Kia ora Artists!
Applications for the 2023 Art display are now CLOSED.
The festival is delighted to display works from a range of NZ artists and photographers, all with unique takes on our theme ‘Adventurous Sports & Lifestyles.” Check out emerging and established artists from Wānaka and around New Zealand, and if you’re interested in purchasing any pieces during the festival, you’ll be able to reach out to the artists directly. The NZMFF takes no commission on art sales.
2023 EXHIBITORS
Ben Mitchell
Ben is an outdoor instructor in Dunedin who enjoys slinging paint onto canvas.
He makes exciting and sometimes scary trips into the mountains in search of the sublime. Painting has always seemed to be the best way for him to re-live those experiences.
Martin Hill
Martin Hill was born London, UK, in 1946. He received a Diploma of Art & Design and went on to win a number of design awards while working in London, Nairobi, Sydney and Auckland. Philippa Jones was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1950. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Art History).
Martin and Philippa have been creative partners since 1994. Together, they design and construct ephemeral sculptures in nature which Martin then photographs. They have exhibited in Asia, Europe and Oceania. They won the Pingyao International Festival of Photography International Artists Award in 2014 and, in 2016, First Prize (conceptual category) at the international Fine Art Photography Awards (FAPA). Individually and together, their work has featured in three books and the film ‘A Delicate Canvas’ by Joey Banya and James Blake (2011).They appeared in the BBC documentary : “Nature and Us,” a history through art presented by art historian James Fox.2021 “Fine Line “12 environmental sculptures encircling the earth is the book of their 25 year global project published 2021 Sea Change features their works made in Antarctica.
Hannah Brooks
Hannah Brooks is an artist with a passion for nature. All her life she has sought the wilderness for inspiration, recreation and wellbeing. She has always enjoyed a variety of environments, from the British countryside, to the mountains of the Wanaka area, which she has called home for the last 20 years. Whenever possible, she likes to share her enthusiasm for the outdoors with her children, two of which are taking part in the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards. The piece you are looking at was inspired by a recent practice expedition to Fern Burn Hut, on the Motatapu Track.
Nat Warburton
Leon Butler
I’m a photographer, creative copywriter and brand ambassador with over 14 years experience in the action sports world, in particular in snow sports. These valuable years taught me lessons in communication, self-promotion, hard work and the importance of passion, all of which I now apply to my creative work and life in general. Telling meaningful and relatable stories are important now more than ever, whether that’s through a photo or through writing its something that stands the test of time and has the ability to inspire others.
Richard Young
Richard Young; Full-time nature photographer & photographic artist based in Wanaka.
Richard Young’s work offers a fresh approach to landscape photography, he defines himself as a photographic artist working within the landscape. His vision has developed from years of capturing the grand vista to focus on an emotional and expressive engagement in the landscape he works in—to produce distinct and personal bodies of work.
He is a New Zealand ambassador for Epson Printers & Paper and also an official Nikon Creator—part of a global team of visionary artists exploring new ground empowered by the Nikon system—with his focus being telling stories using an expressive approach to nature photography. Richard has a passion for teaching photography and founded New Zealand Photography Workshops.
Website: www.richardyoung.co.nz
Janice Milburn
Janice V.N. Milburn – Born in Eldoret, Kenya, East Africa, was raised with a keen appreciation for art. Her grandfather, Cecil St. Vincent Cripps, a water colour artist, used pen, ink, and water colour to paint the local people and surrounding scenery.
In the early years Janice worked in Kenya, Uganda, UK, Europe, and then returned to South Africa, where she took up painting and joined many South African art groups. In 1994 she moved to Australia and joined the David Fowler Art Group at Rosalie and Wellers Hill Group. Janice exhibited widely before moving to Wanaka, where she is active with Wanaka Arts.
Prizes and highly commended from the following and more:
Samford, Lions Club – Aspley, Cleveland Gardens, Cleveland Art Expo, The Royal Queensland Show, Malaney, Kenilworth, Laidley, Lowood and Mt. Gravatt.
Julia Sternkopf
Hi there, I’m Julia.
I was born in Germany in 1997 and spent my childhood drawing, painting and being creative in whatever way possible. In late 2018 I moved to Lake Hāwea, New Zealand. Being surrounded by the most amazing scenery I had ever seen, my passion for landscape painting was sparked.
I went for a walk every day and painted something that had caught my eye. I started to enter in exhibitions and found clients all over New Zealand. Once I discovered that I wasn’t actually as unfit as I thought, I started hiking. New Zealand’s wilderness never ceases to amaze me. Whenever I can I try to go out there and get inspired by mountain tops, tarns, valleys, views for miles and nature’s moods.
My mission is to bring the wonder of nature home and onto the canvas.
I am currently represented by Artofact Gallery in Picton and Wanaka Fine Art Gallery in Wanaka.
Jacqui Cotter
Formerly residing in Wanaka, Jacqui started painting regularly in response to the incredible natural beauty around her. She enjoys the vibrancy and immediacy of watercolours, especially in her plein air work. She attended several courses at the Wanaka Autumn Arts School, including with tutors Adrienne Pavelka, Inge Doesberg and Michael Eaton.
In 2001 she won a scholarship to attend Design and Arts College in Christchurch, gaining a Certificate in Arts. She stayed on in Christchurch and later studied counselling, and her paintings of that time incorporated figures into surreal multi-layered landscapes of the inner and outer realms.
Jacqui has exhibited in various shows in Christchurch and Wanaka. She sold from her own private gallery/studio at Lake Hawea during a brief return to her old haunts in 2009-2011. Later in 2011, and back in Christchurch, for lack of gallery options, she initiated her own show at her local café, Jungle Patrol, in the beachside suburb of New Brighton. This resulted in a sell-out show. A beautiful mural of migrating Godwits in New Brighton was her contribution to 2011 ‘Mural Madness’. She has since been contributing to various shows around the mainland.
jacquicotterartist.com
Chris Chase
Hi! My name is Chris Chase, and I am a self taught adventure sports photographer based in Auckland (originally from New York!). I moved here in 2018 to teach primary school. I brought my camera along on all of my weekend adventures hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking and more with an Auckland social adventure group, Got To Get Out. I was keen to just document my adventures as a hobby, but quickly realised there was a second career growing when in 2020, I was accepted into the Tourism NZ #DoSomethingNewNZ campaign and featured some writing and images in 5 different magazines that year.
In November 2021, I started my own company focused on adventure sports photography. A lot of my work now ends up serving as the HERO marketing and advertising material for companies in the outdoor and adventure market.
All of my work focuses in some way on capturing the human connection to nature. I recognise that New Zealand is known for its incredible landscapes and scenery, but I prefer to zoom in and focus on the individual while they are out there experiencing it.
I am on a mission to showcase adventure sports as achievable for all types of people, and I believe it starts with making the images relatable first, while still keeping them interesting and dynamic.
Michelle Goggans
Michelle is a talented watercolour artist currently living in Queenstown, New Zealand. Originally hailing from the beautiful state of Colorado, USA, Michelle has always had a deep appreciation for nature and the great outdoors, though her love of landscape painting didn’t arise until she arrived in Queenstown. The stunning natural beauty of the region is a constant source of inspiration. Michelle enjoys hiking and brining her watercolours along for on location sketches, which can later be turned into finished paintings. Through her art, Michelle hopes to inspire others to appreciate the beauty of nature and to develop a deeper connection with the world around them.
Rocio Buenamaison
I am a painter from Argentina, I am currently living in Frankton, I love drawing and painting since I can remember, when I was 9 years old I painted my first oil painting and there was no turning back, I knew I was going to spend my life painting. When I was 12 years old I realized that my favourite kind of art is surrealism, painting nature, and if it is a combination of both it is always better, my biggest inspirations are the great artists Salvador Dali and Vladimir Kush. I also paint on commission, I like to paint moments, memories, recreate a scene through painting, knowing that it will mobilize the person who receives it, is for me, the most comforting and mobilizing of all, because in the end that is what I seek with my art, to provoke something.
Beth Nolan
Beth Nolan goes by her studio name of Flick & Co. Studio and is a multi-disciplinary fine artist living and working in the Wanaka region. She grew up on a farm on the West Coast, a childhood surrounded by the stunning beauty of the southern alps, rugged beaches and lush rainforests. Spending much of her adult life travelling overseas and living amongst diverse cultures, on coming home, she felt exploring the beautiful wildlife and landscape of New Zealand would help reconnect with home, it has been her obsession ever since. Through many different mediums, including watercolour, acrylic, collage and soft pastels, Beth explores her subjects, depicting the emotions and memories which arise through colour and expressive lines.
