Joe McMenamin is a painter and printmaker and the flowing organic patterns that ripple through his works have won him a following throughout New Zealand. Joe has a bachelor of media arts from the Waikato Institute of Technology. He is a secondary school art teacher and produces many of his art works at school, where his students experience first-hand the different processes involved in his prints, drawings and paintings.
In Joes latest limited edition New Zealand bird print series, the curves of his detailed line drawings balance beautifully against the bird silhouettes in his images. Joe carefully drops coloured powdered dye pigment in the midst of the white bird silhouettes, and these splash across the print, making each one bright, exquisite and unique.
Joes recent paintings depict a range of subjects painted directly onto the medium of plywood – it is a natural medium that attracts him and he makes the frames for each piece by hand. He references popular culture and film iconography, often incorporating images such as the Mona Lisa or religious symbols. Joe skilfully paints these icons directly onto the plywood, which gives them a raw quality and showcases his photorealistic painting technique. He often applies a layer of Danish oil overtop, which brings out the grain of the wood and the jewel-like paint colours.
Joes artworks, including a range of greeting cards, are available to purchase at the NZ Art Show (annually) and via endemicworld.com. You can view his latest works onFacebookandInstagramand also get in touch via email and Twitter. If you’d liketo commission a work of art, please complete the form below and Joe will get back in touch with you.