My Paintings

My small paintings are influenced the local critique and experience (re. Dick Frizzell). I’m also attracted to some overseas phenomena like “Cynical Realism” (re. contemporary Chinese painter Yue Minjun).

 “Cynical realism—it’s the intelligent man’s best excuse for doing nothing in an intolerable situation.” (Aldous Huxley)

Like my work on wood - l get prickly when Academics from last century define it as Post-Modern and others call it “Contemporary Maori Art”. On the other hand, I’m happy when my family and friends say things like -“harrr… very good man !”.

Perhaps my work is a kind of “brown humour” (re. Chinese “grey humour”).

James Ormsby, 2005.