Long standing and awarded director of Watermark, Proudfoot grew up in the town of Gisborne on the east coast of New Zealand, the inconspicuous city that meets the sun’s first rays ahead of the rest of us.
Drawn to the blurred line where fine art meets its commercial cousin, Proudfoot is also building a name for himself in the fine art world. His paintings appearing in a number of prestigious New Zealand Art collections.
Not one to shirk a challenge, one of his most memorable projects was for social-profit organisation Starship Foundation. The project included the creation of 1 metre high 3D eggs, which were showcased on a plinth in Auckland’s Aotea Square. Dean’s egg was infamously stolen, but thankfully returned without a crack 3 days later. Proudfoot admires Dick Frizzell and Reg Mombassa as examples of creatives who have mastered the fine and commercial art balance. He has been called the short, tubby, bald and bearded twin of Matt Damon, a description he’s not entirely uncomfortable with.
