Airbrush Artistry

Colin brings a unique passion and precision to his craft. His finely detailed contemporary artworks are characterised by smooth transitions of colour, giving each piece a unique feel and sense of mood. Despite its slow and painstaking nature, airbrushing lends a remarkable quality to the subject matter, a technique Colin has mastered through self-teaching. He has developed specialised methods to emphasise the interplay of light and shadow, giving his work an almost sculptural quality. Inspired by the natural forms of New Zealand, especially the coast and its distinctive light, Colin’s art captures fleeting moments with stunning clarity.

“I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in that I don’t have to look very far for inspiration or motivation for my work,” Colin reflects. The physical location of his studio allows him to continue to develop his own particular style. Noting that artists all tend to be affected by their surroundings, often showing through in the end product, Colin says, “this is certainly true for me.” Trying to capture the moods of our New Zealand coastline is both a challenging and very pleasurable endeavour for Colin. “I find that using the airbrush as my painting tool lends a smooth, almost mellow quality. Airbrush painting is a less common artist's medium than some others, partly I think because it is so time intensive, but it is exactly this which makes the end result so special,” he says.

Colin’s technique involves applying many translucent layers of paint to achieve the desired shades that he seeks. This method, rather than mixing an exact colour from the start, gives his work vibrancy and an almost inner glow, as light reflects and refracts off different levels of colour. Though slow, Colin believes the process is worth the effort.

His goal is to create paintings that bring visual pleasure and convey a true sense
of the subject, while allowing enough room for individual interpretation, engaging the viewer's imagination.

Colin’s work has been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions across New Zealand and is part of collections in New Zealand, the UK, America, Asia, and Europe. He was a finalist in the Adam’s Portraiture Awards in 2010, won the Northland Art Awards for Painting in 2013, and received the People’s Choice Award at the Gilmore Brown Kaipara Art Awards in 2013.

Facebook: Colin Unkovich | C.Unkovich1@gmail.com