What moments or experiences set you on the path to becoming an artist?
I was born on it. Never really had to think about it. Always, ‘the boy who could draw’.
How did your commercial background influence your approach to fine art?
It was the other way round… I went to art school… had a baby… got married, and had to earn a living. But when I DID start painting again I used all the evil tricks I’d learned in Advertising. All the things they don’t teach you at Art School.
Pictured: Dick Frizzell, Castlepoint, 2024
Your work often features very recognizable New Zealand imagery – from Mickey to the Four Square man. What draws you to these particular symbols of our culture?
I wasn’t drawn to them as symbols of our culture so much as them being all around me. Then it weirdly morphed into this Kiwiana thing.
You’ve often moved between different styles in your work. How do you decide when to shift, and is it instinct or intention?
Short attention span. The focus expires and something else sneaks in when I’m not looking. It keeps me on my toes. Most of the themes are closely related… very graphic. Except the landscapes… which are a world away.
You’ve been documenting and celebrating New Zealand culture for decades. How do you think our visual identity has changed during you career?
Well, that’s the thing… I don’t think of it as ‘documenting’ anything but just responding to the moment! But what HAS changed is the absorption of Maori culture into our day to day world. Especially into commercial art.
What has been your most memorable exhibition?
My 1993 Exhibition ‘TIKI’. It changed everything. Oh, and the one coming up at Gow Langsford, Onehunga, on the 4th October… ‘The Weight of the World’.
Which works do you think will be most significant in 50 years’ time, and why?
‘Mickey to Tiki’ I suppose. I don’t see that ever going away. And the scone recipe, ‘Hot Buttered’.
Pictured: Dick Frizzell, Mickey To Tiki Tu Meke, 1995
What new themes or approaches are you keen to explore in the future?
I’ve only got about 5 tricks in my bag and I guess I’ll just go on recycling them til’ I drop.
