Sam Rawlings was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Having always possessed a keen interest in art, he studied it right through his schooling. Towards the end, however, he found the syllabus restrictive and time consuming, and ultimately dropped his passion in pursuit of other interests. He then moved to Dunedin to study at the University of Otago, but eventually found time to revive his creative outlet.

Drawn towards the pop art movement of the 1960s, he developed one aspect of his art with heavy influence from the great artists of this era (Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol). Combined with his own creative energy and ideas, this became the start of a project that has become KiwianaArt. Currently residing in Wellington, he continues to dedicate much of his time to painting.

From the Artist

For a painting to be more than just average, more than just good, it requires a certain "secret ingredient". That secret ingredient could be a story behind it, or an immediate "ah thats a cool idea" response, or a "how did he make that?". So I'm always aiming for a defining factor when I make a painting. With that in mind, you can understand that very few of my paintings make it through the early stages. And when they do, the design and execution of the painting are just as important. But its an awesome process, and I hope you can appreciate the results of it in this site.

I love pop art's immediate impact, and I love how kiwiana can inspire that upbeat sense of pride in all of us. I hope you can find that in my paintings. Enjoy!