From ballet to teaching to art, Kāpiti artist Philip Markham has done it all

Philip Markham in his studio getting ready for the Kāpiti Arts Trail. Photo / Rosalie Willis

Ballet dancer, theatre designer, teacher, painter, calligrapher, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts president, award winner… the list to describe Kāpiti artist Philip Markham and his achievements goes on.

And the list of forms his art takes is just as long.

Predominantly working with oil paint and egg tempera - an ancient painting technique, Philip has also worked with watercolour, done calligraphy drawing and worked in set and costume design for major theatre companies in New Zealand.

"I paint in everything, egg tempera at the moment, but also oil, and I'm part of the Calligraphers of Kāpiti who are putting on an exhibition later this year," Philip said.

Getting into painting later in his life than some, Philip had a career as a ballet dancer in his twenties, performing with what is now known as the Royal New Zealand Ballet and overseas as a principal for the Royal Opera Ballet Covent Garden in London.

"I've always been keenly interested in painting but I came into it quite late as a profession.

"I started because of a lady who I wanted to see but couldn't because she was dancing all the time, I started so that I could see her.

"It was a great time dancing, but when you're in that sort of profession, you can't do much else – it's all day."

Finishing up with ballet after a stint in London, Philip returned home with his wife and it was then that he started painting.

Becoming a teacher to help have a steady income, Philip became head of the art department at Wellington College for 15 years, enjoying the experience despite his growing attention to his own art.

"When I became a teacher I had started painting so I probably wasn't fully focused on the teaching.

"I had my first exhibition in 1969 and it was successful so I decided to continue on with it."

Leaving Wellington College in 1984 to become a fulltime painter and designer, Philip has spent his time since working on many different forms of art.

"I guess I enjoy turning splodges of colour on your pallet into interesting images.

"I've done a lot of portraits, scenic landscapes which are your bread and butter, and have spent time as a stage designer and costume designer for theatre and ballet.

"I would draw the costume, take it to the wardrobe department and they would make it from the drawing.

"It's great fun to do but very time consuming and exhausting."

With many mediums used and going down many avenues of creativity, Philip said he didn't want to get stuck in a box doing one kind of art.

"I decided when I started that there were a lot of New Zealand painters that were limited to one thing, and because they were doing that and getting a reputation for that, they couldn't break out.

"There were a number of suicides among some of them because it's soul-destroying doing the same thing over and over again, especially working alone in a studio.

"So I decided I didn't want to be like that."

While he works with many different mediums Philip said he has high standards for himself, for every piece that he does.

"The problem is it can't be a team effort – you have to do the whole painting yourself.

"You have to sit on your own and do it, so it can be quite isolating.

"Fortunately I have quite a few friends that come and interrupt me quite a bit."

His dedication to painting and the New Zealand arts scene was recognised by the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.

Philip was the president of the academy for two stints including a period where he guided the academy through a move to Queens Wharf in 1998, when the National Museum and the National Art Gallery of New Zealand moved to Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Through his involvement with the academy and because of his service over a significant period of time Philip was the recipient of the NZ Governor General Art Award in 2000.

Only given out periodically, the award is given out to an artist who is a member of the academy who has made a significant contribution to the arts in New Zealand over an extended period of time.

Among his recent pursuits while getting ready for the Kāpiti Arts Trail, is the illustration for a children's book to go along with a poem he's written about tigers in the night.

To view his work, Philip's studio in Raumati will be open during the arts trail with a mix of all his works available for viewing and purchase.