Sue McPhee

Sue isa contemporary mixed media artist living and working from her home studio at Kaka Point, on the southern coast of New Zealand.
She grew up in a family where drawing was a favourite pass time and making things yourself by hand was part of everyday life.  In 2004 after completing a Diploma of Art & Creativity with The Learning Connextion (Wellington Art School) Sue committed to becoming a full-time artist, staging her first solo exhibition December 2011 at the Owaka Museum Gallery in the Catlins.
Sue’s connection to the natural environment and sense of place informs my inspiration.  have strong connections to the local landscape having grown up in the Clutha district. Living near the sea at Kaka Point has proved to be healing and restorative and a constant influence on her art.
​Sue mainly works in acrylics, inks, collage and mixed media. Collage has allowed her to add found and historic material to the canvas and infuse it into the structure of the painting. The history and memories that vintage items hold connect them to their past adding an extra dimension and repurpose to the piece. Sometimes they are visible and other times completely covered in paint but still forming an integral part of the work, providing texture, structure and mystery.  Each painting evolves through a series of repeating layers that can involve collage, paint, inks and varnish. Close up viewing can reveal finer details and the history of earlier layers.