Angela Burns
Angela is a Dunedin based artist who has been painting for over 40 years. Her preferred mediums are oil and acrylic on large scale canvases but lately has returned to exploring mixed mediums on thick Saunders paper.
After graduating from the Otago Polytechnic school of Art in the mid 1970’s Angela attended teachers college in Christchurch and then embarked on various jobs which included graphic artist, museum work and teaching. Later returning to study Angela completed an Art History degree and teaching diploma and also jointly ran the family business, the Green acorn Café for over 25 years. Her varied working life, has always been combined with her painting practice, which she sees as her, ‘’main job!’’
Tending towards abstract expressionism, her work reflects local land and seascapes, moving beyond the physical appearance to evoke a sense of relation to place. ‘’ I am interested in its history, memory and spiritual connections. Light, texture and shape within an image are all important as are the viscosity and application of the paint itself”
Artists which inspire her work are the likes of American painter Pat Steir and in New Zealand Marilyn Webb, Louise Henderson, Anna Caselberg, and John Drawbridge.
Angela has exhibited in many galleries all over New Zealand, the majority of work is now stocked and displayed at Gallery De Novo. Her work has had global appeal with sales throughout The United Kingdom, Australia and the USA.
Angela love to explore the landforms around her home in Dunedin. Whether it is Otago’s Northwest uplands, focusing on Rocklands Station or returning to the sea, and explore more of Otago’s dramatic coastlines.”
Angela’s 2025 work is based on images of the stunning BlueSkin Bay and beyond (just North of Dunedin) She has marveled looking at the beauty of this landscape in changing seasons, light and time.