Ian Mune's lost love 'I STILL FEEL JO WITH ME'

The acting legend shares how a new passion is helping to fill the void

- Nicky Pellegrino

It seems ironic that in a year when the entertainment industry is honouring him with a prestigious Television Legend Award, actor lan Mune finds himself without any acting work at all and no hint of a role in the near future.

"I haven't heard a peep from anybody, haven't even been getting voiceovers,” tells lan, who adds he has no desire to retire. “I love acting and working with actors, but there aren't many parts for a man of my age.”

However, Ian isn't sitting around kicking his heels – far from it. At 80, he is busy developing a whole new career as an artist. So far, he has produced 60 or 70 canvases, a mix of portraits and colourful landscapes, many of which are propped against the walls of his home.

“I spend almost all my time painting," Ian shares. "I wake with the sun, turn on RNZ Concert, then stare at whatever I'm painting and wait for it to talk to me. When it does, I reply with a brush and we work it out between us. That could go on for a whole day and sometimes the damn things are quite argumentative."

Ian would love to see his work exhibited at a gallery some day, although it is tricky at the moment with the pandemic having delayed the exhibitions of many more established artists. In the meantime, he continues painting.

"I keep getting people wanting to buy them and I haven't got the faintest idea what they're worth, so I need an exhibition so I can get some clue what to charge.”