John Wayne McPhail (Wayne)

 Wayne was born in Christchurch in 1937 and had an avid interest in art from a very early age. When Wayne was 16 he was sketching down by the Avon River when an elderly gentleman approached and admired Wayne's work. He invited Wayne and his friend back to his studio to view some of the works he was working on. That man was the one and only Bill Sutton a very well known NZ Landscape Artist.

Wayne paints mainly in pastels but also paints the rolling hills of the Lindis in Acrylics.

 I found this delightful piece in the Christchurch Art Gallery Magazine from 1981 which featured Wayne McPhail...

Wayne McPhail 24 April -10 May No formal art training, but attended extracurricular art classes at School of Fine Arts for a period after commencing employment as a commercial artist. His main interest lies in landscape painting, with satisfaction being gained from working closely with nature - and capturing the transitory qualities of light and form in the New Zealand landscape. The majority of his paintings are in the semi-traditional style, but stimulation is achieved in developing more abstract forms of landscape. He has painted spasmodically for many years — but the majority of work for this exhibition has been completed over the last 18 months. Most work has been executed in oils, with more recently an emphasis on acrylic. This media has found favour because of its versatility and fast drying — which suits the artist's painting style. Approximately half of the exhibited works are in the form of sketches in mixed media. These are mostly of early and often derelict farm houses and buildings. Interest is found in these types of structures because of the rich textures in weathered timbers, and interesting patterns of light and shade. Satisfaction is gained too, from capturing something of New Zealand's early architectural styles as these rapidly disappear from our land