ella thomas

This is a record of my art making, the experiences that I have in everyday life that inspire me and a document of the paintings that I produce. Sometimes I will mention different facts or stories that bear some relevance to manu / birds and New Zealand native flora. One of the key ideas within my work is the celebration of the uniqueness of the native species within Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

First Painting for 2011


Piwakawaka Iti 2011
 

 
 Here is my first completed painting for 2011. It is a sweet little piwakawaka (fantail) that is bright eyed and frisky. The title of the work is 'Piwakawaka Iti' Looking back to some of my earlier paintings of piwakawaka, I can definately see the development towards more of an anime influence within the birds facial features; especially the exaggerated eyes. I suppose I am trying to enhance their senses to help them to survive.


Detail of Piwakawaka Iti


  I love the composition of this piece, the way that the feathers balance out the diagonals of the tree branch. This results in the viewer's eye always being led towards the bird in the middle. The simplicity of the background which has a very subtle texture, enhances the details on the manu (bird), some of which can be seen in the close-up to the left. Unfortunately no matter how good my camera is, I can't seem to fully capture the subtleties of the paint work.
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About Me

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Auckland, New Zealand
Ella Thomas is a contemporary artist who lives in Auckland, Aotearoa. She is of Ngapuhi descent and has a passion for the beauty of the whenua (land), the sea and for the unique flora and fauna of New Zealand. The concepts that are explored within Ella's work are based upon notions of conservation, ecological balance and extinction. Her paintings often feature nostalgic patterns reminiscent of the mid to late 1800's, the era when European colonization occurred. It was during this time that many unique species of birds became extinct. The rarer a bird became, the more prized a specimen of it became. Alive or dead. Much of Ella's paintings are celebrations of the unique character of our surviving taonga (treasures). Ella has a Bachelor of Visual Arts and has been working within arts related industries for many years. She has paintings in collections nationwide, Australia, England and the USA. Finally the plunge has been taken and Ella has committed herself to fulfilling a dream, that of becoming a full-time artist.