This section was designed to give readers a little bit about myself, but also to help those who come on my artist mentoring programme to develop their own artist profiles, viewing these as samples for perhaps inspiration. (refer NZ Creative Enterprises).
Artist Bio:
Paula Stenberg is a mixed media artist. She specialises in collage, assemblage, ATCs and altered art. There are a long line of gifted artists in her extended family; her cousins have become renown artists (the late Swedish brothers: Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg, and current Ron Stenberg) and musicians. [More on Vladimir and Georgii can be found here, here, here.]
Some of her collage art work, which has been exhibited nationally and internationally, reflects the zeitgeist of various eras. She exhibited for the Gallipoli Show in Australia and The Seam Upon Jerusalem, that travelled from Israel to New Zealand. Unfortunately her last collage piece was stolen while on display at Britomart, Auckland. This piece of work had fragments of opal dust and mica mineral added into the work.
She teaches decoupage, collage on canvas, scrapbooking and paper tole. She has acquired talents in a variety of creative genres from art, writing, to graphic design; she is also a qualified journalist and careers counsellor. During her time raising her children she taught Adobe Photoshop, Freehand, and PageMaker (now InDesign) for the Manukau Institute of Technology.
Paula has uniquely blended her academic and creative career by developing a portfolio of businesses: she is the director of New Zealand Creative Enterprises (who recommend approvals for funding of start ups, philanthropy for cottage industry in Third World countries, and research on the creative economies), owner of CV Style and Career LifeStyle; and owner of a retail art and craft store (Scrapbookers' Delight) and formerly owner of Altered Art Alchemist. She is currently completing her Masters in Career Development (specialising in artists).
Artist's Vision:
Life: I love it. I love laughter and subtlety, conversation, action and adventure; and especially warmth and energy which emanates from inspiration in all its forms, particularly from people. I love people and the creation of their future. I love kindness, justice, beauty, gentleness and hope. So the vision of my art is often to try and reflect that. It usually has no utilitarian purpose at all, and that's it, beauty does not have to serve as a function, it can just be.
Artist's Philosophy:
I look at images and see if there is a story. I use my imagination to develop a narrative, a theme and a dream. Nothing is quite planned, I follow a journey which stops when it is done. The wonder of childhood motivates me. The magic of that wonder I wish to re-create. Sometimes I will bring fantasy elements into my mixed media art. Nostalgia and history are often reflected upon.
Cultural exploration and the heritage of my Scandinavian background may be alluded to. I enjoy presenting characters in my work ... telling stories of people ... romance and adventure; adding a sense of theatricalness; ideas and experiences that people relate to, adding to this a subtle quirkiness to make people smile or wonder. Often, unbeknown to me at the time, there maybe by the viewer, a spiritual splash of revelation, insight or intuition in their interpretation of a piece.
I am influenced and inspired by pre-Raphaelite, Renaissance, Byzantine and Medieaval art. I am also influenced by graphic design where I like to explore the use of typography in my work.
My technique is generally collage and my medium is playing with all forms of painted effects, fibres, fabrics, papers; and then differing mixtures (gels, glazes, texture pastes) to create small wonders and canvasses that are tactile and textural.
CV writing – career counselling – guidance – assessments – personality profiling - personal branding – motivational interviewing – workshops – Specialise working with creatives, artists, tech, digital, and artisanal entrepreneurs.
