said she was going to be a great artist.
‘‘Maybe it was that one teacher saying that that got into my brain and I thought ’ you know what, that’s what I’m going to be’.’’
The Point Chevalier resident is now the founder and director of Swag Design Ltd, an interior design company.
But Newnham says she’s not the type of artist to channel her expression into one style - she has broad creative outlets which includes making jewellery, restoring furniture and sewing clothes.
‘‘It’s all about hands...I know I’m probably not one of your traditional artists where you get a style and you run with it and develop it.
‘‘Where I am at the moment, a lot of it is self-discovery I suppose.’’
Even her mother regularly tells her she needs to slow down, stop and focus.
‘‘I get itchy feet, I do one thing and then I’m like ‘yeah that was OK that worked but I want to do something else’...maybe I haven’t had a eureka moment of ‘this is it for me’.’’
First launched in 2014 the MAGS art show runs from Friday to Sunday and aims to raise funds for the school. This year’s event kicks off on the evening of August 19 with an art auction. Saturday and Sunday are free with a selection of small-scale work available for $50 each. Curator Clare Mora says it’s about raising awareness of the school’s artistic side as well as fundraising. ’’Last year was about a 40-45 per cent increase on the year before...this year we’ve improved many systems that it should be better again hopefully.’’
The show also includes works by 146 students.