Sheila Brown is a contemporary abstract landscape artist known for her NZ bird art and nature paintings. She has always lived by the beach and is especially influenced by New Zealand’s coastal environments and water birds.
The seagull is a beautiful bird—just look at the colours! For me, the seagull represents freedom, summer, peace.
Sheila grew up on the east coast of America and most of her childhood weekends were spent in the mountains of New Hampshire in a small village called Snowville. These weekends away always involved connecting with the natural world. As she explains, My life has been strongly influenced by my love of nature and the outdoors.
As an adult, Sheila worked for many years as a landscape designer. After arriving in New Zealand, she continued working by day in a landscaping business called "Rosa Rugosa" and by night she would commit her passion of the land to canvas. In 2005 she was awarded the prestigious opening award at the Invercargill Licensing Trust Exhibition. Her work has also been featured in Denis Robinson's 2010 book, New Zealand Gallery.
Sheila works full-time as an artist creating works in oils, acrylics, water colours, and mixed media. She is especially known for her tui art and fantail art which appear in private collections nationwide.
Art by the River is the newest art gallery Whanganui has to offer, opening in December 2024. This fine art gallery features a blend of well-known and emerging New Zealand artists, alongside an exclusive art Collectables selection of original art for sale. As art collectors and dealers , we include rare and sought-after artworks by internationally recognised artists such as Gretchen Albrecht, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Ralph Hotere and Andy Warhol. We are committed to supporting New Zealand artists by providing new exhibitions in-house, connecting both local and international art collectors with important works of art, and contributing to Whanganui's unique cultural identity.
