Artistic Approach:

My working career has revolved around designing and illustrating children's books.

I now live in Whanganui and divide my time between working as an author/illustrator of children’s natural history books, painting and drawing wildlife and botanicals, running my illustration agency and teaching Community education classes around the country.

While  studying in Australia I developed a love for sketching plants and wildlife outdoors and have continued with this, travelling to some amazing places such as the Subantarctic , Tasmania, Western Australia, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands,Vanuatu and the Chatham Islands. More recent favourite haunts have been Pukorokoro Miranda on the Firth of Thames, and Bushy Park (a predator free sanctuary in Whanganui). My recent sketching has developed into nature journaling and this led me to publish a children’s book on Nature Journaling around New Zealand habitats ( A New Zealand Nature Journal, published by Walker Books, Australia/NZ).

My preferred medium is watercolour - I love working wet on wet and being surprised by the results. I also work in a subtractive way with charcoal and eraser on large botanicals, and more recently with gouache paint on black. I have worked with various printmaking techniques -mezzotint and linocut printing and am now experimenting with drypoint. I have also   recently revisited using dip pen and ink, and I love the gestural nature of the line work it can achieve.

I am always trying new approaches to my work and love sharing what I learn with others.

Affiliation:

Member: ASBA - American Society of Botanical Artists

Member: BSNZ  Botanical Art Society of NZ

Friend Of Botanic Gardens, Auckland

Committee  Member Botanical Society, Whanganui

Member: Pukorokoro Miranda Naturalists Trust

Education:

BFA, Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University,NZ

MFA, Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University, NZ.

Post Grad Diploma Plant & Wildlife Illustration, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Exhibitions:

2024

August - ‘Winter to Spring’ - Auckland Botanic Gardens

2022

'The Art of Healing - Medicine, Myth and Magic' - Auckland Botanic Gardens

2021

May - ‘For the Love Of Botanical’ - Space Studio and Gallery, Whanganui

2020

November - ‘Botanical Art’ - Space Studio Gallery, Wanganui
September - 'Overwintering Project' - Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa
August - 'A Big Show of Little Botanical Works 2020' - Annual exhibition BASNZ members, Auckland Botanic Gardens

May - 'Creativity Unlocked' - Group exhibition, Auckland Botanic Gardens
Natural History Illustrations exhibition, Lockett Gallery, Whanganui

2019

‘Out of the Dark- exhibition of subtractive charcoal/eraser Botanical drawings, Space Gallery, Whanganui
August - 'In Memory of Banks and Solander' - Group exhibition, Auckland Botanic Gardens
“Painted Stories”- show of award winning NZ illustrators, Blenheim Millenium Gallery, IBBY Congress, (Aotea Centre, Auckland), Uxbridge Art Centre, Howick, Waikato Museum

2018

March - 'BOTANICA 2018', Annual exhibition BASNZ members, Akaroa Art Gallery, Christchurch
March - ‘Botanical Art Worldwide - Nga Tipu Taketake – Indigenous Flora’, Auckland Botanical Gardens, then Wellington Botanic Gardens and Millennium Public Gallery, Blenheim

2017

January - ‘Tree Lines’ - Group exhibition, Cornwall Park, Auckland
October - ‘Weird and Wonderful’ - Group exhibition, Auckland Botanic Gardens 

2014

‘In the Nature of Things’ - group show- charcoal/eraser Botanical Drawings at Northart Gallery, Northcote,  Auckland

2013

Solo show - visiting artist for 6 weeks at Auckland Botanic gardens, Manurewa

2009

‘Blooming Revolution’- group show of botanical works- Nathan Homestead, Auckland

2008

‘Burst into Life’- group life drawing show, Takapuna Lake House Gallery

2007

‘50 Degrees South’ - show of Subantarctic Flora and Fauna - lithographs and field sketches: Auckland Regional  Botanic Gardens

2004

‘Flora and Fauna’ - Group show - lithographs at Catchment Gallery, Nelson
‘Five at the Spiral’- Group show - lithographs at Spiral Gallery, Auckland

2002

‘Mezzotint’ - Group exhibition of mezzotints - Portfolio Gallery, Auckland

2000

‘50 Degrees South’- Show of Subantarctic  Flora and Fauna – lithographs and watercolours & field sketches- 
Southland Regional Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill,  Printmakers Studio, Dunedin and Artworks, Wanaka.
‘Fiordland’- Group show - landscapes - Printmakers Studio, Dunedin

1998

‘Nature Works’ - Five woman show at Lane Gallery, Auckland- Natural history pastels and watercolours
‘Show of Hearts’ - Group show - Printmakers Studio, Dunedin
‘6 Botanical Artists’ - Group show- Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens

1997

‘Out of Nature’ - Two woman show at Portfolio Gallery, Auckland.- watercolours and pastels (natural history)
‘Nectar’ - Group show of botanical work in conjunction with Dunedin Rhododendron Festival  - Printmakers Studio, Dunedin

1995

‘Book Marks’ - Group show at Gallery Number Five, Dunedin- mezzotints & wood engravings.
Group show at Maitland Art Gallery, NSW, Australia.
Margaret Senior Award Exhibition, University of Newcastle, NSW.
Group show at Australia Entomological Society  Insect Illustration Competition, Tamworth, NSW.
Pacific Power Plant & Wildlife Illustration Competition, Newcastle, NSW

1993

Group show at Portfolio Gallery, Auckland—mezzotints.