new zealand artist | kirameki san experiences sustained loss of traction

Posts Tagged ‘new zealand artist’

It’s all in the marketing. Mainly.

Posted: August 14, 2026 in Uncategorized
Tags: acrylic on canvas, anime, art, cafe art, cartoon, geisha, good coffee, japan, manga, new zealand art, new zealand artist, pop art, ukiyo e, ukiyo-e

Still in 2025, around the time the Tauranga Runway officially opened, Market & Main cafe (situated right by my section of the runway, in the Historic Village, Tauranga, which is in New Zealand. North Island of New Zealand, as it happens) had a pop up Kiramekisan show. Not only were they super gracious in hosting my work, but their food & coffee are top notch. I may have had nachos there more than once…

“BKOOM!”. Now sold.

“Taihen’na jidaidesu” Ichi and Ni and “Doshin wa no guwa ookii” Ichi. Now sold.

The marketing worked! I have a hankering for nachos now…

Run, run, run away. To the Tauranga Runway.

Posted: August 13, 2026 in Uncategorized
Tags: japan, art, street art, sakura, New Zealand, new zealand artist, maneki neko, Tauranga, mural, Historic Village, hibiscus

Later in 2025, the opportunity came up to be involved with the Tauranga Runway project at the Historic Village in (now get this!) Tauranga. Which in in New Zealand, for those who may be unaware. Hadn’t painted on a road before, so was a pretty nifty learning experience. Went for Sakura and Hibiscus mainly, looking at the experience of those who have come to NZ from other places, notably the Pacific (hibiscus) and Asia (sakura).

This was the last day of painting, taken from the balcony above Market & Main cafe.

…and this was how it started.

Here, an old man wields a paint roller.

This was the pre opening day gig. I wore shorts. Found it a bit cold.

Opening day itself proved much warmer. Shorts were definitely a good idea this time.

Chronology be damned! Back to when we were still rollin’. And rollin’ some more. This is Mike. Paint Guru.

The hibiscus are framed in a Maneki Neko outline. Not many people know that.

Here, a pair of old men seem quite pleased that the majority of rollin’ (and brushin’ of the outlines – that was the back and knee breaker) is behind them.

For lucky best wash! For lucky best wash! For lucky best wash!

Posted: May 9, 2023 in geisha, Paintings, painty bits, ukiyo-e
Tags: acrylic on canvas, animation, anime, art, cartoon, detergent, geisha, hashi, homer simpson, japan, japanese fan, katakana, kimono, lucky cat, maneki neko, manga, mr sparkle, new zealand art, new zealand artist, pop art, the simpsons, tv show, ukiyo-e

Because there are 3… Backgrounds are based on the Mr Sparkle detergent box. One would have been fine, but I reckon a triptych works even better. I’ve done a few with the maneki neko frame this year – I’ll do some more on larger canvases and see how it goes after that. These are available for sale (as a triptych), so could be yours!

Thanks for scrolling down. You’re the best.

May as well Totoro.

Posted: May 9, 2023 in Paintings, painty bits
Tags: acrylic on canvas, animation, anime, art, cartoon, japan, japan nz, manga, new zealand art, new zealand artist, pop art, studio ghibli, totoro

This canvas had been sitting for several years with Totoro drawn on it, so once I’d finished up with the 12 inchers decided to finally get it finished. Really want to do some more Ghibli. So I just might.

I’ve joined the jacket racket.

Posted: May 9, 2023 in geisha, painty bits, ukiyo-e
Tags: art, custom painted jacket, denim jacket, geisha, japan, kimono, modern Ukiyo-E, new zealand artist, support Ukraine, ukiyo-e

For a couple of years at primary school, my son was blessed with a truly excellent teacher. When it became time for him to move on to another school, I offered her a painting by way of Thanks from our family. She suggested that I broaden my horizons by painting this jacket.

You may notice the background colours. Because fk Putin.

Bunch of Decks…

Posted: May 8, 2023 in geisha, Paintings, painty bits, ukiyo-e
Tags: animation, anime, art, cartoon, colour halftone, custom painted skateboard, geisha, homer simpson, japan, kimono, manga, marvel comics, mr sparkle, new zealand artist, pop art, powergirl, skateboard, the simpsons, ukiyo-e

Let’s face it – taking decent photos of your work is overrated… Heh heh heh. Not really – and this was a reminder of my new resolve to take better photos in future. Or even better – take each piece to a professional to take even better shots. That’s the plan.

Skateboard decks are fun to paint. I like to paint both sides, because it feels a bit like cheating otherwise. Or something. With these I went for a Ukiyo-E type geisha character to the”graphic” side and went a bit wild with spraypaint and a halftone stencil (and a Mr Sparkle) on the top side. More colour for your dollar!

Graphic side – geisha and Powergirl!

Would look interesting with clear griptape! Although I probably wouldn’t recommend riding one of these…

SWOK! BLAM! NEW! POST!

Posted: January 22, 2023 in geisha, Paintings, painty bits, ukiyo-e, Uncategorized
Tags: acrylic on canvas, acrylic painting, animation, anime, art, art for sale, cartoon, comic book, geisha, japan, kimono, manga, new zealand artist, pop art, ukiyo-e

“SWOK!’ and “BLAM!” 75x75cm acrylic on canvas.

I’d had the idea of a Ukiyo-E geisha figure over the top of a comic book exclamation type image for a while and did a trial run on some old cheap canvases with the geisha figure as a sihouette. They looked ok (we have one on our wall, so I see it every day and enjoy it being there), but doing the geisha properly stepped it up a bit. I’ll be doing some similar pieces again at some stage this year.

“BLAM!” is sold, pending the completion of the deal, but “SWOK!” is available. Do please get in touch if you’d like it on your wall.

Practise runs below.

The Ghost Who Walks. And Swims. And hangs on it’s new owner’s wall.

Posted: October 17, 2022 in geisha, painty bits, ukiyo-e
Tags: acrylic on canvas, animation, anime, art, cartoon, comic book, geisha, japan, kimono, manga, new zealand artist, the phantom, ukiyo-e

“Saisho no Fantomu.” Commission – finished last week and now in it’s new home.

New! For 2021!!

Posted: February 20, 2021 in painty bits
Tags: 1980s, 8 bit, acrylic on canvas, acrylic painting, animation, anime, art for sale, birds of prey, classic video games, comic, comic book, manga, marvel comics, new zealand art, new zealand artist, nintendo, Super Mario

“Ahiru ga inainode, koko ni Mario ga imasu!” This is the first piece that I’ve managed to complete this year. Am in the midst of a couple of other projects, which unfortunately aren’t bringing in much $$ at the moment, so this is definitely available for purchase. It would look fantastic in your home. Or office. Or workplace.

Memoirs of Memoirs of a Salaryman.

Posted: February 19, 2021 in Memoirs of a Salaryman exhibition, painty bits
Tags: acrylic on canvas, acrylic painting, anpanman, art exhibition, astro boy, atom, black widow, captain america, comic, doraemon, futurama, geisha, japan, japanese woodblock, maneki neko, marvel comics, mr sparkle, new zealand art, new zealand artist, spiderman, superman, the simpsons, totoro, ukiyo e

My first solo exhibition exhibited itself at The Incubator gallery in Tauranga NZ in December 2020. Was quite a trip! And a good way to see out a year that presented a challenge or two for quite a few people. I respectfully invite you to feast yer peepers: