Colourwashes by Di Morritt Spinks

I am a New Zealand artist who, although painting with a variety of media — gouache, acrylics, oils, pastels — was intrigued many years ago by the mercurial nature of watercolour and the serendipitous effects it can produce. To this day I work predominantly with watercolour, continuing to be captivated, surprised and challenged by its unique qualities.

The power of colour to evoke an emotional response underlies much of my work. This is unsurprising, given that I have lived and worked in New Zealand, California, Cyprus and the south of France — countries where the light is strong and the colours vibrant.

By and large my paintings are not subject-driven, but are rather a response to a visual moment. I don’t paint the subject, I paint about it — often investigating the boundaries between representation and abstraction.