On rainy days, Ivan went on to make this pastime into an enterprise, never letting on to the public that the artworks they were buying were painted by an eleven year-old. His “art dealer” (friend of his Fathers) kept that little secret as well. Ivan grew up and learned the family trade of sign painting, illustration and commercial art, his talent was show-cased on everything from surfboards, billboards to high-rise buildings.

Those were the days when Signwriters were known as artists in their own right, eccentrics with diverse skills. “Wall Monkeys” could often be seen high up on the facades of buildings suspended precariously by ropes and ladders doing intricate things with paint brush on bricks and mortar.

Today Ivan Clarke is a well-known artist living in the beautiful Southern-Lakes region of New Zealand. His dramatic Oil Paintings are exhibited in his own gallery, situated in central Queenstown. Ivan’s works express over thirty years of interpreting on canvas the majestic natural landscapes of his homeland New Zealand.

VINTAGE SIGNWORK BY LEN CLARKE