Creative Connections

Mandy Jakich
  • 5.0 (3)
  • VISUAL ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In conversation with Aotearoa's visual artists, talking practice, process and creative life.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Rosanne Croucher - Landscape painter

    Rosanne Croucher is a landscape oil painter from Hamilton New Zealand. She sees herself as a 'painter of moments' as well as landscapes, capturing the splendour, light and mood of ordinary everyday Aotearoa scenes. In this episode we talk about Rose's experience completing a masters degree of design and visual arts at Unitec in Auckland, which she completed in 2013; how she juggles being a mother of 3 children whilst still prioritising time to paint; why she likes to capture ordinary scenes as well as magestic landscapes; how she brings her imagination into her landscape work and why she loves to paint still water, mist and atmosphere. We talk process - from her preference for preparing her own ACM boards and mounting and adhering canvas or linen on top, to techniques she uses for priming and colour mixing, using a rag as well as brushes and the joys and challenges of plein air painting. Roseanne generously shares a mental health condition she has lived with for 30 years called TTM or Trichotillomania which she has recently overcome, how this has affected her life and why she now feels ready to share this with others.  This is a wonderful episode I know you'll enjoy. Ngā mihi thank you to Roseanne for sharing her beautiful practice and for sharing her personal beliefs and mental health with us. https://rosannecroucher.com/ Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 6min

  2. 26 MAR

    Katie Robinson - Painter

    Katie Robinson is a painter based in both Alexandra, Central Otago and in Devonport, Auckland. https://www.katierobinson.co.nz/ Katie makes work that sits at the intersection of memory, emotion, and mischief. Her art is grounded in its making, but often not in its mood. It’s underpinned by real stories and personal heritage, often tangled up with humour, oddness, and where I unexpectedly find emotion. Much of her inspiration comes from the Otago region—its landscapes, its histories, its ghosts (real and imagined).  In this beautiful meandering episode we talk about Katie's academic background and varied career: the science PHD Katie achieved in her twenties; her moves into banking, management consulting then intellectual property law and how she finally "grew up" and tapped into her creativity once she became a mother.  Katie shares how she manages her life between Alexandra and Devonport and how these 2 places influence her work in different ways. We talk about leading from the heart, managing vulnerable feelings, painting on found objects, layering colour, the stories of stones, the challenges of solo shows, abstracting shapes and seeing things differently in her landscapes. Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 19min

  3. 20 MAR

    Janet Mazenier - Contemporary visual artist

    Janet Mazenier is a contemporary visual artist living in Te Hau Kapua Devonport in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Janet's practice engages with place, time, affect, world bending, and materiality. Her drawn-paintings are characterised by texturally rich, excavated, and striated surfaces that evoke ancientness, the hidden, the unseen, and the ephemeral. Janet's paintings are created using oil paint mixed with beeswax (known as cold wax medium), enabling a low-toxic practice that results in beautiful textural works. In this episode we talk about how Janet got started as a full time artist 13 years ago after a corporate career, her experience gaining a masters degree in fine art at Whitecliffe School of Art in Auckland and going on to complete a PHD in Creative Practice at Elam School of Fine Art, which she completed in March 2026. Janet describes the medium of cold wax, its qualities, how it is made and applied and the effects she achieves with this medium in her paintings. We explore concepts around contextual and conceptual thinking, the ideas behind Janet's work related to heritage and place and her involvement in 2 formative artist residencies in Ireland. We talk scale, art collectives, collaboration, working with light, time and responding to the land. Janet teaches a number of creative classes that encompass painting, drawing, collage and critical thinking, and is also offering one-on-one mentoring for creatives who wish to have a guiding hand to navigate your way through your creative practice. https://www.creativeconnections.nz/post/janet-mazenier-contemporary-visual-artist https://janetmazenier.com/ Janet's workshops Instagram Facebook Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 33min

  4. 13 MAR

    Mark Whippy - Figurative Painter

    Mark Whippy is a Kiwi-Fijian artist born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. Mark’s figurative and portrait art is inspired by observing the ordinary everyday people and scenes of his environment, hoping to capture their stories and characters, finding the beauty of every day life.  Mark's style is a playful blend of realism and abstraction. His focus currently has been on the urban environment of Auckland City life.​ As well as being a practising artist, Mark has a passion for teaching art and helping others gain confidence and grow their skills.  In this episode we talk about life drawing, teaching art, participating in art battles, Mark's experience studying fine art at Whitecliffe in Auckland, his experiences drawing people's portraits in public, Mark's painting process, entering art awards, neurodiversity and the ideas behind Mark's paintings. Mark talks about his introverted younger self and the ways he has gained confidence in himself and his practice over the years through his time at Whitecliffe Art School, participating in online art classes and stepping out of his comfort zone. Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 27min

  5. 6 MAR

    Roots Tattoo Auckland Convention - with tattoo artist and founder Ben Kaye

    Ben Kaye DBKAYE is an Auckland tattoo artist and the co-founder with his wife Madeline of the Roots Auckland Tattoo Convention. Auckland is set to host its first-ever international tattoo convention in 2026 with the launch of the Roots Auckland Tattoo Convention, a weekend celebration of artistry, culture, and community taking place Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March at The Cloud, 89 Quay Street, Auckland. In a country like New Zealand, few art forms hold as much personal and cultural significance as tattooing. An expression of cultural, artistic and personal narrative, tattoos have transcended their origins to become a global phenomenon, celebrated and revered across diverse communities. The Roots Auckland Tattoo Convention is an exceptional tattoo convention designed to unite New Zealand and international artists, enthusiasts, and industry leaders in a shared celebration of ink and artistry. In this episode I speak to Ben about his own creative journey and tattoo practice as well as the Roots Auckland Tattoo Convention, which is on at The Cloud for the very first time on the weekend of March 14th and 15th 2026, with plans to continue each year. Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    49 min

  6. 26 FEB

    Carol Bucknell - Figurative painter

    Carol Bucknell is a Waiheke artist who has come from a successful career in journalism and garden design. She has been painting commissioned portraits and figurative works in oils for 20 years, and now produces more abstracted figurative works using oils and cold wax. In January 2024 Carol and artist Sally Tagg held a joint exhibition at Waiheke Community Art Gallery. Later that year she was a finalist in the Walker and Hall Art Awards. In January 2026 she won the runner up prize at the Craigs Aspiring Art Awards in Wanaka.  Carol has completed several specialist courses focusing on painting the figure in order to broaden a mostly self-taught practice. Working out of her Oneroa studio in Waiheke her paintings explore the relationship between contemporary digital processes and oil paint application on panels using cold wax medium.  Through the use of bold colour, texture, stencils and other media the resulting paintings take the figure beyond its traditional boundaries while retaining the artist’s obvious affection for the human form.    In this chat we talk about Carol's journey from painting portraits to abstracted figurative works, the cold wax process, abstracting the figure, how she captures movement, her fascination with gesture, human poses and body language, inspiration for her paintings, why she likes to paint women, using the Procreate app in her process, the possibility of using text in her paintings and the influence of a career in journalism and landscape design in her work. And so much more. This is such a great episode I know you'll love as much as I loved meeting and talking to Carol. Thank you nga mihi to Carol Bucknell for joining us on the podcast and for sharing your story with us. Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 11min

  7. 19 FEB

    Lyndy Wilson - Contemporary painter

    Lyndy Wilson is a contemporary New Zealand painter of Tainui descent. She grew up and still lives in the small town of Ngāruawāhia surrounded by the Waikato and Waipā rivers and the majestic Hakarimata ranges, a constant source of inspiration. Her style can be described as diverse, eclectic and ever evolving which allows her the freedom to explore different subjects such as floral and botanical, abstract, landscape and more recently figurative. Growing up in Ngaruawahia Lyndy was immersed in Maori culture. Annual regattas At Turangawaewae Marae were always a huge event for the town and a way to celebrate and show pride in their rich heritage.  Lyndy has early memories gathering flax with her Grandmother and sitting watching her great Aunties weave. Hangis at Christmas with the extended family were well loved  ..these early memories inform some of her figurative work.  In this episode Lyndy talks about studying at The Learning Connexion art school in Wellington, how she manages painting three different genres in her art practice and what inspires each genre, the ways she processes her own emotions through her paintings, her fascination for "the dark side", what she does with her 'failed' paintings and the great story behind her finalist work for the National Contemporary Art Award "Tell Me You Like It Anyway". She opens up about self doubt and learning to handle that, building community, her experimenting Fridays and her tongue in cheek plan for starting up a "husbands of artists support group".  Thank you to Lyndy for joining me on CC. And thank you as always to my faithful listeners and supporters . Now on to my chat with Lyndy - enjoy. Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 12min

  8. 3 FEB

    Helen Kerridge - Contemporary Painter

    Helen Kerridge is a contemporary painter from the Hawkes Bay.  Many of Helen’s paintings are set in sparse environments, with a minimal grouping of subjects exude a sense of stillness, contemplation, and a celebration of the beauty to be found in objects and the stories to be told. Helen has been painting all her life, from as far back as she can remember. She started her photo realistic painting career in New Zealand and the US, touching up professional photographs before the days of Photoshop. In this lovely episode which I know you'll love, we talk about how her 18 year teaching career in painting started, from community classes to her private painting classes which became hugely popular in the Hawkes Bay area, and how and why she came to full time painting only 3 years ago. She shares how teaching influenced her own painting practice, pushed her out of her comfort zone and kept her learning across genres.  Helen shares her love of and connection with objects she includes in her paintings like the Crown Lynn Swan and how she likes to learn about the background and stories of these objects. She shares her love of the Old Masters of the 17th century and how they have influenced her work, and how she has created a 'point of difference' in her work with her use of simple compositions and mostly subdued tones, with the occasional addition of pattern.  I just love the little anecdotal stories Helen tells in this episode.  Helen talks us through her painting process, how she paints glass and the paints she uses, her colour and paint management, the thin layers of paint she applies, how she decides what to paint, her studio set up (which is not as organised as you'd imagine!), her poratit training she experienced in 2019 and why she prefers to use acrylic paint. Helen talks enthusiastically about the loaded symbolism in her "The Devil Is In the Details" painting, which was made for a Hospice fundraiser and sold for $40,000, as well as the symbols and narratives in other works. Nga mihi thank you to Helen Kerridge for sharing your incredible practice and career on Creative Connections. Your work is such a joy to view and it's been wonderful to learn more about your ideas, process and the connections you make. And a big thank you to you for tuning in.  Support the show Creative Connections Website See our website for more about us and artist blogposts with images + links of the things we talk about in each episode. CREATIVE CONNECTIONS Instagram Creative Connections Facebook

    1hr 22min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

In conversation with Aotearoa's visual artists, talking practice, process and creative life.

Information

  • Creator
    Mandy Jakich
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    199
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Creative Connections
  • Show Website
    Creative Connections

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