Mandy Emerson

Welcome to a part of my life journey. I am a full time Mixed Media Artist living in the beautiful Wairarapa, happily married with a beautiful daughter which we are blessed to have.

I have always created from a young age being obsessed with colour and texture more so wanting to write or read as a child. Being left handed I found writing from the left to the so right of any page extremely frustrating as to me this way was the completely wrong way to do things, I would start from the right side of the page and work towards the left. Every letter was also back to front so if you exhibited my work in front of a mirror you could read it. I did however get the notion from my class members and teachers that my brain needed to follow suit from what I could see and  was being taught would make life  a lot easier. 

I am totally self taught, I did not want to go to Art School. I wanted to explore life and see things from my own perspective, grow as a person and travel a little also. I worked in the Fashion Industry in both NZ and Australia which is where i soaked up colour combinations textures and a love of fabrics.On returning from Australia in 1996 my Art career began to brew. I was extremely unwell with Endometriosis  so I began to paint to take my mind off the pain which was excruciating on a daily basis. Operation after operation , treatment after treatment , years and years of hideous pain my painting continued to be my only escape and solace.

My work can be feminine, and has a vintage feel to it. I pour a thick layer of gloss as the last application as it enhances the layers I have applied to showcase all the colour and texture in each piece which enables you to see all the work that has gone in to each piece and the story they tell.

Pieces started to sell as I attended local fairs and small Exhibitions around NZ. My big break though came when i was selected for the NZ Art Show which was held in Wellington every year to showcase emerging NZ Artists. I first Exhibited in 2005, my work sold out. I continued to Exhibit with the show yearly and my work continued to sell out. In 2010 I was selected as one of the 10 finalist for the ‘Signature Award’ which I  won and received $5000 in prize money which I used to fund my trip to ARTMELOURNE Exhibition held in Melbourne yearly with Artists being showcased from both NZ and Australia attending. I sold extremely well and  gained Representation from two Galleries in Melbourne and one in Sydney.     

 I started gaining a following from potential clients and Galleries which turned my status from Emerging Artist to an Established NZ Artist. My cliental list ranges from Countries such as NZ, Australia, France, California, China and Japan. My works continue to sell both Internationally and Nationally. The culmination of so many of my life experiences and influences are still a contributing factor to my work on a daily basis. Enjoy my work.