Susan Johnson
The rank of local talented artists has been increased by the arrival in Richmond of Paul Deacon, marine artist. Acknowledged to be one of New Zealand’s leading marine artists, he is entirely self-taught. Son of a fisherman and an artistic mum, Paul spent his early years in Devon and on the coast of Ireland.
“The smell of my mother’s oil paints and dad’s old crab pots permeated the house,” he says.
His time in the Merchant Navy has also been a significant influence and his love of the ocean and attention to detail results in beautiful paintings even non-boaties will admire. Paul doesn’t remember when he became specifically a marine artist.
“But the beginnings evolved over many years influenced by numerous threads,” he says.
His work was recently shown at the Arts Expo in Nelson and two of his paintings have been selected to appear in the Tasman National Art Awards in Mapua. The exhibition runs from 29 September to 12 October.