Ewan McDougall, the Dunedin painter, is celebrating his 60th birthday with a retrospective exhibition of his life's work.
Ewan McDougall was a late starter to the art game, and that may be why at 60 his paintings still express the boldness and vibrancy of youth.
A self-described "action painter", he admits his modern oil paintings are reminiscent of ancient rock art.
“But of course I’m using very powerful modern colours.. And that's the difference, psychedelic cave paintings if you like,” says McDougall.
McDougall says the 20 year retrospective of his work has given him the chance to stop and reflect on his changing styles over the years.
“It was very careful and surrealist in the start I think, and now it's very grunty and lots of colour,” says McDougall.
Comments like "my child could paint that" are never far from McDougall's work,comments he brushes off by borrowing a quote from child prodigy Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
“He said it took me two years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child. And I think he just means to get the spontaneity,” says McDougall.
And his energetic works with those crazy grinning garish faces have attracted both young and old.
“So I think sometimes the grins are grimaces. I think they cover a gamut of emotions the work, but I do like happy people and happy faces as well,” say the expressionist artist.
McDougall says his key is not to take life too seriously. Despite that his works have still hung in galleries across Europe, as well as brightening up many walls in New Zealand.
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