Lucy Dolan Kang
Artist
I am very excited about my new artists virtual residency with Courage My Love and working alongside Persephone with her vibrant enthusiasm and fervency. Yoga is a vital part of my life as equally valid as my art practise. Being an artist at Courage My Love combines my two passions- I’m totally looking forward to creating an artwork for them!
I have always used art as a means of knowing myself more fully; understanding my emotions and experiences; gaining insight to the obscured memories of my past; and exploring the darker recesses of my psyche.
Through the use of a personal symbolism and metaphor I attempt to illustrate and communicate this exploration whilst being open to receiving meaning from it. For example, certain animals depicted in my painting represent various human traits or energies and trees often hold an ancestral or emotional presence. I’m also inspired by the distinctive characteristics and healing qualities of flowers and plants, and the rhythms of nature.
As a woman I am aware of the duality of the feminine, as represented in the High Priestess in the tarot. The moon features repeatedly in my work, she is my constant link to these profound cycles of light and dark.
My aim has always been to seek and portray beauty in darkness, and more recently to celebrate in the radiant colours of the light. I believe when creativity is truly flowing through us, that we are connecting to something far greater than our conscious mind can perceive and it is often on later reflection of my painting, post completion, that a deeper, greater awareness of its message is reflected back to me.
The beauty of a visual language for me is its limitless potential for individual interpretation. In this way each of us connect to an artwork in a way that is uniquely relative to us as an individual. This, I feel, is the magic of painting and what inspires me to create.
Ami Patel
Artist
I have always had a fascination for art since I was a little kid. This reflected in me been very good at drawing and any other art related topics in school. This fascination became a passion as I grew older. I took up the career of Henna Artist in India and very soon I realised the potential and more importantly, the satisfaction that I got as a Henna Artist. This passion did not diminish with me moving to Christchurch, New Zealand; in fact I saw greater opportunities for Henna art.
I have been doing Henna art professionally for almost 17 years. Now when my hand holds the henna I have complete trust in the outcome as I enter into a state of creative flow. At this level I can do hundreds of different designs from the top of my head. I work quickly in this creative state and beautiful designs bloom on your skin.
When Courage My Love invited me to become an Artist in Residence; I was so excited by the thought of working toward a finished artwork and to see it on the Legskins. I can’t believe how amazing the outcome is. There were so many technical hoops to jump through yet the finished product is as though I held Henna to skin.
ILAM Phone No 021 142 4008
Shop address: 213a Waimairi Road,
After all these years what keeps me going is my passion for art and the satisfaction and joy I see on my customer’s face. I also work as beautician providing other services: henna tattooing, eyebrow threading, herbal facials and waxing.
Persephone Singfield
Artist
Vintage Tattoo was born from my yearning to get the fluffy hippy shit off the yoga mat and let it get dirty. Yoga isn’t always light; in fact it is sometimes challenging, ugly and angry. I couldn’t find anything in the yoga apparel world to express this grittiness, so I created it. I hung out in Harley Davidson shops, I took a motorbike handling course, I bought leather things with studs, listened to Joan Jett and collect vintage tattoo books. I got artists drawing what I wanted to see (drawing not my strong point!) and I held my breath as I put out into the world what my heart desired. And it felt awesome!
I never considered myself an artist but more of a creative. My art tends to grow out of a need to absolutely make manifest a dream or inspiration. When I can’t find it anywhere out here in the physical I am forced to birth it. Art to me doesn’t have the energy of reason; it has the energy of release. Something is trying to get out of me and all I need to do is light up the path toward the exit by following what feels open and exciting...
Kit
Designer
I remember sitting at a café with Persephone flicking through ideas for her first vintage tattoo design, learning about her vision for Courage My Love and getting excited. It’s been incredibly fun seeing the designs emerge through so many talented people’s energy. From the original design concept, the cut of the fabric, the attitude of the model, the moodiness with which the photographer captures it – it’s all a work of art in progress.
I love the buzz of collaboration with sparkly people and fresh ideas. Working with Courage My Love is both inspirational and fulfilling and I love my role both designer and brainstormer
Holly Liberona
Pattern Maker
My skills have evolved through working on sportswear for NZ and Australia’s top athletes, a great experience personally and professionally. Then I had a change five years ago and began teaching the next generation at CPIT’s Fashion School.
I love being immersed in the creativity and excitement of these fashionista’s to be. I keep myself busy after hours by Freelance patternmaking as well as creating my own small ranges sold at ‘Where The Fox Lives’ boutique.
Courage My Love Legskins have been a really rewarding project to work on as they combine my background in sportswear and my ever-present love of art and fashion. I cant help but roll up my sleeves and throw myself into exciting projects like this.
I have courage in the art of fashion; bland does not exist in my wardrobe. I use colour, texture and shape to communicate what I love and who I am.
Vick Pattison
Artist
I am crazy lucky to be able to do what I love every day. No two days, commissions or clients are ever the same.The unpredictability of my world with art is something I love the most.
Melinda Butt
Artist
Melinda Butt was born and bred in Waimauku, in the western outskirts of Auckland
She expressed a strong passion for art from an early age and was a prolific painter throughout her education. She is greatly influenced by the landscape from the rural hills to the dramatic sea and shore. Melinda has exhibited in New York, Sydney and Auckland.
I'm walking towards 40 and enjoying it.
Things that inspire me: The sea and all natural (and sometime man made) landscapes, animals, courageous people, photography, music, traveling. .
After graduating from University I worked in Film in Television for 10 years. At 27 I found myself disenchanted and a little lost, I reconnected with painting again and turned my life around, focusing on pursuing my passions. I discovered yoga in my early 30's, it's been a love affair that's intensified each year.
I teach yoga in my local community, it is a vocation that equals my artistic career in terms of, enthusiasm, sincerity and enjoyment, I'm incredibly appreciative of what I do.
I compulsively create, be it little sketches, haiku's, painting, printmaking taking photos or playing music
Briar Rose
Artist
I'm a textile artist based in the South Island of New Zealand. My family come from North Canterbury, and the Waikato, before then, Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall. I grew up in Vancouver, Canada.
I'm a bit of a vagabond, and my arts practice reflects this. It's constantly moving and changing. These days, I spend as much time in the natural world as possible. As well as obtaining colour from leaves and plant material, I aim to do more hand work, less with the machines. My home has wheels, so, I can set up and work anywhere.
The vacant spaces left by the post earthquake land clearances in Christchurch are the most potent and inspiring places in the city, in my opinion. It's the closest thing we have to a genuine land based commons. Food, herbs, I've even seen chickens roaming wild there. It's my favorite place to be in the city, it's wild and open and pretty much deserted. I'm amazed I do not see more people there.
I like the fact that I can bring these places into my every day city life. It reminds me of what is wild, and nourishing, and exciting.
If the powers in charge of it had the wisdom to leave it alone (they don't) we would see first hand the generous and recuperative force of nature. Instead, the wild meadows, once full of herbs and self seeded vegetables, are getting bulldozed and planted with grass. Still - there are lots of forgotten wilderness pockets, and it's the memories of these places that will end up printed on my cloth and stitched into garments.
Stuart Lloyd-Harris
Photographer
Stuart is the photgrapher behind Courage My Love. All our images are created by his beautiful mind. Stuart studied a BA (Hons) in Fine Art specialising in film and photography. While he was studying he drew down all his student loans in one go and disappeared into the USA, travelling through a country where every street is somehow familiar and iconic. Without any agenda he documented what he found and made a film about the journey and the people he met. This would go on to become his final year exhibition piece and since then he travels whenever possible and always carries more camera gear than clothes.
“There are certain places that I will always want to return to, Berlin is one of those places, it’s a city with so much history but it has an incredibly young heart, it is occupied by artists and creators, all living in the shell of the past, it’s that combination of fire and regrowth that makes it so exciting. Berlin is full of surprises, things will appear and disappear overnight, the city is a canvas that artists are constantly painting over and changing, paper graffiti and stencil work are everywhere.
I learnt how to print in a darkroom when I was about 12 years old, I remember the magic of seeing a blank piece of photographic paper submerged in the tray of developing fluid and watching in awe as an image slowly appeared to float to the surface, most people shoot digital now and the darkroom is called photoshop, but the magic is still there as you watch your vision coming to life.
I try and exhibit my work every year, it’s a way of focusing and distilling all the ideas I’ve been having and making something that somehow represents that process
I enjoy working with Persephone, I pitch wild ideas to her and we go out and shoot them, it’s a great collaboration where creative ideas are welcomed.”
I think in pictures. I was surprised to find that not everyone does and that this way of seeing the world is called dyslexia. It means that I can see a photograph before I take it, I know what I want and then it’s just about working to make the camera see what I do. It doesn't always work and sometimes that’s because of the laws of physics but mostly because I think we never stop learning, so experimenting and trying new ideas will always result in some working and others needing work.