Ivan Clarke - From Kiwi farmhand to Hollywood

From teenage Kiwi farm hand to the Hollywood film industry, even for him, Ivan Clarke’s life has been “surreal”.

One of New Zealand’s most highly acclaimed artists, painting was always his “backup option”, but he never imagined it would see him recognised in art circles around the globe, nor negotiating movie deals, dealing with Hollywood greats.

The now internationally renowned, whimsical fantasy world of his ‘Lonely Dog’ creation, in its special editions and various forms, fetches big money as a popular collector’s item. “It’s sort of Dr Suess meets Van Gogh,” he grins, of his Lonely Dog creation, borne by chance as the family left on holiday in 2000. “I turned to see our long-haired Dachshund, Arthur Snout, looking forlorn and said, ‘That dog looks lonely’.” That ignited a fantasy world of flying steam planes and dogs in dive suits and cat side clubs, depicted in over 200 artworks, writings, and drawings.

Despite being wooed by top producers and publishers who’ve printed his Lonely Dog novel in three languages, Ivan’s not let it all go to his head. Warner Brothers acquired the movie rights in 2009. Akiva Goldsmith, Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Da Vinci Code and A Beautiful Mind, was set to produce and write the script. “When Variety Magazine broke the news, I got a very early call from Warner Brothers to say prepare for the rollercoaster. I was out pruning apple trees, unsure what to expect. Media from everywhere started calling me. It was even on TV.”

But Ivan remained grounded.

After a wild ‘stop start on off ride’, the rights reverted back to Ivan. Film-makers have now optioned until 2030. “With AI, there’s never been a better time. Once again, I’ll just wait and see.”

In 2019 Lonely Dog was licensed for a family-friendly multimedia immersive experience in Orlando, sprawled over 2,000-plus square metres. This ran from 2022 to 2024 featuring altered-reality theatre, art gallery, café, virtual reality, and event spaces, with laser projections, CGI animation, original artwork, and over 50 original Lonely Dog songs produced, many using lyrics from his novel.

But Ivan’s still happy strumming his guitar on the back porch, tucked away in the seclusion of his Bob’s Cove property, where his diverse range of paintings are viewable by appointment. He paints a new Lonely Dog piece annually, kept in his private collection, not for sale, also spending the last few winters in his beloved yacht exploring the Pacific Islands.

He still has a successful downtown gallery, all a far cry from his humble beginnings as a landscape artist from his home studio in Malaghans Road in the early 90s when he, wife Kerry and their three small kids moved south from Auckland.

Ivan took one of his paintings into Queen’s Gallery of Fine Art in O’Connells Pavilion. “The owner was busy with an American couple, so I sat it up against the wall,” Ivan says. “He proceeded to sell it before even being introduced to me. I left quite encouraged.”

Since then, Ivan’s been invited to do solo exhibitions in the likes of London, San Francisco, LA and Hawaii – Maui a hit for this keen windsurfer. “We did 14 winters in Maui with the kids.”

His commissioned artworks remain in demand, and he’s developing the process of gilding with 24-carat gold amidst the textured brush strokes.

Despite the success, Ivan’s most treasured prize is a local People’s Choice Award won at a Lakes District Museum exhibition celebrating 100 years of Wakatipu artists. “I was exhibiting with great artists, dead and living. I was chuffed,” he says.

All quite a contrast from his Northland farm cadet days, leaving school at 14 – a city boy drawn to the hills. “We were a working class, sailing, musical family. My great grandparents ran Auckland’s largest music academy. Dad was an artist and sign painter. I knew early on I could draw,” Ivan says. At 11, he sold a painting for $40. “That was considerable for a kid back then. They included mine in an art show, never letting on my age”.

Despite his obvious talent the hills beckoned. “We’d yell at the farm dogs to ‘get on the tray,’ used to riding on trailers and trucks,” he says. “But when the boss got an old Mahindra Jeep with a roof carrier and no tray, they got confused. I gave the command, and they leapt onto the roof, six dogs hood-surfing on top of the Jeep.” Not so good for ‘Dick’ who sprawled onto the bonnet at 50km/hr and into the briar.

His father’s success as a sign painter out earned Ivan’s cadet wages. Ivan reluctantly returned to the city when his father retired, taking on a signwriting apprenticeship, running the business within six months. “Everything was hand painted then.”

But Ivan had been wooed by Queenstown as a kid – the lure of hunting and skiing too much. They sold up and moved the family south.
“Queenstown seemed to me like Eldorado - the land of milk and honey,”.

Turns out it was.