Colin Wynn
“I began painting professionally in 1975, on the West Coast, as an artist for the New Zealand Forest Service, before leaving to work full time on my own pieces. In 1983 I became The Royal New Zealand Navy Official Artist, a position I still hold. As a result, I have been to Britain to paint the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic Fleet Review, returning in 2004 to visit HMS Victory and work on a painting of Lord Nelson, presented to the Royal Navy by the RNZN for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Most of my navy paintings are destined for National Archives or presentation to other navies.
Paintings and commissions have also taken me to Wales, the Irish Sea, Bahrain, Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Mongolia, Korea, USA, Australia, the Yellow Sea, Cook Islands, Samoa, the Southern Ocean, the Sub-Antarctic Islands, Fiordland, Hawaii, across the Tasman by ship three times, the Coral Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Athens, Newfoundland and most of New Zealand.
In 2011 my painting of New Zealand Falcons over Mt Tapuaeunuku won its category in an international online art competition in the UAE, and I was sponsored to the UAE for two weeks – the first time I've seen one of my works hanging in a tent. I've also held numerous solo exhibitions throughout New Zealand, as well as participated in joint shows.
I began visiting the Marlborough Sounds annually from 1959 (based at Te Rawa) until 1992, when I began to paint the outer sounds. I enjoy painting around Bulwer and D'Urville/Stephens Island area, as well as in Cook Strait, and moved to Marlborough from the West Coast in 2000.
I often paint plein air, where I attempt to complete a smaller broader painting outdoors on location in a single session, as I feel these paintings have a charm and spontaneity that cannot be replicated in the studio. My inspiration comes in various ways – often it's my response to a mood generated by the subject, a certain lighting - or simply because I'm attracted to the subject.”
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