Coastal refuge nurtures artist's work

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Michael Smither has lived and painted all around New Zealand and drawn inspiration from wherever he has been.

But his favourite place is in front of his easel.

"That is where I am what I am."

Largely a parochial artist, with a passion for the sea, the 62-year-old's work is tied up with his life.

These days he lives at Kuaotunu, on coastal Coromandel Peninsula, a 15-minute drive from Whitianga and 2 1/2 hours from Auckland.

Once a regular visitor, Smither bought land and settled there about six years ago - and thinks it likely he will stay put.

Two heart attacks in two years have given Smither a sense of his mortality and the impetus to finish paintings. He has been reworking some projects, striving for a higher degree of finish.

The awareness that each new painting could be his last drives Smither, who believes he has done his best work in the past two years.

With a long-established reputation and his pictures now regarded by collectors as a solid investment, Smither's major works fetch up to $80,000.

But they take years to complete.

Born and raised in New Plymouth, Smither can't remember a time when he wasn't drawing or painting.

At high school he was "absolutely blown away" by Van Gogh. At Elam School of Fine Arts the youthful romantic was enamoured of the Renaissance painters.

At 26, Smither went to Australia, and in 1966 he exhibited more than 60 works at Melbourne's Argus Gallery.

He says that apart from half a dozen paintings of rocks and a few of his young family - subjects personal to him - the works were heavily influenced by other artists.

It made him see his own artistic niche and the direction he would eventually take.

But back home the young artist was not content to be known only as "the rock painter from Taranaki".

He refused to be restricted, and branched out from domestic scenes to still life, landscapes, abstracts and religious works exploring themes from his Catholic background.

The 1970 Frances Hodgkins Fellow says he paints for himself, not the market.

"I don't like to get bored painting the same things."

Smither's involvement with music, his work on the relationship between colour and sound, his sculpture, murals and screenprinting are other outlets for his creative energy.

A composer and a committed environmentalist, he wants to be remembered as an interesting human being.

A friend of 30 years and one-time protege, Tom Mutch, says Smither's work is getting better and better.

And he is incredibly generous with sharing his knowledge and great love of art, says Mutch.

The two artists, who are near neighbours, will hold their third summer exhibition together from this Saturday to February 10 in Mutch's home gallery, the Birds Nest Studio at Kuaotunu.

Smither will show three still lifes, one of them 12 years in the making, and six bronze sculptures. He has another exhibition, Old Affairs and New Paintings, on show in Christchurch.

Mutch will show three paintings and explain to visitors silk screen printing techniques he is working on.