Artist Interview - featured Artist & Committee Member : Russell Lewin
Because I paint pictures, some people have labelled me an artist. I have never really thought of myself as such.
I am really, I think, a hobby painter. An artist I think of as someone who is not happy unless they are holding a brush,
or whatever they produce their art with, in their hand. I certainly enjoy my painting but also have other interests, and living alone, often find other essential activities get in the way. When I can grab the opportunity to sit down with my paints I get lost in the work, oblivious of time and place - it is therapeutic, and I am always pleased whenever I get the chance.
I come from the South Island and the lakes and mountains inspire me, so not being able to actually visit them, I look for good photographs. I admire other artists' interpretations of that sort of landscape, whatever medium they use.
I cannot help but regard with awe the skills, technique and use of colour in some abstract work, but it does not inspire me, and I could not emulate it, probably because I feel inadequate trying to understand it. For this reason I try for accuracy when depicting an image, be it human, animal. or scenic. I really do enjoy getting colours right, and because I work with watercolour, mistakes can cause problems.
We are so lucky to have an establishment in our little community like the Kumeu Art Centre. It is so competently run, and it is growing, not without some pains, to suit our expanding population. I feel fortunate to be part of it, albeit a very small part.
Whenever I see an exhibition for the first time, I cannot compare it with any previous one - they vary so much. Again, I admire colours and skills. I know curating can have wonderful effects, and I look with admiration at the way the works have been displayed. The skills we have at our centre are indeed many and varied.
Because I paint pictures, some people have labelled me an artist. I have never really thought of myself as such.
I am really, I think, a hobby painter. An artist I think of as someone who is not happy unless they are holding a brush,
or whatever they produce their art with, in their hand. I certainly enjoy my painting but also have other interests, and living alone, often find other essential activities get in the way. When I can grab the opportunity to sit down with my paints I get lost in the work, oblivious of time and place - it is therapeutic, and I am always pleased whenever I get the chance.
I come from the South Island and the lakes and mountains inspire me, so not being able to actually visit them, I look for good photographs. I admire other artists' interpretations of that sort of landscape, whatever medium they use.
I cannot help but regard with awe the skills, technique and use of colour in some abstract work, but it does not inspire me, and I could not emulate it, probably because I feel inadequate trying to understand it. For this reason I try for accuracy when depicting an image, be it human, animal. or scenic. I really do enjoy getting colours right, and because I work with watercolour, mistakes can cause problems.
We are so lucky to have an establishment in our little community like the Kumeu Art Centre. It is so competently run, and it is growing, not without some pains, to suit our expanding population. I feel fortunate to be part of it, albeit a very small part.
Whenever I see an exhibition for the first time, I cannot compare it with any previous one - they vary so much. Again, I admire colours and skills. I know curating can have wonderful effects, and I look with admiration at the way the works have been displayed. The skills we have at our centre are indeed many and varied.