mark anstis
Drawing and painting have been a passion of mine from a young age. It remained a serious hobby until my mid-20s, when I first began to learn about the revival of classically inspired realist art. This approach was being taught through a small but growing number of art academies and ateliers around the world, and was the reason for several trips to Florence,Italy, to receive tuition in representational drawing and painting.
I find portrait painting fascinating, and enjoy the challenge of revealing the subtleties that express individuality and personality within a sitter’s physical likeness. Recently, however, landscapes have become a more frequent focus, as I try to capture the mood and atmosphere of a scene. While all genres of painting involve these concerns, I find that landscape painting especially offers the greatest depth - and the greatest challenge - in the study of design, composition, light, colour, form, and mood.
After living and studying abroad, I returned home to the Eastern Bay of Plenty in 2017, and since then I have made painting my full-time occupation.
Ohiwa Harbour
Ohiwa Harbour Evening
Farm Creek