Gallery in the skies: in conversation with artist Nina Pryde

Artist Nina Pryde is immersed in a poetic dialogue with her latest piece. Approaching the vast sheet of paper, she dips her brush into pale, almost colourless ink, and continues to sketch an abstract landscape. In the lower left corner of the piece, a temple depicted with lifelike detail quickly pulls viewers back to reality. 

The strikingly realistic temple is not painted, but it is still the work of Pryde's hand. The artist takes photographs during her travels, prints them on Xuan paper, then intricately cuts and pastes them onto her paintings, creating a compelling blend of illusion and reality. 

Two of Pryde’s pieces, Perfection and High Expectations, have been selected for the Gallery in the skies series, to be showcased in the Business cabins of our Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. This series brings together the works of fifteen Hong Kong artists, each with their own distinct style and connection to Hong Kong, offering passengers a memorable visual experience high above the clouds.

Mirroring the challenges in her early life, Pryde's artistic journey began on an uncertain footing. Born in 1945, her upbringing was marked by the aftermath of war and its accompanying scarcities. She left school at a young age to help support her family, and a career in art seemed out of the question – yet Pryde never relinquished her artistic ambitions, sowing the seeds of her future career.  

Having been born in this challenging post-war period, Pryde views every day as a cherished gift. "I was as tiny as a kitten, weighing less than three pounds at birth, and my survival was uncertain. My unusual size and appearance always gathered a crowd when my mother carried me out," she recalls, expressing deep appreciation for the nurse who believed in her potential to thrive. This tenacity has bolstered her determination in her artistic pursuits. "As a child, without formal training, I would simply sketch on scraps of newspaper, yet I was already confident in my artistic ability," she says.

Marriage brought Pryde financial security, and she was able to devote her spare time to pottery, until injuries to her fingers compelled her to diversify away from the craft towards ink painting. She reflects: "embarking on my artistic career in my 40s seemed late, but it never crossed my mind that what started as a hobby would lead to establishing my own studio and holding exhibitions. Art has not only enriched my life but has also offered me a new beginning.”

From the 1980s, Pryde explored her artistic direction through ceramics, oil painting and ink painting, continually studying and refining her craft. She earned a Higher Diploma in Western Art from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2004. This was followed by a Master's Degree in Art through a joint programme of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Hong Kong Art School, at the age of 62. "Having endured the hardships of postwar life, I've become stronger, and I’m unafraid to try anything,” she asserts. “I draw strength from the 'Lion Rock Spirit'."  

As for having her artwork take to the skies, Pryde considers it a privilege. "I am thrilled that Cathay Pacific is making it accessible to a broader audience," she says. Her hope is that her pieces will inspire viewers to further explore their own ideas and creativity; she wants to “delight them and ignite their imaginations."

After all, it was a lucky stroke of inspiration that led Pryde to incorporate magazine clippings into her artwork, giving rise to her unique personal style. Her mentor, the ink painter Wucius Wong , loved the technique, and encouraged her to integrate an even broader range of elements into her pieces.  

Now, whenever she comes across a striking real-life scene on her travels, either in Hong Kong or abroad, Pryde captures it with her camera, carefully storing each print as both a fond memory and a possible component of her future work. 

Her artistic process is contemplative; she often pauses before her easel, thoughtfully examining her clippings to see which one will enhance her latest painting. High Expectations captures her experience mountain climbing in Guilin over a decade ago. "It took almost a whole day to reach the peak, and those clippings were my companions,” she recounts. “Now, those landscapes have changed dramatically due to human interference, but my artwork preserves that natural beauty and the joy of that journey." Perfection, meanwhile, is a vivid celebration of Hong Kong’s natural beauty, featuring scenes such as boats in Sai Kung, birds in Tai Po, and stilt houses in Shek O.

Whether she is observing iconic architectural landmarks, children spilling out from school gates, or the intricate bamboo scaffolding that is ubiquitous in Hong Kong – and which she considers to be “an art form in itself” – Pryde sees in each subject the potential for art.

Through her brushwork, the landscape transforms into an abstract composition, while finely detailed clippings represent familiar realities. It’s this contrast, Pryde believes, that “draw[s] viewers into a mesmerising realm where fantasy and reality weave together, giving a sense of fulfilment”.