November 19, 2025
A nationally recognised, Timaru-based artist with work displayed in Te Papa, has been given a lifelong membership of the Friends of the Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery . Julie Moffett spoke to Michael Armstrong about his accomplished career and deep bond with Mid Canterbury.
A couple of the adjectives used to describe Michael Armstrong’s work in bios on various art gallery websites are “anarchic” and “bold”, and asked if that also reflects his personality, he concurs.
“It does fit quite well. I’m very untidy in lots of ways, and I am quite critical of the art world sometimes in how exclusive it can be.
His five decades of artistic endeavour includes being presented with the prestigious Frances Hodgkins Fellowship from Otago University in 1984, to having work displayed around New Zealand, but Armstrong said he’s always most interested in what he’s “doing now”.
“But it’s a matter of even just trying to do it these days. You know, I’m getting old.”
The 71-year-old has arthritis in his hands and said he has to find a way to work with it, and that means simplifying the thinking around his painting.
“I have to find ways to explore it, I’ve become more ambidextrous. With my rather chaotic way of working, I can’t waste energy like I would normally.
“I always thought I’d be able to work on for years, but rheumatoid arthritis runs in my family and it’s slowed me down considerably in the past year.”
Armstrong is a sculptor as well as a painter, and up until last year he was working in steel with an engineer and welder, but has now stopped working with metal.
“There was a lot of heavy lifting and grunt work, and I can’t do it anymore.”
The idea of employing minions to do the heavy lifting for him, doesn’t sit well, but he does mull over the possibility of AI art or 3-D printing.
“But I have a son who does all that so I’ll leave that up to him,” he decides.
“I’d rather spend my day with a paint brush in my hand, dolloping on paint and making a mess, than designing to make objects. I’m a mucky person.”
Armstrong’s contribution to Ashburton’s art world is “immense” according to the president of the Ashburton Art Gallery Selwyn Price.
He said Armstrong has been a very influential and a very important artist for Mid Canterbury.
“He worked as an art tutor and postgraduate supervisor for more than 25 years.
“His influence on young Mid Cantabrian artists has been immense, both in terms of imparting technique and his genuine love for the visual arts.”
As a long term member of the Ashburton Art Gallery committee, which has awarded lifelong memberships to other people, Armstrong said he was surprised to get one himself, in September.
The gallery owes much to The 71-year-old who’s held a number of roles on the committee, since 2009, and has only just stepped down.
“His vast knowledge of art and artists has helped to shape many policies of the committee, and their current direction in collecting contemporary art has often been informed by his contributions,” Price said.
Price said Armstrong’s work is universal and that he’s been experimental throughout his career, “simultaneously playful and intellectual”.
Two more adjectives to add to bold and anarchic, although the artist himself wouldn’t claim to be a totally contemporary artist.
“I was always an odd fish I suppose.”
Armstrong’s love of art has always been there and it featured as a normal part of his young life, coming from an artistic family, with a mother and aunt who were painters and a father who drew.
He believes art is hugely important to a society and young people who are artistic need to be encouraged to reach their full potential, and art needs all kinds of people contributing to it.
“Otherwise it becomes too narrow.”
His school days at Christchurch’s St Andrews College, during the late 1960s, was a generally happy time, but there was a sticking point.
“I didn’t always agree with the ethos of the place. It had its problems for being a single-sex boys school. They now have girls and they’re much better for it.”
Armstrong seemed to have been nudged into teaching during those school days, called on by teachers and other students to be a tutor, and eventually he was teaching art as part of his career.
“I did resist teaching, but ultimately I needed a source of income, and I did enjoy it. And people were prepared to put their trust in me, so I kept on doing it”
A nationally recognised, Timaru-based artist with work displayed in Te Papa, has been given a lifelong membership of the Friends of the Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery . Julie Moffett spoke to Michael Armstrong about his accomplished career and deep bond with Mid Canterbury.
A couple of the adjectives used to describe Michael Armstrong’s work in bios on various art gallery websites are “anarchic” and “bold”, and asked if that also reflects his personality, he concurs.
“It does fit quite well. I’m very untidy in lots of ways, and I am quite critical of the art world sometimes in how exclusive it can be.
His five decades of artistic endeavour includes being presented with the prestigious Frances Hodgkins Fellowship from Otago University in 1984, to having work displayed around New Zealand, but Armstrong said he’s always most interested in what he’s “doing now”.
“But it’s a matter of even just trying to do it these days. You know, I’m getting old.”
The 71-year-old has arthritis in his hands and said he has to find a way to work with it, and that means simplifying the thinking around his painting.
“I have to find ways to explore it, I’ve become more ambidextrous. With my rather chaotic way of working, I can’t waste energy like I would normally.
“I always thought I’d be able to work on for years, but rheumatoid arthritis runs in my family and it’s slowed me down considerably in the past year.”
Armstrong is a sculptor as well as a painter, and up until last year he was working in steel with an engineer and welder, but has now stopped working with metal.
“There was a lot of heavy lifting and grunt work, and I can’t do it anymore.”
The idea of employing minions to do the heavy lifting for him, doesn’t sit well, but he does mull over the possibility of AI art or 3-D printing.
“But I have a son who does all that so I’ll leave that up to him,” he decides.
“I’d rather spend my day with a paint brush in my hand, dolloping on paint and making a mess, than designing to make objects. I’m a mucky person.”
Armstrong’s contribution to Ashburton’s art world is “immense” according to the president of the Ashburton Art Gallery Selwyn Price.
He said Armstrong has been a very influential and a very important artist for Mid Canterbury.
“He worked as an art tutor and postgraduate supervisor for more than 25 years.
“His influence on young Mid Cantabrian artists has been immense, both in terms of imparting technique and his genuine love for the visual arts.”
As a long term member of the Ashburton Art Gallery committee, which has awarded lifelong memberships to other people, Armstrong said he was surprised to get one himself, in September.
The gallery owes much to The 71-year-old who’s held a number of roles on the committee, since 2009, and has only just stepped down.
“His vast knowledge of art and artists has helped to shape many policies of the committee, and their current direction in collecting contemporary art has often been informed by his contributions,” Price said.
Price said Armstrong’s work is universal and that he’s been experimental throughout his career, “simultaneously playful and intellectual”.
Two more adjectives to add to bold and anarchic, although the artist himself wouldn’t claim to be a totally contemporary artist.
“I was always an odd fish I suppose.”
Armstrong’s love of art has always been there and it featured as a normal part of his young life, coming from an artistic family, with a mother and aunt who were painters and a father who drew.
He believes art is hugely important to a society and young people who are artistic need to be encouraged to reach their full potential, and art needs all kinds of people contributing to it.
“Otherwise it becomes too narrow.”
His school days at Christchurch’s St Andrews College, during the late 1960s, was a generally happy time, but there was a sticking point.
“I didn’t always agree with the ethos of the place. It had its problems for being a single-sex boys school. They now have girls and they’re much better for it.”
Armstrong seemed to have been nudged into teaching during those school days, called on by teachers and other students to be a tutor, and eventually he was teaching art as part of his career.
“I did resist teaching, but ultimately I needed a source of income, and I did enjoy it. And people were prepared to put their trust in me, so I kept on doing it”
