Bill English & Donald Trump Paintings

Oil paint on wood

This work I created is displayed as a pair. My inspiration or artist model came from one of my marae, Wahoterangi which is in Whangara, East Coast. This is not a traditional carved meeting house, but a painted whare. The interior is painted with portraits of the royal family at the time and introduced european plant species in place of traditional pou or carvings and kowhaiwhai patterns. These images can be found in Roger Neich's 'Painted Histories' book. I went to visit the marae when my parents came from the south island for a visit, the wharekai was undergoing new floor renovations so the wood used is from the original building.

Here is a collection of pictures of the developmental stages that the painting took aswell as reference pictures from the marae.