April 2nd – May 29th, 2022
Zealandia
Waiapu Road, Karori, Wellington
“Come Walk with Me”
Have you ever been walking in Zealandia and feel like you have been transported back in time? I often think about this when I walk there.
Sometimes I take photos, but more often I walk slowly enjoying the sounds, and the shapes, the way the light falls and of course, the bird song. I love that even when it seems like a windy and miserable day, Zealandia has its own micro-climate, and maybe especially on those days the colours are more intense, the birds are below the canopy and there is a sense of calm.
For me, painting is about being fully present. It’s like a form of meditation or prayer. Suspending preconceived notions, being open to exploration, struggle and joy and expressing it in paint is what moves me.
These paintings are my response to my regular walks in this unique and extraordinary place. I enjoy the contrasts of wildness and calm through the seasons, the colours, sounds and feelings.
As I work in my studio, I try to respond to the experience of being in the landscape and translate this into colourful narratives.
I live and work locally, so if you are interested to see more of my work, please feel free to contact me via the contacts below.
I hope you will find your own sense of stillness and connection in my work.
November 9th – 15th, 2020
Thistle Hall Gallery
Cnr Cuba and Arthur Street, Wellington
“The Present is what your life is”
For me painting is about being fully present to the moment and as each moment passes I endeavour to stay present and explore its possibilities. Like a form of meditation or prayer, where you practice choosing to be present, suspending judgement and expectations, and being open to risk, struggle and joy. Mostly my paintings come as a response to my surroundings, my home, my city, the contrasts of wildness and calm through the seasons, and the search for understanding and stillness. Mary Oliver expresses it so well in her poem “Mornings at Blackwater”.
Mornings at Blackwater by Mary Oliver
For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt, the feet of ducks.
And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.
What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.
So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,
and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.