February 23, 2019
"STU: MY FRIEND, MY BROTHER"
by Owen Dippie
"Tattoo artist and teacher @Stu.McDonald is convinced taa moko (traditional Māori tattoo) can play a role in healing emotional pain," he told Radio New Zealand after he and his wife lost their teenage son to bone cancer. A little over an hour drive from McDonald's home town of Tauranga, fellow New Zealander Owen Dippie says he grew up surrounded by individuals with strong cultural identities, heavily influencing the direction his portrait work took. McDonald began the mataora (facial tattoo) work-in-progress on his face more than a decade ago, at more or less the same time Dippie began painting his highly acclaimed large-scale mural portraits on the streets of New Zealand and New York. Dippie kicked off 2019 by adding this portrait at @TheContainerYard in the Los Angeles Arts District, capturing the progress of his beloved countryman. @owendippie/
