Picture this – an artist’s murals with a message

24 Feb 2022

Brigita Botma’s large-scale murals are show-stoppers painted in vivid Resene colours – and they also deliver an environmental message.

“There is a focus on respect in the messages I try to convey through my art,” says Brigita. “Whether that be respecting the environment, native fauna and flora, or local history.”

Brigita Botma created this vivid fantasy world on a friend’s wall. “My favourite piece at the moment is a private mural that I did in a friend’s living room. I was given a lot of creative freedom in making this one and it featured dark colours and a lot of purple which I haven’t used in a lot of my murals.”  Brigita used Resene Daisy Bush to capture the exact purple shade she wanted. “Purple is a very hard colour to create for myself by mixing paints. So, I love a good rich vibrant purple.” Brigita also used Resene Violent Violet, Resene Bowie, Resene Endeavour, Resene Space Cadet and Resene Twizel as well as a host of other colours.

Brigita started her creative business, Manabell Design, when she was just 13. Now, the accomplished painter has more than 60 murals to her name, along with private commissions.

“The business underwent a big revamp as my design skills improved,” says Brigita.      “I’ve begun making a living out of it in the last three years since becoming self-employed.”

Key to her work is the Resene vivid colour palette – and she uses up to 12 litres of Resene Lumbersider on each mural, depending on the size.

“Nature is the driving force behind my colour palette inspiration. I usually use a selection of primary and secondary colours mixed by Resene to create my biggest brightest paintings,” says Brigita.  This commission is on a farm on the Awhitu Peninsula, with the farm owners’ view recreated on a shed wall. Brigita (pictured) includes colours and blends of Resene Turbo, Resene Endeavour, Resene Crusoe, Resene Space Cadet and Resene Roadster. Her sketch design is taped to the centre of the painting.

A current favourite colour is purple, and as it’s a hard colour to mix to the right shade, she particularly likes Resene Daisy Bush for its vibrancy.

“I painted my first mural as a teenager and Resene was recommended to me. Since then, I’ve tried a variety of other brands but I find Resene to be most suited to what I do.”                                                        

Her favourite tools include her builder’s ruler and level, which she uses to get the proportions correct in her larger paintings and has developed her own hacks.

“I use a selection of Resene paints and accessories. I have this contraption that propels paint (kind of like an air gun but more portable) and gives me a spray-painted effect.”

Brigita, who has been drawing for as long as she can remember, was originally home schooled along with her nine siblings in rural Northland. With no TV or internet she turned to art.

“My first business was a little shop called ‘The Gum Shack’ when I was about 12 or 13. I sold kauri gum that my brothers and I dug up, they were fashioned into pendants and little sculptures. After doing that for a few months I got a taste for owning a creative business.”

“My colour inspiration comes from what I visualise inside my head. I generally use very bright Resene colours, such as Resene Turbo or Resene Bilbao, and mix them myself to achieve different tones depending on what I'm painting,” Brigita says. For the Waiuku Golf Club Brigita painted with colours and blends of Resene Endeavour, Resene Daisy Bush, Resene Turbo, Resene Roadster, Resene Crusoe, Resene Twizel, Resene Espresso and Resene Space Cadet.

Brigita has been a full-time artist since 2017, won the Resene Best Professional Mural of the Year in 2020 and was a winner in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful and Resene Nature Murals competition, 2021.

Inspiration comes from nature. “Several factors usually come into play when designing a new creation. There are always suggestions from those around me that I take into account, as well as flora and fauna and any local lore or landmarks. The rest is just out of my head.”

See more of Brigita’s work:

www.manabell.co.nz

Published: 24 Feb 2022