Zoe Alford
PANZ webmaster
Past Vice-President, Past Secretary, Past Regional Rep for Gisborne/Hawkes Bay
www.zoealford.art
@zoealford.art
I have been painting all my life, and in pastels for many years. I started using pastels in the 1990s when a friend recommended I try them while we were out on our weekly sketching trip. I was complaining about how long my watercolours were taking to dry. B.P. (before pastels) I used to paint using acrylics, with a paintbrush in one hand and a hairdryer in the other, but even this took too long. Once I'd tried pastels, there was no going back. They’re the perfect mix of painting and drawing, and you don’t have to wait for anything to dry.
I studied photography when I lived in London in the 1980s, having a solo photography exhibition when I returned to New Zealand in 1987. The skills I learned have been invaluable in garnering reference photos for my artwork. It's long been a passion of mine to find the hidden moments of light, particularly in landscapes. Sometimes those moments are only seconds long. They're so worth waiting for and a good photograph that captured a moment can be the basis for a good painting.
My artwork has won awards and is held in private collections overseas and in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
In 2020 and 2023 I had a solo exhibitions at the Tairāwhiti Museum and Art Gallery. In 2024 I had a solo exhibition at Matawhero Winery.
I live in sunny Gisborne. I paint two days a week in my studio at the bottom of the garden. When I'm not painting I work as a counsellor in private practice, and grows lots of vegetables.
PANZ webmaster
Past Vice-President, Past Secretary, Past Regional Rep for Gisborne/Hawkes Bay
www.zoealford.art
@zoealford.art
I have been painting all my life, and in pastels for many years. I started using pastels in the 1990s when a friend recommended I try them while we were out on our weekly sketching trip. I was complaining about how long my watercolours were taking to dry. B.P. (before pastels) I used to paint using acrylics, with a paintbrush in one hand and a hairdryer in the other, but even this took too long. Once I'd tried pastels, there was no going back. They’re the perfect mix of painting and drawing, and you don’t have to wait for anything to dry.
I studied photography when I lived in London in the 1980s, having a solo photography exhibition when I returned to New Zealand in 1987. The skills I learned have been invaluable in garnering reference photos for my artwork. It's long been a passion of mine to find the hidden moments of light, particularly in landscapes. Sometimes those moments are only seconds long. They're so worth waiting for and a good photograph that captured a moment can be the basis for a good painting.
My artwork has won awards and is held in private collections overseas and in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
In 2020 and 2023 I had a solo exhibitions at the Tairāwhiti Museum and Art Gallery. In 2024 I had a solo exhibition at Matawhero Winery.
I live in sunny Gisborne. I paint two days a week in my studio at the bottom of the garden. When I'm not painting I work as a counsellor in private practice, and grows lots of vegetables.
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