Welcome

I’m Angie, a New Zealand based portrait artist.

I can’t tell you that I started painting as soon as I was able to a brush, but when I discovered that painting is a skill that can be learnt, about ten years ago, I decided to learn it. Since then, I’ve worked in watercolours, pastels, graphite, oils and color pencils, but the majority of my work is now done in either oils or soft pastels.

I graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2004, from the University of South Africa, but unofficially I love delving into art history. When I’m not busy painting, I spend time with my family, read or do yoga.

ABOUT MY WORK

I paint in a realistic style, using photo references. While I aim for realism, I also use artistic interpretation to highlight certain colours or combinations of colours in the subject that I”m painting, so that the end result is a beautiful artistic interpretation of the photo reference, and not a precise copy of it. I really enjoy being around animals, and having the opportunity to capture their personalities on a canvas, brings me much joy. I prefer to paint close ups of the face, but I will paint the full animal and their environment if this is what is required.

I also paint people, mostly children. Painting a human face is a very different challenge from painting a furry one, but my painting process remains the same. I find human faces do take a lot longer to paint than animal ones, as they are far more subtle and complex, but it is a challenge that I enjoy.

When I’m not working on a commission, I’ll draw things that I find personally inspirational and fun to draw, like faces and also still lives. The process of thinking of a still life, gathering objects and setting up the scene is a creative challenge of a different kind, and one that I enjoy very much.

MY PAINTING PROCESS

Whether I work in soft pastels or in oil paint, my painting process is the same. I usually start out with a graphite drawing of the subject. I do this not only because it helps me get familiar with the subjects, but also because I really enjoy the simple act of drawing with a graphite pencil on paper. Depending on how much time I have available, I’ll render this drawing as realistically as possible. If time is short, I just focus on the darks and lights and will move on to painting as soon as I feel familiar with the subject. I don’t do this for all the animal paintings, but I certainly do it for the human faces.

I work roughly in the style of the old Dutch and Flemish Masters, using a layered approach, and many thin layers of paint/pastel. I start with a monochromatic underpainting, then add very light layers of colours until it’s done. If you commission a painting from me, then it’s important to know that the process takes some time, and to take this into consideration for in case your painting is a gift to someone else and you need it done by a certain date.

If you’d like to find out more about how to commission a painting of your loved one - furry or not - then you can have a look at my “COMMISSIONS’ page for all the details on sizes and prices.

CONTACT DETAILS

angelique.noll@gmail.com

EXHIBITIONS

2022 - Mangawhai Artists Gallery “The Language of Flowers”