This artist has an eye for detail

08 Mar 2023

In the South Island of New Zealand, artist Wicksey is creating breath-taking works of art that are transforming the public spaces in his town. With the help of the Resene ColorShop team in Oamaru, Wicksey has found the perfect colours to make his projects come to life.

Wicksey has always enjoyed art and has been drawing and painting from an early age. In the last six years he has begun to throw himself into creative mode and working towards pursuing his art full time.

Wicksey’s largest mural to date, at Oamaru Excelsior Sports Club, painted with Resene Adrenalin, Resene Half Resolution Blue, Resene Scrumptious, Resene Turbo and Resene Lima. This mural has received many positive compliments from the Oamaru community.

“I currently have a full-time job as the event coordinator at the Oamaru Opera House,” says Wicksey. “I fit in the creative stuff around this, while also spending time with my family, so it can be pretty full on.”

“I enjoy having a creative outlet and being an artist is definitely what I want to spend my life doing.”

Finding inspiration all around him, from the many incredibly talented NZ artists to the street art lining buildings and roads, a simple walk around our towns and cities is all the inspiration Wicksey needs.

The visual effects of this piece are amazing, you really feel like the sky is spilling through the bricks. Wicksey painted this mural with Resene Freefall, Resene Quarter Masala, Resene Malibu and Resene Double Gravel.

“It’s great to see art spilling out onto the streets more in recent years and making the community a more interesting and vibrant place.”

If you’ve been to Oamaru you may have seen some amazing murals and pieces throughout the town, such as one of Wicksey’s favourites, the transformer box at the Mariner Suites. With this piece, the artist got to experiment with the application of the paint, learning new styles that made him feel like he was growing as an artist.

The transformer box at Mariner Suites in Oamaru, painted in Resene Surfie Green, Resene Freefall, Resene Clockwork Orange, Resene Malarkey, and Resene Gold, Resene Mystify and Resene Blast Yellow metallic paints.

Wicksey’s usual process is to photograph the space he’ll be working on and draw or photoshop the design over it so he can share his ideas with the client. It’s a great way to visualise what will happen with the space.

“After the designing it is all about getting my hands dirty and bringing the piece to life with Resene paints,” says Wicksey. “Resene Lumbersider is my go to as it is a hard wearing paint and covers well, it’s also super versatile and the results are always good.”

“I have used other paints in the past, but after seeing the results I was getting with the Resene range there really is no going back. The quality of the product is great and it’s super reliable.”

“Tin after tin, you know you’re getting the same great product. Resene have a fantastic range of colours and finishes. I do have a few colours I like to use again and again, but I always find new ones to try when I am in store looking through the palettes for my next job.”

The perfect mural for outside Oamaru Eyecare. Both realistic and surreal, this eye is painted in Resene Turbo, Resene Triple Concrete, Resene Half Iron, and Resene Gold, Resene Mystify and Resene Blast Yellow metallic paint.

As for favourite Resene colours, Wicksey loves the metallics range and the effects he can get with this, especially being able to combine it with other paints to get some really unique finishes. Another of the artist’s favourites is Resene Surfie Green which he has used in recent work and also tells us it may be making its way into his new bathroom at home!

Although Wicksey wouldn’t put a label on his own style, saying “perhaps I haven’t found one yet,” he says he enjoys the creative process and learns something new with each piece he works on.

“Thanks to the Resene team in Oamaru, they are always a huge help, and are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch.”

Wicksey is always keen to work on more projects, so get in touch through his social media if you have a project or idea, he would love to hear from you.

Check out more of Wickey’s work:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wickseydesign

More of Wicksey’s transformer boxes brightening up the community, painted in Resene  Silver Aluminium, Resene Night Sky, Resene Polarize and Resene Gold.

Published: 08 Mar 2023