An interview with Waiheke painter Peter Wichman

Peter Wichman is someone I’ve known for a long time. He is a prolific painter and constantly has new work on the go. I’ve always been impressed with his discipline and work ethic. From figurative literary narratives, to still life, and more recently abstract works, Peter’s work is constantly evolving and wide ranging across many painterly categories/genres. Wichman works in oils, watercolours and pastels, and is represented by Orexart on Ponsonby Road, Auckland. Many of Wichman’s painting are also held in the Wallace Arts Trust collection at the Pah Homestead in Auckland.

Michelle Barber: What's your background?

Peter Wichman: I was born in London and had my early schooling in England, the US and Germany. My family moved to NZ when I was 14 and I attended high school in Hastings. I completed my MA in English and German at Victoria University and then did a further masters degree at Oxford University. After returning to Wellington I was employed as a junior lecturer in English at Victoria, and subsequently as senior lecturer at Waikato University. In mid-career I opted to go half-time, moving to Auckland with my family and tutoring at Auckland University. At this stage I was able to pursue my art interest with the focus needed to start to become proficient as a painter and print-maker. This last aided by some very good tuition at the much lamented Auckland Society of Art.

MB: How long have you been making art?

PW: I started to draw and paint when I was at school and as an undergraduate, and I had some success with early exhibitions in the 1960s. My painting went into abeyance during my years of post-graduate studies and during the time when I was getting my teaching practices up to speed. But it re-emerged in the 70s when I attended courses at the Waikato Society of Art where my abilities in drawing, watercolour and oil painting were stretched under the rigorous teaching of the renowned Dutch artist Paul van den Berg. Otherwise I am self-taught. I haven’t found this an impediment to artistic progress, but as a self-taught artist I have been a bit deprived of the sort of professional network that study at an art school can bring.

MB: What does your work aim to say if anything? It doesn’t have to “say” anything but moreover, what does it say to you?

PW: My work is largely figurative and, as a result of my literary interests, tends to be narrative in nature. It tells stories about human beings and human behaviour. My work is very much centred on the human figure – single portraits or groups of figures. My themes include outsiderdom, vagabondage, power play, the difficulty of communication between individuals, and the strange, sometimes perverse activities that groups often get up to. I have also done a lot of still life, grouping household and studio objects together in a similar way as figures in group studies. Sometimes the painted objects carry a sense of mystery or even threat. I don’t set out to judge, nor seek to persuade people to take a point of view. Rather, painting is a way of clarifying my view of the world.

MB: Who are your biggest artistic influences?

PW: My earliest artistic influence was German expressionism and the artists of Der Blaue Reiter. I was introduced to these artists by visits to art galleries organised by my mother when as a child my family was living in Germany. I learnt from the vivid colour range of these artists and their use of stark light/shade contrasts, particularly in their woodcuts. Later I developed a keen interest in the graphic works of Goya, whose exposing of folly in its many forms struck a chord with me. In the past two years I have turned completely away from the image in favour of abstraction. I felt I needed a new direction, a process of cleansing of the imagination, and the freedom to explore colour and pattern for their own sakes. My chief influences here are from Miro and Kandinsky who was also part of the expressionist movement. Another strong influence is NZ artist Tony Fomison for his mystery and use of myth. My current watercolour works are seeing a partial return to the human image

MB: What else do you do? And does this influence your work?

PW: Because of my academic background, I spend a lot of time reading. Fiction of course has been a useful lead-in to the telling of visual stories. I have even written a couple of novels. I also draw on tales from mythology as a way of suggesting the timeless, universal aspect experience. And myths can be wonderfully colourful and often include the element of the grotesque. I recently had an exhibition on the labours of Hercules at the Waiheke Community Gallery.

MB: How are you coping with lockdown? Are you more productive during lockdown? Does your work reflect what’s currently happening? (i.e., does lockdown/isolation influence your work?)

PW: Lockdown has been no problem as far as the creative juices are concerned. Artists are used to working on their own. The main difficulty of the lockdown is the separation from family members. I paint for a part of every day, hanging on to this discipline as a kind of therapy. My themes primarily exist in my head, so the isolation doesn’t hinder progress. Nor does it inspire me to interpret it in any particular way.

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