About Alex DiMercurio
I'm a French-born New Zealand artist with a deep love for nature and art, blending post-impressionism, fauvism, and abstract realism into my own style.
I have been both a galleried and a professional, self-representing artist for over 20 years, connecting directly with curators and collectors across the globe.
My mission is to celebrate the simple beauty of the natural world by creating immersive and contemplative works that enhance our connection to nature and encourage a conservationist heart.
I'm captivated by the interplay of movement, light, and contrasting shadows in natural settings infused with vibrant colours.
Known primarily for my treescapes which are imbued with light, colour, energy, and a hint of nostalgia. I explore the interconnectedness of all things, inviting contemplation of nature's fragile beauty and the ephemeral passage of time.
My unique painterly style combines highly textural impasto with translucent and fluid brush strokes that reveal subtle layers of colour and form beneath. Creating a profound depth and intensity in each piece.
My latest work focuses on highly textural abstract cloudscapes, exploring refracted light, colour relationships and the emotions of dramatic sunset and sunrise hues.
These pieces, as others have mentioned, seemingly levitate off the walls, inviting close inspection and touch, while also offering new perspectives from a distance.
From the beginning
Having a Parisian artist mother, I was immersed in a world of celebrated art and museums from a young age. I vividly recall standing in awe before Claude Monet's 'Waterlilies' at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, an early personal inspiration. Painting and creativity has since consumed and inspired me. From early beginnings as an art student I was hand-picked to have paintings exhibited at The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, in 1990. Later on, my second group exhibition held at Saatchi & Saatchi's 5 Stories High gallery was a sold-out success, motivating me to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time artist.
I've since enjoyed a prolific artistic career, exhibiting in galleries and group shows, creating commissioned works for both national & international clients, and gaining recognition in publications and national Art Awards.
More recently
I embarked on a transformative five-year journey, travelling South America with a backpack, touring Europe in a motorhome, and then sailing around the Mediterranean in a catamaran.
Despite limited space and no art studio, I channeled my creativity into small watercolour works, inspired by the ever-changing world around me. Ironically it was always New Zealand's pristine nature that I yearned to paint.
Having moved back home to Wellington after the Covid pandemic in 2022, I now have a new lovely studio and my creative space back again. I’ve learnt along the way that being creative and communicating my ideas, emotions and passions through painting is what nourishes me.
Welcome to my studio
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My playground
A light and airy creative space. The sun streams into this little haven in the mornings. Inviting me in to get started with a cup of tea in hand and my music playing. Usually my little fur-buddy Millau comes to see what I'm doing. He really is the best company and being a chihuahua, hardly takes up any space!
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A place for my tools
I've always dreamed of displaying all my paints like you see in the art stores. No more digging in boxes looking for that one specific colour! And when I am concepting an idea I also get to daydream out onto my garden of lush native trees while listening to birdlife.
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In the moment
I'm usually working on several pieces at a time so things can get messy. When I need a break from the intense concentration of a larger canvas I play and experiment on smaller works. Usually thinking about colour palettes or techniques I need to work on. This is where I have a lot of fun. Anything goes!
Education
I graduated from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand in 2002, and have more recently studied fine arts at private art schools in Montmartre, Paris and the Cannes Beaux Arts institute.
Notably, in 2019 I had the privilege of working within the historic faculty residence of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec where he first met Suzanne Valadon. His friend Vincent van Gogh would often frequent and share this very art studio. Montmartre's legacy as Paris’ creative hub is remarkable. Other renowned figures such as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir shaped its artistic landscape. To engage with this amazing heritage, soak up the atmosphere and walk the same winding, cobbled streets of such incredible artistic legends while also realising my lifelong artistic aspirations was a profound experience.
During my six-month residency in Paris, I also devoted myself to weekly visits at the Louvre, which is a treasure-trove of art history. And where I engaged myself in intensive drawing and immersive study sessions alongside the masters of classical, neo-classical, Hellenistic, Renaissance, and Baroque art.
2020 - 2023 Association des beaux-arts de Cannes, France.
2019 Studio Escalier, Montmatre, Paris, France.
2010-2013 Inverlochy Art School, Wellington.
1998-2002 Business Degree, Massey University, Wellington.
1991 Visual Communication and Design, Massey University, Wellington