Meredith McCarthy
New Zealand Artist
About
ARTIST JOURNEY
Meredith McCarthy is a Wellington-based New Zealand artist whose work is inspired by nature, symbolism, colour and light.
Creativity has always been an important part of Meredith’s life. She began sewing when she was four years old, inspired by the beautiful dresses she saw in old films. During her school years, she was naturally drawn to the art room and pottery shed, where she found comfort and freedom through creating and expressing herself in different mediums.
When Meredith was around seven years old, her grandmother took her to the Auckland Art Gallery during the school holidays. Meredith remembers being mesmerised by the artworks she encountered. These visits deepened her curiosity and strengthened her desire to explore the creative world.
Studying art history later opened her mind to an even wider world of artistic possibilities.
At the age of sixteen, Meredith’s parents enrolled her in a two-week fabric-dyeing workshop. During this immersive experience, she learnt a wide range of printing, dyeing and textile techniques using cotton and silk.
The workshop also incorporated daily meditation and group exercises designed to help participants connect with their creative abilities. This experience had a profound influence on Meredith. It helped her understand that people of all ages can struggle with creative confidence and the fear that they are not “good enough”.
For the first time, Meredith realised she was not alone in experiencing these feelings. The supportive and experimental nature of the workshop later became an important influence on the creative retreats she has facilitated for others.
Exhibitions and Creative Work
Meredith held her first solo exhibition in Wellington in 1995. Titled Extending Universe: New Planet, the exhibition featured a collection of oil paintings that explored symbolism, perspective and colour to tell stories of fertility and creation.
Over the years, Meredith has worked with a variety of subjects, ranging from flowers and clouds to New Zealand landscapes, native birds, lotus flowers and water lilies.
After changing from oil paints to acrylics in 2013, she enjoyed exploring the possibilities of this faster-drying and versatile medium. Her more recent work often combines acrylic backgrounds with finely painted details, allowing her to explore depth, luminosity and the changing qualities of light.
Meredith has also exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington. Her solo exhibition The Dance of Light was held at the Huia Gallery in 2019.
For more than seven years, beginning in the late 1990s, Meredith created regular art installations for jewellery designer Hanna Anderson’s central Wellington store. Every two months, she transformed the shop displays with imaginative scenes designed to capture the attention of people passing by.
These installations included jellybean figures climbing ladders, sitting on swings and appearing inside champagne glasses, as well as handmade teddy bears, underwater worlds and intricate origami displays.
Meredith particularly enjoyed the temporary nature of this work. Each installation existed for only a short time before making way for an entirely new creative idea.
Meredith’s Artistic Practice
Meredith is inspired by the beauty of the natural world and by the way colour and light can transform a space.
Her paintings frequently explore themes of sanctuary, freedom, renewal and emergence. Native birds represent freedom, perspective and connection with the natural world, while lotus flowers and water lilies symbolise the ability to rise from darkness and move towards the light.
Through her work, Meredith hopes to create a positive and uplifting experience that encourages people to pause, breathe and reconnect with their own sense of hope.
Alongside her painting, Meredith enjoys facilitating creative retreats for people who would like to reconnect with their imagination and discover greater confidence in their creative abilities.
Original Paintings, Prints and Commissions
Original paintings, limited prints and commissioned artworks are available by enquiry.
If you would like to view a painting in person, please contact Meredith to arrange a suitable time.
Wellington
New Zealand
Please note that delivery and shipping costs vary depending on the size, weight and destination of the artwork. A shipping quote can be provided before your purchase is confirmed.
For enquiries about purchasing an original painting, ordering a print or discussing a commissioned artwork, please contact Meredith by email.