The Big Bouquet feat. Protea and Kakariki
Also with leucadendron and silver dollar. A special and slightly experimental piece I painted for myself, it’s inspired by my wedding bouquet! Watercolour, calligraphy ink, and a little acrylic make this mixed media.
Our cheeky native parrot, the Kea! This piece was created for a collaboration with NZ brand Blunt Umbrellas and conservation organisation Forest & Bird, to be layered with it’s cousin the Kākā, wheeling about on the canopy of an umbrella…
Posing away with our new umbrella design! Wonderful to collaborate with Blunt Umbrellas, Forest and Bird, and Nick George Creative photography
Our amazing native parrot, the Kākā! This piece was created for a collaboration with NZ brand Blunt Umbrellas and conservation organisation Forest & Bird, to be layered with the Kea, wheeling about on the canopy of an umbrella…
Photography by Nick George Creative. A fun day looking for rain & light in Wellington City!
For the Forest & Bird 100th Anniversary in 2023, I was asked to create the artwork for the official celebratory NZ Post Collectibles stamps. 4 Habitats and lots of creatures.
A tangled bouquet of the native Epiphytic plants that can be found in my local forest reserve here in Wellington. Epiphytes are plants that live up on trees, rather than needing to have roots in soil - here we have the Perching Lily, the Supplejack, and the Climbing White Rātā, with a couple of friendly birds nestled in there of course.
Inspired by the mysterious Tuatara who live at Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington, hidden amongst the rocks and rambling native plants.
Large bearded iris with Admiral Butterfly.
A commissioned piece gathering together the favourite local flora and fauna of Tasmania
Here in our capital Wellington, the Capital Kiwi project has prepared southwest land, cleared the predators, and re-introduced a kiwi population, who have just been found to have started laying eggs! This is excellent news! In this painting I tried to reflect those classic Wellington landscape palette, the harbour, distant blue hills, the wind, gorse and scrub, and a splash of that bright yellow used on our signs.
A simple Tui, elegantly posing, with a touch of spraypaint and the addition of Violet blue which I feel compliments those dark Tui greens nicely. I’ve also added little vibration/sound/song waves, the Tui has the best song around town!
I’ve been growing more and more of an interest in plants, and New Zealand is botanically unique. I found a Puriri tree at my local native botanical gardens - Otari Wilton’s Bush. And of course, Kawakawa is absolutely everywhere!
Another botanical composition; birds and plants from my neighbourhood, Otari/Wilton’s native botanical garden. Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots, Eastern Rosella, Kākābeak, Kākā bird, and a big ol Bumble Bee for fun. My favourite painting of this year.
A cute and fluttery pair of Pīwakawaka / Fantails - I tried to capure their wonderful lively movements, they really cannot keep still! Adorable native birds.
This is a new piece for a Forest & Bird project that pairs writers with artists, and they work to create art and writing about different landscapes around New Zealand. Hayden Maskell and I were given ‘island sanctuaries‘ and chose Kapiti Island, as one of our oldest and most important predator-free sanctuaries. I’ve been on a daytrip there, and saw my first wild Kokako!
This was a commission artwork for the wine label of Moko Hills Wines.
This was a commission artwork for the wine label of Moko Hills Wines.
This was a commission artwork for the wine label of Moko Hills Wines.
The Sacred Kingfisher, or Kōtare is a very special bird believed by Polynesian people to have an influence over the tides. They are beautiful birds, and incredibly quick! I’ve seen many perching on the power lines outside my house this year.
Loved seeing this fluttery pair up close while visiting the Raglan coast recently. Dancing and diving. Singing all morning!
An often requested subject - a new Ruru/Morepork, the native owl of ours with the distinctive call at night. I’ve woven together foliage studies from my walks through the local forest (Otari Wilton’s Bush) to create a nook of sorts… I definitely want to incorporate more foliage studies in the future.
I wanted to do something kind of festive and playful, and incorporate the beautiful white and red Manuka flowers. I’ve added a dash of spraypaint here, and a little Silvereye for good measure
Something a bit stronger and bolder - Lots of amazing fine detail in a butterfly wing
Adorable native blue penguins that frequent the Wellington harbour area. I’d like to try more underwater pieces…
My bright green beauty, the native parakeet. I like the thought of gnarly old Kahikatea trees covered with flocks of these. However they are currently rare in the wild.
The big blue Sky Falcon. A commission piece that i completed during the lockdown of 2020.
Black Ink Hihi. A lesser known beautiful native NZ bird, to which i took a slightly more graphic approach. I love that flash of yellow through the trees. This piece is bound for exhibition in Akaroa.
Big Fatty! Wood Pigeon! Kereru! I love this giant native pigeon, and i love the sound his wings make when he flies over my balcony, here at Otari Wilton Bush.
‘Evening Kiwi‘ with Dianella Nigra, sometimes called the New Zealand blueberry or inkberry. Also some Coprosma grandifolia/Kanono.
This one was for my exhibition at Alfred Memelink Gallery, October 2019. October is Save the Kiwi month!
Fresh and bright, yellow, mustard and Tui blues. I look forward to seeing them hop about the Kowhai trees each Spring.
The Blue Forest Dragon! I was asked if i would be open to a commission for a dragon, and the answer was yes! An interesting challenge, and something refreshing and different. I was inspired by the Tuatara and our native Kahikatea forests.
Morepork/Ruru native owl up in the Putaputaweta bush! Bit of kawakawa and some swirly inks in there too. This piece is for my exhibition in November 2018 at Alfred Memelink gallery.
First painting for 2019. Kingfisher has been for a dive. I used actual salt with the watercolour to get some of the textures happening in this one!
Blackberry brambles and Silvereyes! Such a delicious colour combination. Red and green, but not too Christmas-ey. This one is a commission piece for the lovely Anna. Full size - 56 x 76cm.
A Yellowed Bill Hornbill from South Africa, perching in the Mopane tree. A commissioned piece in late 2018. What a beak.
‘Tiger’ wine label design for Cambridge Road up in Martinborough. Simple, loose, bright!
A great big swooping Kākā that i painted for Zealandia Ecosanctuary in Wellington - I held an exhibition there for the month of December 2018. It went really well and i’ve been for many beautiful bush walks to watch the birds.
I wanted to try something botanical, but was stumped on where to start. So i picked two of my favourite plants from my childhood backyard. Canna Lillies, and Gazanias, with a bit of white Clover grass in there too. This piece is for my exhibition in November 2018 at Alfred Memelink gallery.
A new painting for my exhibition at Alfred Memelink Gallery in November. Huia are one of our better known extinct native birds - last seen 1907 in the Tararuas, north of Wellington, where I live. Incredibly sad! Imagine being able to see these in your backyard, if they had just held on little longer until bird conservation groups could start their work.
Some interesting info including a whisled version of the Huia call here: https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201800304
‘Taranaki Spring‘ painted for the Taranaki gallery Quirky Fox, and hung for their birthday exhibition 2018.
Design idea with local fig leaves and Silvereye for a ‘natural’ organic wine label
A commissioned piece reflecting one Kiwi womans journey living and working around the world, through the native creatures/symbols/plant life of New Zealand, Sweden, Singapore, and Chicago. I love this one.
A swooping and drippy Kingfisher/Kotare on the hunt amongst the harakeke - commissioned by my lovely friend Anna.
Archer, the beloved pet dog! I love having the opportunity to paint the beautiful creatures we love and adore.
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Every night at sunset the Kaka flock to Sam's house to say hello. I got to go up and meet them all before choosing this beauty to paint for Sam's wall. What a treat!
Beer label commissions for Parrot Dog. Fun, and tasty projects.
A commission piece from 2017. Limited edition prints are available with kind permission by the owner.
A commission of Oriental Parade in Wellington.
Views that evoke sweet memories and capture our imaginations. People often ask me to capture a place that's special to them. My favourite part is the stories that come with them.
On the little island of Sumatra, less than 400 of this species of tiger are left – the Dusk of their kind, if you will.
This was a solo exhibition held at Soul Gallery in Hamilton, in February of 2017. I'm grateful for the support of Soul Gallery, and I enjoy heading up there once a year to share my work.
Personal commissions are so satisfying. It's fun to work with someone, understand their particular tastes, and come up with a plan together for the perfect piece.
Blue Morepork, 2014. This one has to be one of my favourites. I particularly loved inking in his big yellow eyes.
