A native Canadian painter has encouraged local artists to embrace their culture within their work during a week-long residency at Waiariki Institute of Technology.
Jason Baerg, a visual artist of native American descent from Toronto, Canada, said he embraced native American ideologies in his work to reflect his ethnic backgroundand believed New Zealand artists should do the same.
"New Zealand has a strong legacy in history so I hope my work can inspire others to share their stories. I love the notion that we are all unique," he said.
Mr Baerg, who described his style as digital media mixed with painting, has been a professional painter for 15 years and won the Canadian Ministry of Culture Emerging Artist Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2008.
He said he believed artists needed to constantly reinvent themselves to stay relevant, which was why he used multimedia technology. "My work is as much about painting as it is about the concept, so I am constantly trying to experiment. As artists we are charged with pushing our disciplines forward and art should express where we are today," he said.
Although the profession could be difficult at times, the reward when you found success was worth it.
"Being an artist is similar to a mother who gets up every morning at 3am to see to her crying baby. One day that baby will give the mother a grandchild," he said.
Waiariki Institute of Technology artist in residence Richard Kereopa organised the visit and said staff and students had responded positively to Mr Baerg's artistic knowledge.
"It's always good for New Zealand artists to get a global perspective of the art practice in New Zealand," he said.
Mr Baerg has held exhibitions across the United States and Canada and shown work at the international Luminato Festival and Toronto International Art Fair. He is also a director on Canada's Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition and Independent Media Arts Alliance.
