An artist’s life at the beach
Waihi Beach artist Graham Young has enjoyed a long career as an oil painter, establishing a reputation for creating realistic paintings that capture his love for the familiar yet often overlooked places that surround us in our everyday lives.
His subjects are many things that we may take for granted but are uniquely Kiwi, as with the coastal baches, corner dairies and old rural towns that have seen better days.
“I like to give a nod and acknowledge some of the signposts of our past, including the old vehicles and caravans that we can all relate to with fond memories,” says Graham, who is enjoying life at Waihi Beach since moving down from Auckland permanently three years ago with his wife Ingrid, who is also eagerly getting back into her passion for pottery.
Graham’s art has been reproduced regularly on calendars and placemats along with a couple of books published, Lazy Days and A Painted Journey, highlighting his travels around New Zealand finding fascinating subjects and places to paint. His work has been exhibited widely around the country at various galleries, with his main gallery now being Waihi Beach Gallery in the village.
Owned by Alex and Nita, it is now one of the main galleries in the region, stocking quality works of various New Zealand artists as well as selling many of Graham’s originals over the years.
Along with the gallery, Graham likes to keep things local and uses Andrew at Artifact Photo and Frame for all his framing as well.
Graham feels Waihi Beach is a special gem of a place with its long beach and the inner harbour surrounding the gentle village hub of a great community. He now feels very lucky to be part of it.
You can also view Graham’s work on his website, including his latest 2025 Calendars.
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