Painting has always been a part of my life. I am exploring what shapes me, what my responses are, and the reason I am.
My painting process is guided by the tactile experience of applying paint and how it interacts with the surface I'm working on, either canvas or wooden board. At the start, I'm less focused on the final outcome and more immersed in the physicality and feeling of creating.
I work in layers, responding to the shapes, colours, and even the smells around me. I draw particular inspiration from the settling of mud in waterways, the movement and reflections of water, the patterns found in nature, and the sounds of birds in flight. Through painting, I experience both the immersion of being in the landscape and the perspective of observing it.
There are countless elements to take in, and I see myself as a privileged curator, carefully selecting which moments to reflect back through my work.
Pete and I live between the mangroves of the Waitemata Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. When I walk along the water's edge, along the mangroves, there is a meniscus that covers the water, shiny, at high tide, whilst underneath the shiny layer, there is food for the mangroves, and food for the Kōtare, as well as for me.
Aviva Clark.