Toni Armstrong

Okere Falls, New Zealand

Website: toni-armstrong.com
Facebook: toniarmstrongart
Instagram: toniartstrong
Art Medium: contemporary figurative painting, drawing, portraits

Telling Tales - Wally (2017)
Oil on Framed Canvas 760mm x 1015mm
Finalist - The Adam Portraiture Award (2018)

This is portrayal of Wally reflecting and telling tales from the poignant moments of his life and family history, which has been an ongoing theme of his 91 years. The film in the background of the painting represents some these moments, some more clear than others, as memories often are.

Plugged In (2018)
Watercolour / Conte / Oil / Acrylic
Framed Stock 1800mm x 800mm

portrait of Maori man

Katera Maihi (2018)
Oil on Round Wood Board 700cm

pastel drawing woman on red couch

Olivia (2016)
Pastel on Paper 700mm x 700mm
Finalist - Rotorua Museum Awards (2017)

pastel drawing of woman, figurative pastel painting

Chante 2 (2015)
Pastel on Paper stock

portrait painting of hunter man

Nigel (2015)
Oil
Framed Canvas 1005mm x 840mm PRIVATE COMMISSION

pastel drawing man reading

Maxim (2015)
Conte/Pastel on Paper 480mm x 660mm

pastel nude woman drawing

Chante 5 (2015)
Pastel on Paper

When I am working in abstract, I tend to have a theme that is current in mind. I find objects that reflect that thought and disassemble and reassemble using shapes. It is very organic and when it reassembles it is always in the form of the original subject matter. I work with watercolour, oil, pastel and some acrylic. Over the years I have developed methods to blend these mediums, helping give my art a unique look and feel.

I am a figurative artist. My work is naturalistic or referential, having emotional and expressionistic overtones. I see my themes as investigative and try to develop them through specific drawing and colour processes. This is important and formative to my art. Some of my ideas are derived from traditional art practices. I work in several media.

I am inspired by images of the impressionist Degas, the realists Manet and Coubert and the colours of impressionists Gauguin and Cezanne. I am deeply interested in the history of Venetian colour, in particular that of Titian. My latest portrait was inspired by Coubert's painting. I feel moved by his work to explore portraiture in my current environment.

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