Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Macaw.
Hi Jessie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, I’m Jessie aka The Doodling Painter. I’m a mixed media, intuitive painter from Tairua, New Zealand.
I was always a creative child who love doodling (sorry teachers) but it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I discovered intuitive painting and started on the path to becoming an ‘artist’.
For me, as a child, I had always been taught art needed to start with a plan and you needed to work out what you were painting before you began. But, for me, these pieces never had the interest or the depth I desired in my art so intuitive painting filled that void.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For me the biggest obstacle has always been my own beliefs and so it took me a really long time before I felt comfortable showing my art to friends and family, and even longer before I was ready to show it to the general public.
For a while I focussed too much on what others considered art and it never truely felt like it was genuinely me. But once I started painting for myself, and painting fun creatures and animals it all fell into place. I applied to be a member of the Mercury Bay Art Escape as a way to put myself out there; I called it my big brave weekend. Since then things have run smoothly and I feel like I am on the right path.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Painting for me emulates life; you might not know exactly where it’s heading but building layers and depth helps to build a rich foundation.
Colour, texture and mark making is a constant theme in my work. As an intuitive painter I let the painting direct me as opposed to forcing preconceived notions of what it should be. It’s about the process and the art is a dialogue between myself and the work. The layers are created to reflect current moments in time; emotions, thoughts and ideas.
I am a storyteller at heart so a lot of my paintings feature characters and creatures with a range. of different expressions.
Above all, with whatever I create, I seek to impart a sense of vitality and joy, a celebration of colour and quirks.
What are your plans for the future?
From here on out, I would like to focus on growing my audience and my exposure through more art shows and more galleries. I believe my art makes people smile (and laugh!) so I would love for more people to see it. I already have a couple of shows booked for the year, including the Auckland Art Show.
Because I’m an intuitive, mixed media painter I’d also love to keep pushing the boundaries by experimenting and developing my process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://doodlingpainter.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_doodlingpainter
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/the_doodlingpainter
