Aoraki student grasped art with both hands

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Talented artist thanks the polytechnic: Terrence Johnstone can use both his left and right hands to draw separate pictures – at the same time. He presently has a major acrylic exhibition on show at the Timaru District Council’s Aigantighe Art Gallery and says he would be nowhere without Aoraki Polytechnic.

Aoraki student grasped art with both hands

A popular South Canterbury artist who can use both his left and right hands to draw separate pictures at the same time and who presently has a major acrylic exhibition on show in Timaru, says he would be nowhere without Aoraki Polytechnic.

Terrence Johnstone says he owes the development of his artistic career to polytechnic art tutor Michael Armstrong, “who took one look at my work and sent me straight up to a Level 5 fine arts diploma course for a year-long course in 2008”.

“That course opened many doors for me and I now know that I had not a chance of surviving as a professional artist without it.”

The day Mr Johnstone walked up to be awarded his diploma sent him “over the moon – I still am.”

But he was yet to learn just how helpful his qualification was going to become as one of the country's “struggling artists”.

Skills learned and honed redefined Mr Johnstone's work and exhibitions since showed him that not only was he pleased with his work, the public was too. Sales were made, friendships were formed, and a major award in the form of the Polychrome Art Award came along.

Even more remarkably for the 49-year-old North Street Timaru resident was the discovery that he could draw with both hands simultaneously.

In an unusual twist to the paint-by-numbers theme, Mr Johnstone paints by music and paints by memory.

“That has developed into my discovery that by holding a pencil in each hand and staring at the centre of my canvas I could draw a person's head both front-on and side-on simultaneously.”

He said the left side of his brain and the right side acted independently although “there were fights between them as to who would be dominant”.

The Blenheim-born man who has three sisters and two brothers “none of whom show any artistic talent” is unstoppable in his desire to churn out abstract acrylics, a medium chosen because they dry quicker than oils.

Once told to “slow down” by Mr Armstrong, he throws himself into his paintings – literally.

“The floor is my easel and often paint is just poured on to my unframed canvasses and left to go where it wants to go.

“Then I study the result and develop my interpretation of the patterns to add my concepts.

“It's amazing what looks back at me.”

Mr Armstrong described Mr Johnstone’s work as exploring the realm of the imagination.

“Terry’s free flowing paint interacts chemically, producing intricate whorls, marbling effects, bubbling and dribbles.

“There is a strong sense of fun, of deliberately engaging the viewer in a game, in the pleasure of sensuous paint, and of paint’s intrinsic beauty,” Mr Armstrong said at the opening of the artist’s exhibition.

“Paint does do that, it is capable of giving the viewer a sense of things beyond the normal, visual illusions and space, all on a flat surface of thin paint.”

Mr Johnstone said the strength of added colour could be determined by the classical music he played in the background while painting.

“A heavy, booming Beethoven's Fifth Symphony could inspire strong colourful slashes and softer more gentle music, the hues of skies and grassy valleys.”

And Mr Johnstone doesn’t use a camera to “can” a scene to be painted later.

“My mind is my camera. I have a vision and then it’s there on the canvas in my mind.”

He said the Aoraki Polytechnic art course not only opened doors to art, “it opened doors to life”.

“Once you start at polytech you become aware of so many other forms of study opportunities, not just in art, but in general life skills.

“I mean an automotive course that I observed showed me potential for sculpture and although others mightn’t see that, for me it was the total package,” Mr Johnstone said.

For an artist with no car who likes to complete big paintings, exhibitions present something of a problem.

One of life’s goals should fix that though. Mr Johnstone is set on opening his own studio in Timaru where he can work and sell his art.

“That’s another thing the polytechnic taught me – how to display and market art. I owe it all to them.”

ENDS

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