John Walsh

Customary Maori narrative has been an ongoing source of inspiration for artist, John Walsh.

In his paintings Walsh conjures up dreamscapes and vistas where ancient beings, gods and demigods weave the fabric of human existence. Initially an accomplished portrait painter, Walsh’s unconventional style and subject matter has evolved over recent years as he infuses narrative paintings with whimsy and wit.

Characterised by a distinctively vibrant palette of aqua and green hues, a cast of lyrical hybrid characters and a penchant for bold and expressive brushwork, Walsh has quickly garnered a reputation for himself, becoming a solid fixture in many public and private collections throughout the country. Walsh’s painterly individualism is undeniable. Gestural strokes mimic the trace of his movements- wiping, sweeping and scratching the pigment across the surface of the work. At times it is frenzied or tumultuous yet always in keeping with the dynamic narrative which is being told. Although his stories may be located in the distant ‘past’ they are never fixed nor static- they remain relevant and contemporary, ever evolving- and Walsh communicates this superbly through constant movement, vivid colour and imaginative storytelling.

John Walsh was born in Tolaga Bay in 1954 and is of Te Aitanga a Hauiti and Irish descent. He lives and works in Wellington where he was Curator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa before dedicating to a full time career as an artist.

He attended Ilam School of Art at Canterbury University from 1973-74, but refers to himself as a predominantly self-taught artist. Walsh regularly shows works at PAULNACHE Gallery in Gisborne and in 2009 held a solo exhibition at the Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, entitled Flying Solo. He has completed a number of public commissions which include a foyer painting for the Wellington City Council in 2004 as well as participation in the Pathfinder International Mural project in New York City in 1989.

His works are held in various public and private collections including the James Wallace Collection, Auckland; the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington; the Sargeant Gallery, Whanganui and the Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre Collection in Noumea, New Caledonia.

John Walsh

Exit Pare

2021

Oil on canvas

90 x 120cm

Available

John Walsh

The Gardeners

2018

Oil on canvas

400 x 200cm (unstretched)

Available

John Walsh

Marakihau

2013

Oil on canvas

145 x 290cm (unstretched)

Exhibited: John Walsh, PAULNACHE, Art Central Hong Kong, 2017; John Walsh, ‘Matakite’, PATAKA Art & Museum, Porirua, 19 June - 18 September 2016; John Walsh, ‘A Mua’, Whakatane Art Gallery, 2016

Available

John Walsh

Departure Lounge

2013

Oil on canvas

155 x 333cm (unstretched)

Available

John Walsh

Intact, safe, priceless

2020

Acrylic on canvas

82 x 140cm (unstretched)

Available

John Walsh

Tautini's Demise

2016

Oil on board

60 x 120 x 3.5cm (framed)

Available

John Walsh

Flying Moa

2017

Oil on fortified paper

40 x 50cm framed

Exhibited ‘John Walsh in Hong Kong’, 2017

Available