Artist Profile
John Staniford
Along with landscapes, Staniford is well-known for his written works which feature words that he identifies as being “classic kiwi.” The chosen words are often reflections of New Zealand life in the 60s and 70s, such as ‘macrame’, ‘fondue’, ‘rolls of film’, ‘milk bars’, ‘bodgies’ and ‘widgies’. “It’s nice to record things that today’s generation of kiwi kids might not know about,” says Staniford.
Born in the UK, Staniford’s family immigrated to New Zealand when he was fourteen, initially settling in Eketahuna. He describes the culture shock of leaving London and arriving in Eketahuna as “like going to the far end of the earth.”
However, for the teenage boy, rural New Zealand proved to be “a big adventure with freedom and space to explore and do all things you can’t do living in urban England.” He developed a love of the outdoors and New Zealand’s natural environment, especially native New Zealand birds, which feature regularly in his work.
After completing secondary school at Tararua College in Pahiatua, Staniford worked for a year in Wellington before studying at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland in 1965. Here he was fortunate to be tutored by some of New Zealand’s most pre-eminent artists, including Colin McCahon, Garth Tapper and Robert Ellis.
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Staniford is one of Hawke’s Bay’s most well-known artists. Based in his Napier studio, Staniford paints full-time and has exhibited widely, as well as being featured in several New Zealand art books.
His bold, representational style of painting and his use of contrast and colour make his work highly recognisable and his popularity as a contemporary New Zealand artist shows no sign of waning. With the advent of technology, Staniford has also been able to promote his work further afield and sells work to buyers in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia.
With a large and loyal following and steady demand for his paintings, Staniford has no plans to slow down. “I’m very fortunate to make a living from doing what I love and as long as people want to buy my paintings, I’ll continue to produce them,” says Staniford.
http://www.johnstaniford.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/John-Staniford-Artist-732191003497916
'Turnagain'
Artist: John Staniford
Description: Along with landscapes, Staniford is well-known for his written works which feature words that he identifies as being “classic kiwi.”
The chosen words are often reflections of New Zealand life in the 60s and 70s, such as ‘macrame’, ‘fondue’, ‘rolls of film’, ‘milk bars’, ‘bodgies’ and ‘widgies’.
“It’s nice to record things that today’s generation of kiwi kids might not know about,” says Staniford.
Size / dimentions: 80cm x 70cm
Media Type: Painting
