COLOUR MY WORLD

Children’s colouring-in books were popular in the 1970s, and learning to colour within the lines, although more a fine-motor skill than artistic expression, counted as art in many primary schools at the time.

“As it turned out, I was pretty good at it,” says Caz. “I enjoyed the process of laying down colours and managed to win prizes in many of the competitions I entered. (Entries were cut out from the children’s section of the Sunday newspaper, or picked up from the grocery store.)

“It was not until my high-school years that an understanding of what art actually was occurred under the tutelage of contemporary artist and educator Robert McLeod. In his classes, the only lines were those we created, and we were encouraged to experiment with materials and ideas while discussing the works of artists from Picasso to Pollock. During this time, I also began attending evening life- drawing classes at the Wellington Arts Centre [held then at the historic Dransfield House on Willis Street]. “As a 15-year- old, I was in awe of the confidence of the female models as they posed next to a tiny bar heater on wintry Wellington nights. I do remember one memorable session when, due to a no-show from the model, one of the music students who was facilitating the session stood in as a replacement. He was our first and only male model and chose to pose with his violin strategically positioned. I remember his embarrassed pink cheeks were matched by mine. I knew I should be looking and drawing, but it all felt too uncomfortable. I went on to paint female nudes in loose painterly pastel tones for my School Certificate exam — and there wasn’t a male or violin to be seen.” caznovak.co.nz