Philippa Bentley
“Big sky. Big sea. Big space. Big calm.
Watching seabirds glide, flow and soar in the vast space of big skies gives me such a feeling of space, strength and calm.
The simplicity is deliberate and, its effect, calming and uplifting.”
Original Painting
WE LOVE…
Philippa Bentley creates pieces that are drawn from nature - flora, fauna, and the nostalgic imagery of the world around us. Her stunning birds glide seamlessly - hovering in the frame of the canvas creating bold pieces which resonate with your soul as they seem almost meditative in nature. ARTFORM.
Currently in the gallery…
Feature
Philippa Bentley is a contemporary artist from Aotearoa New Zealand, living on an estuary north of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland.
Philippa has won awards in painting, printmaking and design; and been a finalist in a number of national and international art awards (see below). She has been exhibiting regularly since 2005, with work held in collections in New Zealand and overseas.
At the heart of her practice lie ecology; wonder; memory; an appreciation of the interconnectedness and fragility of life and particularly of our beautiful flora and fauna.
The work reflects her careful observation of the natural world, overlaid with a layer of contemplation and has been reviewed as "highly unusual and utterly delightful."
Philippa is primarily known as a figurative painter and printmaker, though her art practice incorporates a range of media and she has developed a number of distinct bodies of work over time, linked conceptually and stylistically.
Pieces often layer an image within an image and can tend toward visual metaphor with recurring motifs such as maps, archives, or a natural history context.
Concept often precedes or drives material chosen, where materiality becomes a means of expression rather than a study in itself.
Philippa has two senior academic prizes from the University of Auckland
- starting her studies with English literature and then Education and
Psychology- but had drawn, painted and written since she could remember and ultimately committing to a career as an artist was the natural path.
Philippa is a keen gardener with a wild and unruly garden full of butterflies, birds and skinks. She also sails and has a deep love of the sea. All of these experiences, these joys, inform her art practice.
"I love the idea of retaining a sense of wonder in the world... and curiosity... curiosity and discovery - endlessly fascinating!
Despite whatever else may be going on, curiosity, beauty, nature, wonder have always drawn me on, kept me interested, and ( along with love for my nearest and dearest) leave me ever optimistic... save the day! I am so grateful for that.... and it is what I aim to share through my work."