This week, I am joined by painter Jenny Coker who talks about her work and how she works with different papers and paints from her studio in the North Island of New Zealand. This interview was recorded back in July 2018 just before everything went a bit nuts on the run-up to Blue Flower: The Antipodes so apologies for it taking so long to publish. 

Born in New Zealand Jenny is well known for her beautiful, sensual paintings of plants and flowers in watercolour and for her more traditional work in oils where she works using the time-consuming Flemish technique. The resurgence of classical realism appealed greatly and a high point of her art journey was a short course on oil portraiture at the Florence Academy of Art in 2016.

Jenny's large scale irises took her over in 2018, culminating in her beautiful series called 'Eros'. Often asked which medium is her favourite, she moves with ease between both watercolour and oil. Jenny travels extensively all over the world and is looking to visit Europe again in 2020. She has a love of languages and is always enthusiastic about making new friends and sharing her skills.

You can follow Jenny on Instagram.

For the last few minutes of this podcast, we are taken to Auckland, New Zealand where I recorded a Tui bird singing in Sandra Morris' garden. Seemed apt with the New Zealand theme. 

IMAGE: Jenny Coker © Watercolour on paper.