Fine art by New Zealand artist: Mel McKenzie ~ The Penny Drops

"You can't always change the situation, but you can change what you give your attention to"

Bokeh art reveals the beauty that exists when we stop focusing so hard on the nitty-gritty details of life.
Paintings & prints to bring softness & light to your home, balancing out the hard & heavy world.

x Mel

What's new?

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"Gosh - I just really love your work!"

"I love how you can get lost in it when visualising the referenced place, but also sit very happily with it in complete calm not being tied to the specific location."

Jade - Australia

The Cosy Edit

'Tis the season to turn inwards - layering our homes with cosy textures, embracing warmer colours and rich, spicy foods.

The Cosy Edit brings together art that celebrates falling leaves, shorter days and a palette that's as warm as the mulled wine you're sipping by the fire.

Get Cosy

The Glimmers - small original oil paintings

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The Bokeh Blog

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Show them you care

Thoughtfully curated gift boxes - choose a beautiful set of prints, the ingredients for some restorative timeout and more...

I want to see more

Not all heroes wear ca...

Ah wait - this one does!

Save your walls from unnecessary holes - hang art with pin-point precision when you #hackthehang

Save your walls

As seen in...

Gift Cards

For when you're not 100% sure which piece of art they want - or want to make a contribution towards a larger piece... now you can give a The Penny Drops Gift Card!

Get Gift Cards

"But most of all, the painting made me happy"

  • A piece I will treasure

    Mel is very talented and a true pleasure to deal with, very prompt in response and delivery.

    I absolutely love the piece, it is beautiful and Mel's technique is very clever.

    Thank you! Absolutely recommend purchasing from Mel without hesitation.

    Jane

  • Absolutely stunning art!

    Beautifully presented,
    the whole painting was just stunning!
    Extremely happy with my purchase!
    100% recommend buying from
    The Penny Drops.

    Teri

  • An outstanding experience

    My painting was packaged extremely well and arrived very quickly!

    But most of all the painting made me happy - it was beautiful and the quality was amazing.

    I will be back.

    Becky

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Have we met yet?

Perhaps at an exhibition, on a visit to my studio or we've 'chatted' on Instagram?

If not, Hi! I'm Mel McKenzie. I share your passion for making your home as beautiful & unique as you, filled with light & interest - these distinctive bokeh paintings are the 'how'.

Find out more here

Bring the outside in

Baskets for plants, flowers, harvesting, foraging, guest bathrooms, craft supplies, hampers, gifting, baking and more... delicious textures & all the soothing tones of nature.

The Penny Drops' rustic coiled rope baskets feature wild-sourced handles, warm tones and chunky cotton rope.

Browse all baskets

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bokeh art?

Bokeh is a photography term for the blur in the background (or foreground) of a photo. Bokeh art is paintings the resemble blurry, out-of-focus photographs. The paintings also remind people with impaired eyesight of their 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.

Do you offer commissions?

Yes, I do paint commissioned artwork. I'd be delighted to talk further with you about your idea for a painting.

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.

Use my contact form to get in touch and we can discuss further.

Do you ship your art worldwide?

The Penny Drops ships bokeh art and prints to most countries.

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.

Do you sell bokeh art prints?

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.