Were It All Began
Where it all began.
Hello followers and welcome to all the newcomers. Thank you for your interest in my art.
I appreciated it! 🙏
For those who don't know, I am from Germany and came to New Zealand in 2003.
What brought me here?
A plane would be my cheeky answer but really it was nature. The beautiful untouched nature of
New Zealand drew me in. So I set off by myself to explore a country on the other side of the world.
I have always been creative, with a great imagination. From an early age, I built and crafted for hours and
I still love and prefer to hand-make gifts for people. My grandad and uncle were artists, so the artistic gene is flowing in my blood.
I always wanted to do a creative job, when I grow up. Originally, I wanted to become a woodcarver. I love wood and sometimes have a play with it or just enjoy touching the smooth surface or a turned piece.
When I arrived in New Zealand, the plan was to travel for 8 months, work for 2 - 3 month on the mountain and return home.
After 3 weeks of travelling to Northland and back down to Taupo, I got a job offer to pack Parachutes.
Now that was not a word I remembered from my school vocabulary, so I asked "packing what?"
Now here I have to add that the manager of the company who had asked me, is a German-born, businessman. So efficient as possible he replied, "do you want the job or not?"
Rather than trying to find a job later, I took the one offered to me now and said.....
You guessed it "yes, please!"
That was the start of 5 years in the skydiving industry, where I not only learned to pack parachutes but also the reserve chutes and how to jump out of a perfectly working plane 😊. Just for fun and the adrenalin! 🤙
Now, you may know or can imagine that skydiving is only possible when the weather plays a part. No wind over 20knots, rain or think clouds so you can find your way to the landing area. That is a lot of sitting around, waiting for good weather or the parachute packers to finish packing. Haha...... Never!
For an efficient, social and energetic german, that is too much waiting. I had to find something productive, so I started to draw and paint again. I also started my own little business, crocheting snowboarding beanies. I designed clothing and created the "Little Devil" label to sew onto my beanies and clothes.
After about 3 months in the country, I discovered the black iron sand for the first time and was mesmerised by the deep black and sparkly texture. I had to embrace its unique beauty and started to add the black sand to my acrylic artworks for texture and contrast.
Not long after I started incorporating white sand and the concept of sand art was born. I had my first exhibition of pure sand artworks in 2004 at the old "Flax Cafe", in Taupo. Fitting to space and name,
I kept the subject natural. Nature has always been an inspiration for my art.
I love the beach and being on the water as much as being surrounded by wise, old trees.
I often think of them as old men, who have seen more then we can ever imagine and would give us great advice if they could talk. Perhaps they would kick our arses with their branches and fight back!
I have a lot of respect for our planet and believe that mother nature provides everything we need to live. I like the Motto "Back to Basics",
which I also implement in the health and nutrition areas of my life.
This is why sand is my chosen medium for my artworks.
I love to support and always look for ways to collaborate with other charities and companies, who embrace sustainability and help protect our planet and animals within. So get in touch, If you are interested. Let’s combine our strength to do good in this world - Our Home!
Let’s start now! Lets each do our part, to protect mother nature. It can be something so simple, like not littering, or picking up rubbish when you see it. Recycle your rubbish.
You are an important part, you matter in this important cause.
Thank you :)
Bob Marley in his striking youth. My first portrait artwork from 2004, created with 2 shades of natural New Zealand sand. (Black Iron sand from Taranaki and grey sand from Lake Taupo)
Solo Exhibition @ The Wallace Gallery, Morrinsville
“OUR SANCTUARY”
NANCY TSCHETNER – EXPRESSIONS IN SAND
A new solo exhibition from artist Nancy Tschetner combines over 40 shades
of New Zealand and international sand to create exciting individual pieces.
Based in Hamilton, Nancy Tschetner is renowned for her ability to take a kaleidoscope of the
natural colours found in sand and generate detailed and mesmerizing works.
Her latest exhibition ‘Our Sanctuary’ opens on Saturday 7th of Novemer, 10.30 am,
at The Wallace Gallery, Morrinsville and shows a variety of works representing nature in its purest form.
“With my work I aim to connect, not only people with people, but also people with nature,
” Tschetner says.
“Gradually, each grain becomes part of a larger image, represented in my artwork. Just like us, when we come together and stand together, we are stronger and can achieve greater things.”
To highlight certain colours or details not available in sand, she uses crushed glass, leave gold or other mixed media.
In a world where there is a growing move towards sustainability, Tschetner’s work uses nature’s own resources to provide a connection between the audience and mother nature.
Her portfolio includes sand portraits. The portraits are outstanding and bring to life that special person or beloved pet.
The variety of colours and the complexity of each grain of sand allows Tschetner to capture every distinctive element of her subject, freezing in time the fleeting magic of a place or a particular memory.
Nancy says” In my sand paintings and portraits I have pursued the simplistic and effective results that can be attained through contrast with the natural coloured sand of Aotearoa offering ideal texture and the contrast I was after”
Nancy Artwork can be found in various New Zealand art galleries & art shows.
For more information on Nancy Tschetner,
Website: www.nancytschetner.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancy_tschetner_artist/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NZSANDART/
WHAT: ‘OUR SANCTUARY’
WHO: Artist Nancy Tschetner
WHERE: Wallace Gallery,167 Thames Street, Morrinsville
WHEN: 7th of November - 6th of December
Artist Talk @ The Wallace Gallery, Morrinville
Hamilton Artist Nancy Tschetner - The New Zealand Sand Artist talks about her unique technique of using over 40 different shades of natural New Zealand sand ...
THE FINE ART OF SAND
The materials in Hamilton artist Nancy Tschetner’s studio are a little different from normal.
Armed with just sand, adhesive, and a paint brush, she lovingly creates works of art that she hopes bring a sense of peace to people.
Her exhibition ‘Connection to Nature’ opens at The Art Lounge in Willow Street Tauranga on September 11 and runs through to October 8.
A graphic artist by profession, Nancy came to New Zealand from Germany 17 years ago and it was here she found black sand for the first time.
I started out using black sand on acrylic paintings to begin with, then started collecting white sand and working with the two together, she says.
The texture and contrast that sand gave to her acrylic paintings inspired Nancy to innovate with using just sand alone in her artwork.
“Nobody was doing sand art so I thought this is going to be my thing,” she says.
“Over the past 17 years it’s just evolved into fine art.”
The creative process, she says, is not a quick one.
“I have to wait until each layer dries before I can apply the next one. It’s not like painting where you can mix colours and just overpaint.
“It can take quite a while so I usually work on more than one piece at a time. The big ones can take between 30 and 60 hours.”
First painting the details in adhesive for the shade of sand she wants to use, Nancy then sprinkles on that colour and shakes off whatever doesn’t stick.
The process is repeated for each different shade until the picture is complete.
“Gradually each sand grain becomes part of a larger image represented in my artwork. I liken this to people when we come together, the strength that can be created and the visions that can be achieved,” she says.
“I often think of myself as a little sand grain that got carried all the way over to New Zealand and over the years collected friends, made a home, and hopefully changed something for the better,” she says.
As for the range of colours at her disposal Nancy says she currently has around an impressive 60 shades of sand on her shelf.
“I started collecting it from different beaches and noticed that even if you drive just a kilometre up the coast the shades would be different.
“Then when I began markets and exhibitions people began sending me sand or bringing me some back from their holidays.”
One client returning from an overseas trip gifted her a bag containing sand collected from 27 beaches around the world.
A commission artist, Nancy has done wedding portraits incorporating sand from different coasts and special locations that have significance to her clients.
The exhibition will feature at least 10 of Nancy’s artworks and all are for sale.
Coming to New Zealand and connecting with some of what she considers the most beautiful nature in the world is behind the name of her new exhibition.
“For me it was back to basics,” she says. “Working with media that occurs naturally in nature.
“We have so many colours of sand that I don’t need to go and buy paint.”
By bringing the beauty of her art into people’s homes Nancy hopes to remind them of ‘what’s waiting out there’ for them.
“When a person looks at my work I want them to feel calm,” she says.
“We’ve got everything we need in nature. My biggest passion is nutrition, and mindset, and art so the three combined…if you feel depressed, instead of going to the doctor go outside.”
“I appreciate people’s support,” she says.
“Art heals and is the highest form of hope.”
Anyone interested in commissioning Nancy or seeing examples of her work can visit: www.nancytschetner.com
Creativity & Exhibition with guest Nancy Tschetner - an article in 'The Inspired Guide Magazine'
Find out what inspires and drives my passion for Art and Nature. Where I came from, how I work, tips for fellow creatives and much more.
HERE: https://issuu.com/studiosnz/docs/the_inspired_guide_13/24
If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch.
I would love to connect with you.
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True to yourself
I did my FOET (Further Offshore Emergency Training) refresher training today. Here you learn fire fighting, first aid and how to get to safety in the event of an emergency.
Two of these emergencies are, finding your way out of a dark smoke and fire filled building, and how to get out of a helicopter in case of an emergency water landing or crash.
Some people call it crazy, call me crazy for doing what I do.
I think that most activities, respectfully exercised are often pretty safe and not so crazy after all. The reason for that is the training, repetitive proceedures and activities you go through to be able to experience it in the first place. Skydiving is one of these activities.
However nothing really fully prepares you for an emergency or prevents you from having an accident.
Many factors play a role in every moment of your life. How you feel, how you act and how you react. What you fueled your body and mind with? Food, drinks, your surrounding or the weather and complacency! I have experienced this first hand but that is a story I will share another time.
I worked in the skydiving industry for five years and still sometimes work in the oil and gas industry, swinging of ropes, at scary heights. Now, for some of my colleagues that might not have been scary or height at all.
I am a true believer, we are an adaptable species and we can get used to most things, everything in life was once unusual. Walking, going to the toilet, eating with cutlery. And looking at that, we are privileged to have these tools full stop.
Fear is a neutural feeling, not positive, not negative. It is part of you, just like joy, anger and sadness. When you acknowledge and except that, fear can give you creativity. You find a way of doing things in a different, fun and hopefully safer way. 👍 I personally like taking every opportunity in life and pushing my boundaries. Even being an artist is sometimes scary. Like fearing rejection or the fear of not having enough time. Just being you, without comparing can be scary. The challenge with that is to stay true to yourself, to listen to your intuition and to acknowledge what is going on within you. Like with everything, the more times you practice it, the more it becomes natural.
Being brave, does not mean that I have to do what society does or what people around me think is brave. Being brave is to go out with your girlfriend for a pizza night, and deciding you want to eat a salad instead because you feel better not having carbs. Its so easy to tell somebody to be brave, especially kids. But think forward to when they are in their teenage years, and feel uneasy getting into the car with a mate they just met who may have had a couple of beers. Would you tell them to be brave.....?
Intuition is something we are born with but get untold or unlearn it very quickly.
Encourage diversity! Not just in hair colour.
Get to know somebody fully, before judging them.
Put yourself in another persons shoes.
It is hard at first, especially when somebody talks to you in a not very nice manner. You never know what this person has experienced during the day or their life’s.
It most likely has nothing to do with you.
When you push somebody's ‘buttons’, it is them, who installed that button in the first place.
It is the same within you!
In summary, stay true to yourself. Acknowledge all that you feel, own it and listen to yourself before you follow the heard. And Yes, go out of your comfort zone, in whatever way makes you feel alive or brings you a new level of happiness. Only you know, what that is and only you can make you do or feel something. 😉
You are awesome, unique and you are here for a purpose. There is no-one else like you! Yeeeehhaaaaa.
The smile shows pure adrenaline ☺️ not the joy of comfort
We are safe! Otherwise the smile would be a different expression.
Inspired by Nature Part 1
I was born in a small village in east Germany (DDR until 1989).
Our family home is located right at the edge of our village, with now 2000 residents.
There is a dirt road, right next to our house, leading you into many different directions. Into the forrest, onto another dirt road, to another village or back onto the main Road. Fencing is by far not as common as in New Zealand. You can literally walk from on town or village to the next and so on.
I was born with a huge sense of creativity and imagination. Combined with spending the majority of my childhood in the outdoors, that was and is the perfect soil for my artistic expressions. I still collect alot of natural product, when out for a stroll. My head is full of ideas and inspiration flows freely, when I am surrounded by nature. In school, i did really well in art. My favourite subject was art, sport and music. As a child I wanted to be a jockey or a wood carver, when I grow up.
Mainly carving horses haha, another favourite thing. Trees and water are my natural elements. Tree's fascinate me, they are alive, represent life and if only they could talk, can you imagine the stories they would be able to tell. Years of experience & wisdom.
I feel calm around them and the air & aura surrounding them, is just so energizing and relaxing an at the same time.
Following my creative instinct I did a work experience as a hat maker and after finishing school, I started an apprenticeship as a sign writer/ graphic designer.
I am a very active person, love working with my hands but just using the key's of a key board and sitting all day, is not me ! :))
A lot of what i did somehow show my adventurous and creative mind, the hobbies I choose, the music i listened to, my style of fashion and so on.
I certainly, rarely follow the trends. I rather take the new style and change it too a nancy-fied new version. I started sewing and altering clothes, in my teens.
I love exploring and designing. When I was 14, I watched a program, that once again, broadened my horizon. A group of 6 famous artists, designed the interior of an apartment. Most items looked nothing like, what they actually were. For example, a group of realistic looking sheep were the stoles, covered in natural sheep skin. They looked comfy :), the cupboard for glasses and cups, was the trunk of a vintage VW beetle, cut off and attached to the wall.
The rug in front of the bed, was a bucket of paint tipped out. The paint like material, was very thick and spungy. These ideas inspired me to follow my dreams and put my creativity & designs out there. If i could sell the ideas in my head, I would already be living of them, like a millionaire. In comparison to Kiwi's, the majority of Germans need a percentage of security. When we take any risks, they still have to be semi measured and safe haha.
However, now I truely believe, anyone can achieve anything they set their mind to. Breathe and Believe, follow your dreams but you have to live and think like,
you already achieved them. It works in with what you give, is what you receive. Imagine your dream with feelings, every day.
It took me a long time to overcome the thoughts and believes, I have been brought up with. Growing up in east Germany, we had everything we needed.
It was'’t much and just one kind of each product (can you even imagine). After the wall came down, in 1989 & we discovered what else is out there, it wasn’t enough anymore. :)
In East Germany, you had to work hard for anything you wanted, even just the basics. The idea of being an artist, was very far away and somewhat unrealistic.
I am a little social butterfly, which probably comes from growing up in a small village. Everyone knows and helps everyone.
Working together to achieve 100 %, has always been the motto. So when I worked my first job in a medium size company, in west Germany, I missed the team work. We worked on 1 product, we were only 14 workers and all departments should have worked hand in hand. The lack of communication and team work, made my job very frustrating and un enjoyable. I like to give the client the best i can but as just one hand, in the production line, it was out of my hand. One little mistake could lead to a massive failure and unexceptable product for the client. So team work and communication was crucial.
The job market in Germany was at its lowest and to get another job, I had to move a long way away from home.
