Davey McGhie

PG Dip FA (Elam), Dip Teaching, Cert Art & Design (Whitireia)

Full of warm and robust humour Titahi Bay artist & art educator Davey McGhie sculptures in wood, stone and mixed media have appeared at many of the country’s major symposia.

His visual language has emerged bold and chunky, elegant and sensitive, acknowledging a respect for the materials. With a certain amount of liberty and intuition visions arise and the artworks constantly evolve. Davey has developed a style of his own that has roots from living in the diverse, colourful Porirua community over the past 25 years.

Davey established a successful workshop in Wellington creating original screen-printed and hand painted fabrics. Song writing, performance and recording in ska rock bands and work in horticulture has been a valuable experience in the continual reinvention and exploration of his artworks.

Significantly self-taught Davey also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts at Elam, University of Auckland in 1998. Davey was tutored at Te Toi Hou by Selwyn Muru and Brett Graham. He gained a Diploma of Teaching and Certificate of Art and Design at Whitireia. Davey has since taught at Whitireia Community Polytechnic various Wellington colleges and schools, Vincent’s Art Workshop, special needs groups and Adult Community Education.

Davey values the notion of there being no right or wrong in contemporary art making. His working process is a balance of various approaches and techniques, enthusiastic burst of drawing, working out ideas with the use of small maquettes.

Davey loves family, friends and fun, the sea, land, clouds, flowers, trees, birds and animals a self confessed earthy dreamer. His great pleasure is to glimpse the beauty of small everyday events, simple things of life as they unfold. The joy and hope of their existence inspires and challenges him to create a visible narrative a willingness to invest in the full production of art making a mode of survival to establish an identify and continuity in a fast changing world.

A recipient of 1st prize “Festival of the Elements” Recycled Sculpture Competition 2005. His work is included in the Public Collection at Pataka Porirua and private collections nationally. With solo exhibitions and many group shows to his credit Davey has recently exhibited at NZ Sculpture OnShore & worked at the Mac’s Nelson Sculpture Symposium, Wood Alive Takapuna and the Wellington International Arts Festival.