'Bokeh' is a photography term for the blur in the background (or foreground) of a photo. These paintings are referred to as 'Bokeh art' because they resemble blurry, out-of-focus photographs. The paintings also remind people with impaired eyesight of the beauty in vision without their glasses on.

New Zealand artist Mel McKenzie paints bokeh as a metaphor for the beauty that we can find when we take our focus off life's nitty-gritty details.

Yes, I do paint commissioned artwork. I'd be delighted to talk further with you about your idea for a painting - whether for your own home, a gift, workplace or other creative collaboration. 

My timeframes are impacted by oil paint drying time and depend on workload; typically allow 2 months. 

I also prefer to work from my own photos. 

Read more about my commission process here and/or use my contact form to get in touch and we can discuss further.

The Penny Drops ships bokeh art and prints to most countries. Prints are sent either from NZ, UK or US depending on where you live.

EU shipping has been temporarily removed until I set up an EU print filfullment option - this will enable a local fine art company to print and send the artwork - saving on shipping costs and meeting EU requirements.

Yes some of my bokeh art is made into fine art prints. You can explore the range of prints via The Print Shop section of my website.

These prints are on high quality, heavy paper and use archival inks, so they will last for generations.