Creative Matters

Established in 1974 by a group of young jewellery makers to promote their work, Fingers has become synonymous with innovation and originality and the development of an indigenous style of contemporary New Zealand jewellery. Fingers has been at the forefront of treating and displaying the craft object as art, and has constantly challenged the notion of what is precious. As the oldes

Bailee Lobb is a queer, disabled artist born in Whanganui, Aotearoa, 1989 and now based in Wellington. She is a multi-disciplinary artist who works with textiles, colour, and movement to create sculpture, installation, and performance artworks that explore art as disability access and care.In this enlightening episode Bailee talks about how she felt as a teenager, as a person who w

Julie Battisti is a painter who grew up in Melbourne Australia and moved to Aotearoa New Zealand with her husband in 2017, settling first in Rawene in the North Island then going on to make Dunedin her home.Julie's paintings currently have two significant themes; clouds and flowers. Both are studies of light and texture. In this episode Julie shares how she sources and chooses the

Chris Melville is a photographer, graphic designer and jazz musician living in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. In his latest photographic collection, Chris uses household items and a slow shutter speed to create landscape compositions, suggesting dreamy lakes or mountains appearing from the mist. Chris currently works with linen, denim, smooth cotton and coarse hessian, creating visual

Ross Jones is a painter creating works that evoke a heady sense of nostalgia and elevated playfulness, living in Snells Beach on the east coast north of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.Each meticulously devised painting offers hints at various narratives as the artist invites the viewer to engage with his role as storyteller.I loved meeting Ross and chatting to him. We talk about Ōtaki

Cathy Carter is a photographic and multimedia conceptual artist, living in Grey Lynn, Auckland. Cathy's art is inspired by concerns about climate change and our evolving relationship with bodies of water as physical, cultural, and unique environmental ‘landscapes’ and investigates our complex psychological relationship to water through different perspectives and geographical lo

Jeff Thomson is a sculptor living in the little suburb of Helensville, in the north west of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. He is well known for his corrugated iron animals, birds, cars and people as well as NZ icons like the Taihape gumboot and the Holden in our national Museum Te Papa, and is often referred to as the corrugated iron man of Australasia.Unconventional, humorous, challen

Emma Hercus is a painter born in Hastings and now living in Plimmerton, just north of Wellington.The everchanging ocean and its view from her home serve as constant reference points in Emma's narrative abstract figurative paintings.I loved talking to Emma. We talk about her early influences and inspiration from family as she was growing up, the amazing basketry and weaving practice

Today I'm catching up with painter, printmaker Kylie Rusk to see what she's been up to since I last spoke to her in March 2021.Listen to Kylie's first chat on the podcast in episode 2:https://www.creativematters.co.nz/post/creative-matters-on-air-with-kylie-ruskYou can see her work at her upcoming group show ELEMENTS at Turua GalleryOctober 18th - 30th 2024https://turuagallery.co.n

Gilly Sheffield is a sculptor | weaver living in both Glendowie in Auckland and Wanaka in the South Island. After a lifetime of making, it was only a few years ago that Gilly developed a more specific art practice using corrugated iron and started to see herself as an artist. In this episode Gilly shares how she came upon this very iconic NZ material, corrugated iron, how she sourc