Coromandel Life Magazine 2015 Winter V3

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PAUL SHARES HIS LOVE OF THE SEA
“From my formative years and throughout my life I’ve been influenced by
the sea and art. My father was a fisherman in Devon and my mother quite
artistic, so from birth I was surrounded by material items connected with
these elements from crab pots to oil paints.
“I was born in the beautiful port of Dartmouth where tall ships, warships,
yachts and fishermen were everyday sights in the harbour. My family
moved to the West Coast of Ireland in the mid-1960s where, once again,
the sea influenced my senses and my first love affair with ships took root
watching coasters entering and leaving Sligo port.
“In 1972, I joined the Merchant Navy and worked my way up from
deckhand to relief Master on small tramp vessels trading around the British
Isles, Europe, the Baltic, Mediterranean and West Africa carrying a wide
range of cargoes. This seagoing life imbued me with a great respect for the
elements and a broad understanding of nautical matters.
“I came to New Zealand in 1995, and over the years I’ve moved from
concentrating on traditional marine paintings to a diverse range of nautical
subjects. This diversity is driven by examining what appears mundane,
yet has its own interest and beauty, from rusty hulks to traditional Maori
fishhooks.”
We hear retirement is in the offing, and Paul looks forward to focusing fully
on painting – perhaps in some delightful spot on the Coromandel.
See more of Paul’s work online at
or visit ring him at 021 259 0646.
Artist Paul Deacon hangs the original of our stunning cover art at the Mercury Bay
Museum in Whitianga. All his paintings are available for purchase with a portion to
benefit the museum.
ROSS DAVIES took the magnificent photo of the
interior of St. James Union Church in Thames shown on
our centre spread. We found it on his blog, Motor Home
Page – Exploring New Zealand. Ross and wife Wyn
decided to take a ‘big leap’ and live totally in their motor
home, travelling. See more photos and read about
their pilgramage to Thames where Ross grew up: blog.
CHARLOTTE GIBLIN
Our popular Road Trip section will return in the Spring
issue, with featured artist, Charlotte Giblin. But for this
edition this talented lady contributed some photos of
Thames – churches and The Treasury building. Keep
current with this Whitianga artist and muralist through
Facebook, Bouncing Pig–Charlotte’s Art. She is now
assembling her paintings and musings for a book she
hopes to release in time for Christmas!
JANE CRISP This Auckland artist undertook a large project to depict the
‘Maori Creation Legend’ that we have featured on page 18. Jane’s specialty,
though, is painting native birds paired with items like antique water pitchers.
View more at d on Fb at Studio 208 - Jane Crisp.
Milly’s on Main 078647464
236 Main Road in Tairua
KAYLA 078689063
522 Pollen Street in Thames
Watch for our
Fashion Parade
coming soon!
Paintings of the Buffalo and the Endeavour are already on display to view
and purchase at the Mercury Bay Museum.
Photo by Alan Duff