About

A Rich And Fulfilling Life Is Reflected Here

With a mind alive with imagery and colour, Piera once wrote:

“Painting fills my time and my thoughts. Each work I do is a challenge and prepares me for the next encounter. I translate into painterly idioms the subjects which inspire me vital, energetic, colourful, the whole of life, with its abundance, is the realm of the painter.”

Piera McArthur’s work, immensely varied in size and medium, spans both canvas and paper. At times she used the technique of marouflage - the bonding of paper irrevocably onto canvas - giving strength and permanence to large-scale works while preserving their immediacy and expressive energy.

There is no doubt that an amused eye, a highly developed colour sense and remarkable linear ability gave Piera’s paintings their unique and occasionally outrageous quality. Through her work, humanity appears in constant movement and celebration — a kaleidoscopic theatre of life observed with warmth, wit, and deep curiosity.

Years spent living in some of the world’s great cultural capitals profoundly shaped her artistic journey. Alongside her husband’s distinguished diplomatic career, Piera lived and worked across South America and Europe — Santiago, Madrid, Lisbon, the Vatican, Paris, Rome, New York, Brussels, and Moscow — continually drawing inspiration from museums, galleries, people, and everyday life.

Eventually settling in New Zealand, Piera continued her lifelong pursuit of artistic expression. Her paintings became widely collected and deeply loved, celebrated for their vibrant colour, optimism, vitality, and unmistakable energy.

Though Piera has now passed away, her creative spirit lives on vividly through her work — paintings that continue to radiate joy, humanity, movement, and the great love affair she had with art itself.

Piera once wrote:

“The battle is always on! Recognition may be desirable, but what if the end of the struggle brought complacency? Surely this is the saddest fate for the creative spirit.

There are successes in the painter’s life that do not depend on the public arena. To be a painter is a gift from the Gods and not for a minute may you neglect this great love affair.”