Wishful thinking inspires artist

Rob Tucker's art has been described as looking like large Matisse cut-outs. Photo / Supplied

Ocean liners and cargo ships, like the ones whose horns he can hear from his Devonport studio, inspire artist Rob Tucker; so does the exotic vegetation he might find if he boarded one of those ships and travelled to the tropics.

But lately, Tucker, 29, has spent time in colder climates including Berlin for a four-month residency and London for a solo exhibition.

Added to awards and accolades he's already won as well as invitations to exhibit at art fairs around the world, Tucker is getting global attention.

He's also featured in a number of international magazines, including Vogue which picked his work as one of the highlights of the 2015 Outsider Art Fair in New York and described it as looking like large-scale Matisse cut-outs.

Rob Tucker Art of Giving is an art auction sponsored by the Bayleys Foundation to raise funds for Make-A-Wish NZ. Photo / Supplied

It's not a bad achievement for someone who's been painting since he was a teenager but, with no formal fine arts training, is regarded as an "outsider artist".

Asked to donate one of his paintings to the Art of Giving exhibition, he didn't hesitate.

The Art of Giving has been organised by the Bayleys Foundation, part of the real estate agency, which partners with the Make-A-Wish New Zealand to ensure youngsters with life-threatening medical conditions can have their wishes come true.

Around 200 art enthusiasts, gallery owners and collectors are expected to attend tonight's invitation only event with live and silent auctions scheduled.

Tucker is in good company with around 25 other artists donating work including Raymond Ching, Shane Cotton, Max Gimblett, Robyn Kahukiwa, Fiona Pardington and Peter Stichbury.