Profile

I am a Kapiti Coast based Scottish/Kiwi painter and art tutor. I began painting seriously 22 years ago, moving from a background in psychology, social work and management training to art, coinciding with my move to New Zealand.

Over this time, I gained an Advanced Diploma in Art and Creativity and certification from the USA based GOLDEN Artist Colors to work as a GOLDEN Artist Educator. This means that I am an Independent Contractor and I’ve completed extensive product orientation with GOLDEN. It also means GOLDEN provides me with products.

I have recently relocated home and studio from Wellington, where I ran the popular Artist Sessions twice a week, to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast. I have a lovely new studio and am establishing a programme of topic based workshops. Eventually I hope to resurrect the Artist Sessions as I get to know the local community. While in Wellington I worked as a tutor at Pablos Art Studios for seven years. During my time at Pablos, I ran weekly outreach art workshops at the Forensic Psychiatric Rehabilitation facility in Porirua. In addition, I make acrylic paint and product presentations for clubs, groups and organisations around NZ. My teaching and painting methods have been featured on NZTV and art magazines, and images of my work illustrate a series of 12 NZ Law text books.

 The materiality of paint is at the heart of my work. This has resulted in four very different processes which dominate my creativity. The earlier works are asemic paintings using a subtractive technique (‘text’ paintings) and works that use bands of acrylic skins for knotting and weaving (‘drag’ paintings). More recently, I have used acrylic skins in eggshell inlay work (inspired by traditional Vietnamese lacquer paintings) and have also developed some innovative ways of painting with acrylic on Yupo paper. My contemporary drawings with graphite and Chinese ink on Yupo have been selected as finalists in New Zealand’s prestigious Parkin Drawing Prize for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. They have also taken me to the finals of the Wallace Art Awards and traveling exhibition for 2020/2021.