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Kevin Betteridge

After spending two years painting in my spare time, the opportunity came up for me in April 2007, to leave my job as a graphic designer and to go painting full-time. It's not a decision I took lightly but it has proved to be a decision that I haven't regretted. Having my studio at home and my children home schooled by my wife, Lynette, has enabled us as a family to have a lifestyle that we all thoroughly enjoy and a job that most people just dream about. I feel very privileged to be able to paint for a living. I have been painting since 2005. I had dabbled with oils when I was about 17 but became frustrated when the trees that I was painting didn't turn out as I expected. I gave up painting for 26 years until once again being inspired by the beauty of our Taranaki landscape and the many local artists that we have here, I thought that I should pick up my brushes again and give painting another go. No one was more surprised than myself at the positive feedback from my first few paintings, and demand for my was has progressively increased. Gone are the days that I paint when the urge comes on me or throwing in the towel when things don't quite work out how I would have liked, I paint because its what I love to do and I discipline myself to do it just like any other job. I paint primarily with good quality oils - there is something about the richness of the colour. I also endeavour to add as much texture to the painting as I can which gives it a more three dimensional look. I also paint on quality canvases that are hand-stretched in Tauranga to a very high standard. What I love to paint, primarily, is our fantastic Taranaki landscape. It's a truly unique region in New Zealand where both mountain and rugged coastline meet. There are not many locations in New Zealand that provide an endless supply of inspirational landscapes like ours. Mount Taranaki with its every changing moods, our coastline with it's famous surf breaks as well as Back Beach and East End beach sunsets. Several paintings have traveled to different parts of the world including The Middle East, Australia, America, Canada, Scotland and the most recent one traveling to China. My paintings are currently for sale in cafes such as Starbucks, Esspresso, and Gusto Restaurant as well as RealTart and the Crafty Fox craft shop at Oakura. For the last year I have also been selling my work at The Grosvenor Fine Arts gallery in Queen Street, Auckland. Sales have increased in Auckland because, as the owners have stated, Taranaki has become quite an icon in New Zealand and it's not hard to understand why. As you have probably picked up, it's not hard for me to be proud of our picturesque region. I hope you enjoy the aspects of our Taranaki landscape that I have had the pleasure to be able to paint.

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