Creative Connections with Mandy Jakich

Katie Leigh Stewart is a mixed media artist living in Wellington, Aotearoa NZ.  Katie"s paintings explore floral landscapes, portraiture, everyday life and nature. Her bright and bold palette as well as signature brush strokes gives viewers a moment to pause and find joy.  In this episode Katie talks about her early nu

Natalie is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist born in Yorkshire, England, with a current focus on figurative oil paintings. Nat moved to New Zealand in 2016 in her early twenties.and is currently based in Auckland. In this episode Natalie shares how creating likeness in a portrait has become a challenge too tempting

Andrew Barns-Graham is an established Auckland-based artist known for his hard-edged contemporary portraits with a pop realist style.  He renders smooth, gradient-infused figures set against minimal, atmospheric landscapes. In this episode we talk about the pivotal moment that led to Andrew devoting himself to his art

Kyra Alkamil is a 19 year old emerging artist from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, in her first year studying fine art at Elam School of Fine Art in Auckland. Kyra paints in oils and is interested in storytelling, the human figure, nostalgia, domestic scenes and surrealism. In this episode we talk about the ways Kyra discove

Katrina Cosgrove is a painter born in England who immigrated to NZ in 2005. She is now based in Bronte, a small settlement at the top of the South Island of Aotearoa NZ in the Tasman District, near Mapua.  Katrina"s nature inspired artworks delve into the themes of self discovery, transformation, freedom, and the profo

Shelley Ryde is a well known, highly respected Aotearoa art educator and artist living in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland NZ.  Shelley has led the visual art department and taught art at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland, finishing this position in 2024 after 42 years of devotion, hard work, commitment and a lot of love.