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Nature's palette: An artist celebrating the beauty of animals through art

31 May 2023

Sarah Massingham has a way with animals, and not just when she is treating them in her full-time role as a veterinary physiotherapist. Using Resene paints and products, Sarah is creating striking animal art, many of which celebrate our country’s native creatures.

“I love using colour to try and reflect the beauty of nature in a bold way,” Sarah says. “I love New Zealand and my connection with the native species feels really special. We’ve called NZ home since emigrating from the UK and one of my first memories from my first visit to NZ in my 20s was the fantails dancing around as I walked the Milford track.”

Artist and veterinary physiotherapist, Sarah, working on her tūī painting using a range of Resene testpot paints.

Sarah’s journey began in school when she realised she had a love and passion for art and painting, but once she went to university and began work, she found she didn’t have the time to paint. After emigrating to NZ, Sarah and her family were taken under the wing of a lovely Dutch family, and one of the family, Winnie, encouraged Sarah to come along to an art class. Sarah’s passion for art was reignited once again.

“I submitted a few pieces to the group’s art exhibition and to my surprise they sold,” Sarah says. “Since then, I have been doing what I can in and around running my Veterinary Physiotherapist business, and looking after my boys, getting commissions and selling pieces regularly.

“I’ve had a recent health scare and diagnosed with a lifelong bowel condition, and it has made me reassess life and how I spend my time. So, I’ve been able to streamline my vet physio business to free up more time to paint.”

This classic Kiwi painting of a sheep is painted with Resene Polo Blue, Resene Canterbury Clay, Resene Jacko Bean, Resene Double Wheatfield and Resene Toorak.

Seeing the colours nature creates and combines amazes Sarah, giving her the inspiration she needs for her colourful artwork. One of her favourite things about Resene is taking a reference picture into her local Resene ColorShop and finding the perfect testpots for her current piece.

“At first I was using acrylics and oils, until I decided to explore using reclaimed roofing iron as a base,” Sarah says. “I had a chat with the girls at my Resene ColorShop about a primer to use for a base and we ended up discussing testpots of Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen paint.

“I fell in love with the fact that I can take an image in to Resene and get a series of colours to work with. It’s so much fun and I love the Resene testpot design with the window on the lid so I can easily find the colour I need.”

Sarah’s process for her art includes taking around a sketch book with her where she can doodle and play with colours and patterns. With her love for learning new things, Sarah’s sketches also contain specific notes. For instance, the recent passing of Mary Quant has triggered some ideas for pieces, so Sarah read her life history and made note before playing with colours she thought would represent her work. Using Mary’s iconic flower, Sarah is creating a Kiwi slant based on the Mānuka flower.

Sarah’s current favourite, her octopus painting, is painted in Resene Home Run, Resene Vista Blue, Resene Tall Poppy, Resene Gold Drop, Resene Tangerine and Resene Spotlight.

Her octopus painting preparatory sketching was accompanied by notes on the New Zealand octopus, which Sarah says satisfies her academic brain. “I can tell the pieces that I do the most research on and those I don’t - the ones where I have researched the background of my subject are the pieces I like the most.”

“I don’t take myself too seriously, I paint what makes me smile and I love seeing the smile a slightly quirky piece can bring to others.”

“I love New Zealand birds and have an album on my phone that I save images to for when I have time to sketch,” Sarah says. “Using plywood boards and leaving the negative space really makes the colours pop.”

Sarah’s love for New Zealand native birds led her to paint this stunning tūī. For the flowers she used Resene Pohutukawa, Resene Tall Poppy, Resene Traffic Light and Resene Spotlight, and for the tūī she used Resene Avalanche, Resene Lochmara, Resene Hullabaloo, Resene Bondi Blue, Resene Teal Blue and Resene Covert.   

Sarah’s favourite Resene colour is Resene Hullabaloo, a bright cerulean blue, which she loves for its vibrancy and versatility - perfect for the feathers of her tūī.

Sarah is a full-time veterinary physiotherapist, originally training as a human physiotherapist and spending most of her career with the Royal Air Force in the UK. Completing a Masters in Veterinary Physiotherapy at the Royal vet college in London, she now runs her own business, Animal Physio Ltd, in Hawkes Bay treating mostly dogs and horses where she occasionally uses her furry clients as inspiration for her art.

See more of Sarah’s designs: www.instagram.com/sarahmassinghamart/

Published: 31 May 2023