I am a Laingholm (West Auckland) based artist / photographer, out of hibernation after a long hiatus and back in my studio, which is in a never-ending state of organised chaos, which, to think of it, is a metaphor for my life.

My work variates between impulsivity (finishing in just a few sittings) and the many layers of overthinking. Such habitual patterns have led to something awesome though - the unveiling of certain techniques and a development of my style, although no painting is ever the same.

A bit about my background history: I was born in USSR (that's last century) and had an inclination to draw from an early age, ‘figures and faces’ fast becoming a subject of fascination - my first profile sketches being copies of my mum's by-the-phone doodling. 

I went on to study drawing and painting in Moscow and then, at the age of 16, once our family immigrated to Scotland, carried on with art studies at high school in Glasgow.

​In 1998, by then having spent 4 years in New Zealand, I completed a three-year degree at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland, majoring in Graphic Design. Graphics, sided with a developing interest in photography and montage work, had an unequivocal influence on my painting process.

My photography is influenced by the subtle details of my surroundings. By our garden, the majestic Manukau Harbour, West Coast wildness, bush and its occupants. In painting I continue to incorporate portraiture with experimental mediums and themes.

​Thank you for visiting and shout out if you would like to adopt any of my work (adoption fees apply).

​- Anya Veryaskina