But it was a surprise to the now Wānaka local artist Beth Nolan, as she suddenly realised why she loved painting the native kākāpō, kea, pīwakawaka, pūkeko and so on.
"I do love birds, they are beautiful. We are really lucky in New Zealand to have so many amazing native birds. And there are also a lot of those that are endangered," she said.
"I noticed that all these birds that I paint are found on the West Coast and sometimes you do things without even knowing. There is incredible bird life on the West Coast.”
Nolan started painting seriously only five years ago during the 2020 national lockdown, while living as a nanny in Wānaka.
Before that she never thought she could make a living out of her talent.
"I never actually thought I was good enough, but there is a fine line between not putting a decent price on your work, because you are not believing in your talent, and work.”
She paints with watercolour to create a vibrant and dynamic depiction of New Zealand birds. Her artist bio describes her work as a "dance between spontaneity and restraint".
"Layer upon layer of flamboyant colour and fluid shapes add a jewel-like quality to her work, depicting the subject's energy and depths of movement."
She can now sell a piece for over $2000, and her limited edition prints for around $180.
She began to realise the popularity of her work when she first struck up the courage to post one of her pieces on Facebook.
"So that's when I started posting on Facebook, which is actually a huge thing for me. People think you are blowing your own trumpet, but they don’t realise how hard it is to actually put your work out there.
"It took me so much guts to put my first painting out there, and everyone was like ‘this is really good’."
Since then she has travelled to Nelson, Australia, Auckland, the West Coast and recently back to Wānaka again, which she said she always gravitated back to.
"The mountains, the lakes, I find them inspirational.”
And Wānaka too, has found her work inspirational.
At Ripe Festival just two weeks ago, Nolan had her biggest market selling day. In 2020 she was awarded the Wānaka art society’s multimedia award. She has also staged successful exhibitions in the town.
As for most artists, starting as a business can be hard, but she is determined to make it work.
"A lot of people that buy my originals are incredible art collectors, so I am very proud of my originals going out to those people.”
In addition to the original paintings, Nolan sells limited addition prints at a cheaper price point.
"I had to make a decision — do I want to make fine art prints that people can afford, or do limited edition ones? And I decided on limited edition because it keeps with the integrity of my artwork. The quality is good.”
Her dream is to open up a gallery in Wānaka, with framing as well as a small coffee shop inside.
"There is a market for a place for all creatives to come together in once space, that’s what I would love.”
- The Wānaka Sun would love to profile more of the town’s artists; email olivia.caldwell@alliedpress.co.nz.
