STEVEN DOREÈN

Born in Nelson, New Zealand Doreèn is a self-taught metal sculptor. He has been a full-time artist since 2002 when he took over the production of metal sculptures from his partner Kellie who committed to full-time study. He has taken her concepts and technics and perfected them into his own individual style. Steven is a perfectionist when it comes to detail and when required will study each species from scientific record to insure his representation is correct. Not all of Steven’s works are true to life however, with some of his pieces being creatively evolved.
The pieces he makes can be produced from both mild and stainless steel. They are highly polished and heat treated to produce a range of beautiful colours. The work is then coated which adds to the shine and protects the metal.
Steven aims is to increase his exposure and create sculptures on a larger scale.

KELLIE DREDGE

Born in 1973 and living in Nelson, I attended Nelson Institute of Technology, graduating the Bachelor of Visual arts programme in 2005.

Previous to my training my main passion in art was sculpture and stained glass. I have made many stained glass windows for myself and friends and family.

I was introduced to oil painting in 2003, and found a new passion/obsession. I mainly paint from photos. My main interest is figurative painting and portraiture. I love figure drawing and would love to work from life, if my life would allow it. I create mostly realist paintings, which are conceptually based around ideas of memory, identity and the environment. I am interested in the past and the journey through time when researching family bloodlines and history. I am interested in the culture of the pakeha. I find it difficult to comprehend that my culture is based around mundane icons such as gumboots and tomato sauce.

This dilemma has me investigating my heritage and being like so many other New Zealanders; made of many different cultures I found a ever expanding sea of resources. I completed a dissertation which outlines my art practice in my final brief at NMIT. In this project my polemic was ‘where is my culture’ what is my whakapapa.

I like to bring aspects of mythology, art history and sometimes family history in to the subject matter of my work. I try to suggest a sense of time and mystery. I use composition of objects and eye paths to create narrative within the painting. I am passionate about figurative painting and am now looking for commission portraits. Producing commissioned works allows me to continue to develop my craft and continue to express my cultural aesthetic.