About The Artist

Mehrdad Tahan is a self-taught award winner artist. He has been painting full-time for 30years. Mehrdad was influenced by Old Masters from a young age and has practiced the traditional techniques with different mediums for many years until he developed a personal style with impressionistic qualities. Now, he concentrates on oil painting and charcoal drawings in their most classical sense. He enjoys the fine details and textures in his unique charcoal drawings. He creates very delicate, detailed and characteristic portraits, still life and landscapes drawings by using charcoal sticks.. He has been finalist in many prestigious exhibitions in New Zealand such as Cranleigh Barton drawing award, Molly Morpeth Canaday art award, Adam portraiture award, Anthony Harper award. His works are presented in private collections in New Zealand and overseas, including Sweden, Germany, Canada, France, USA, Switzerland . Like most artists, I have a need to communicate pictorially rather than with words. I try to push the limits of realism in black and white medium as well as in color. Simply imitating reality isn't my primary goal, I use the technical skills I have developed for many years combined with my personal view to capture the immortality of my subject on paper or canvas, conveying the feelings and atmosphere of that moment to the world, in my own style. Mehrdad works presently on commissions and teaches drawing and painting to adults and children in Christchurch, as well as holding workshops throughout Canterbury. Publication: - The concise dictionary of NewZealand Artists - The Australian's Artist Magazine - Best of Worldwide Artist working in Charcoal, Pastel & Pencil Volume l Awards& Exhibitions: 2012- Finalist in Molly Morpeth Canaday Art awrad-Whakatane 2012- Best Landscape award, Aspiring Art Prize, Wanaka 2011- Guest Artist - Ashburton Society Of Arts 2011-Finalist in Central Otago art exhibition-Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery 2011- Finalist in Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award-Whakatane 2010- Merit Award- Malvern Community arts Council ,annual exhibition. 2010- Merit Award-Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award-Whakatane 2009- Premier Award winner - Malvern Community Arts Council, annual exhibition 2009- Art2diefor Award(sponsord by the Bryce Gallery),Ashburton Society of Arts,45th Annual exhibition. 2008- Ashburton Licensing Trust Premier Award, Ashburton Society of Arts, 44th Annual exhibition 2008- People's Choice award, Ashburton Society of Arts, 44th Annual exhibition 2007- Award of Excellence, Malvern Community Arts Council 2006- Finalist in Adam portraiture Award, NZ Portrait Gallery-Wellington 2004- Finalist in Anthony Harper Award,Centre Of Contemporary Art,CoCA,Christhurch 2004- Finalist in Adam Portraiture Award, NZ Portrait Gallery-Wellington 2003- Finalist in Cranleigh Barton Award, The Christchurch Art Gallery 2002- Finalist in Adam Portraiture Award, NZ Portrait Gallery-Wellington Website: www.mtahan.vc.net.nz