Tineke Duyvestyn
Introducing the artist.
Tineke Duyvestyn is a potter, illustrator, painter, and photographer from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.
You can see examples of Tineke’s work over at tinekerose.com
Q. If you were to submit a bio about your creative life, for say, a magazine or a book, what would you write?
Growing up on the beach, bush walking and camping with my family, surrounded by nature, led me to appreciate our natural world. It is this appreciation of nature that leads me to try and capture moments in time and express myself through the creative arts. I try to represent the simplicity in nature’s beauty, the texture of a tree, the movement of a butterfly, the sound of the wind in the trees. I believe that by experiencing nature in a raw form, we remember that we ourselves are an expression of nature, pure life expressing itself through our form. I try to connect my art to that feeling of life flowing through us, hopefully to remind the viewer that they too are not separate from nature, but also a representation of the natural world.
Q. How would you describe your creative palette - from what you photograph and what you work on?
When looking through my favourite photographs, I love the moment captured of people, showing a glimpse of their personality through the inbetween expressions. The glint in the eyes, the moment where life dances on the corners of the lips and eyes, the feeling of being natural and open, these are my favourite images. In pottery it comes across through smooth surfaces, rounded edges, the feeling of softness baked into a hard clay.
Q. Who are the artists (this can be everything from musicians to painters to writers, photographers etc) are you drawn to? And what is it about their work that draws you to them?
I love Kirtan musicians, Krishna Das, Shantala, Snatam Kaur, Ajeet, and many more wonderful musicians that express love and divinity through sound. My inspiration mostly comes from people I know sharing their talent with the world, my cousin Ainsley DS (@ainsleydsphotography) who captures bodies in all their glory, in all shapes, colours and sizes. My friend Von (@VONDOVE) who paints, draws and tattoos with an indigenous style so grounded in Earth and Spirit. I love my friend Vika, (@heart.based) for her abstract expressions of life and form. I am drawn to artists who portray spirit and soul.
Q. For your photography, what is your instinct when you work? Can you describe such a thing as 'instinct'?
A. For me it’s all about connection. If I connect with the subject then the instincts are flowing from a higher place, like both our highest selves, our spirit selves are conversing and working together to create magic. If there is not much connection, then the technical mind comes into play and tries to draw out the beauty through composition and light.
Q. How would you describe the style and substance of your creative work?
A. Slow... I am not creative all the time. Or rather I am, but I am not productive a lot of the time! I need a lot of time to rest, sometimes it is me glazing cups and bowls for days on end with Gilmore Girls in the background haha. Other times, it’s working to represent something I am passionate about, like showcasing yoga asana through the forms and shapes of the body. I have yet to land on the answer of how to turn darkness into inspiration whilst in the midst of my shadows.
Q. What's your view on artistic style? Is it something for an artist to consider, strive for, or leave for others to make their own judgements?
A. I think I am still finding my style, I am striving to find something cohesive that is showcased through all mediums. I feel like I am splintered, or fragmented in my style because I cannot stick to one medium for long enough. I move from painting, drawing, potting, photographing and back without ever settling into one form to shape my style into something familiar and recognisable.
“When looking through my favourite photographs, I love the moment captured of people, showing a glimpse of their personality through the inbetween expressions.”
- Tineke Duyvestyn
Q. How does your creative process change when you move from pottery to personal photography work?
A. Not much...I procrastinate a lot. When I am in passion I will get things done very quickly, like if I edit photos right after a shoot I am full of excitemtent and joy, however if I leave it for a week or two, I lose that passion and it becomes more of a chore. Same with pottery. If I make it and bake it and glaze it all within a few weeks then I am excited and passionate for it, but if I need to wait for the kiln or for my reclaimed clay to become the right texture, I can lose my drive and won’t pick up a pot for months. It has a lot to do with my mental health. I find when I am struggling to manage depressive thoughts, there is not much energy left to express creatively, rather that using the mental instability to fuel my work, for me it stagnates it, and suppresses my instincs to create.
Q. Describe a future exhibition of your work. What might it be of?
A. This is something I think of often. I would like to showcase the lives of farmed animals, the beauty in a cow’s eye, the playfulness of pigs, the personality of chickens. I want to create an exhibition using painting, pottery, and photography to share the sentient nature of animals that die by the millions to feed a population fuelled by habit and traditions that no longer resonate with the state of the planet. I love the imagery of a woman breast feeding next to a cow being milked by a machine. I want to use art to expand people’s perceptions and share with them what it is to see the world through my eyes.
Q. I'll leave with an overused question, but one I find interesting nevertheless. If you could hang out with one artist (past or living) for a day, hour, or even a couple of minutes, who would it be? And what would you ask them?
A. The first person to come to mind is Bob Marley. I have forever been inspirired by his use of love and peace to explore injustice, and highlight the fractured political system. I would love to feel his connection to life and spirit and experience first hand the raw energy of someone so passionate for change and peace. I don't think I would ask him anything, but just watch him work, watch him create, see if I can absorb some of his fire.
Let’s work together.
To make an enquiry, simply send me a message via the form below and I’ll get right back to you. I’m based near Tauranga and work across New Zealand.