Creative ID: 152
Newtown, Wellington, and surrounding suburbs.
My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths)
I have been a professional artist for 32 years and my focus now is to use my art practice to encourage more awareness of our natural environment. Throughout my artistic career I have had multiple exhibitions and residencies in public locations where my ability to engage with people of all ages and from all walks of life has been key to their success. This has included creating a national touring installation of artworks where I collaborated with a native bird photographer to promote active public involvement in nurturing the 'halo effect' of bird sanctuaries throughout New Zealand. With my ongoing project for the last 6 years I have coordinated hundreds of community and corporate volunteers to help create and nurture a native forest within our capital city in Newtown. I recently set up a workshop where I focus on creating butterfly and moth artworks as a vehicle to encourage people to stop, observe, and celebrate the natural wonders around us. I'm a good communicator and passionate about art and nature. My teaching methods are based on experience and respect and I'm always willing to listen and learn.
My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with
- 32 years working as a self-taught professional artist exhibiting since 1992.
- 37 solo exhibitions and in 21 group exhibitions with artworks held in private collections both nationally and internationally.
- Public artistic residencies in the Michael Fowler Centre during six International Arts Festivals 2002–2014, Wellington Waterfront Dec 2016–Mar 2017, Artist in residence at a gallery August 2017 , Nelson Arts Festival 2017, Auckland Arts Festival 2017, Nga Manu Nature Reserve 2017–2021, Newtown School 2020.
- Creative collaborations with poet laureate and environmentalist Brian Turner, musician Rhian Sheehan, contemporary dance choreographer Lyne Pringle, native bird photographer Derek Tearne, and environmentalist Matu Booth.
- In 2019 I founded an ongoing project as a vehicle to focus attention on butterflies and moths.
- 2019 I created on ongoing exhibition window gallery at Newtown School where I curate three weekly exhibitions by artists in the school.
Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes
Themes I have worked with cover how to look at art, developing a vocabulary around art and creative practices, using other artist’s work to gain inspiration for the students’ own artworks, and thinking outside the box creatively, which is relevant to all school subjects not only art related subjects. Teaching creative drawing and enhancing observation skills, perspective, draughting skills, and compositional awareness as tools for seeing and understanding the world in more expansive ways.
From 2012–2017, I worked as an educator and advisor for an art roadshow touring schools throughout New Zealand and teaching students from years 1–13 and I’m currently on the board of trustees. I’ve had the privilege of engaging with over 100,000 students of all ages in schools throughout New Zealand on how to engage with this major contemporary New Zealand art collection. I find communicating around art most fulfilling. From that experience I have developed several successful programmes around honing drawing skills and engaging with visual art both in the classroom and art galleries.
In 2017–2018 I was a guest educator at a gallery running workshops with students at local schools for mostly years 1–8 but also with high school students.
From 2018–21 I have volunteered as a local artist educator at a local school running drawing workshops and curating an exhibition window gallery to showcase the students’ artworks to other students and parents. In 2020 I was in residence at the school as part of the Creatives in Schools programme and have continued to volunteer at the school to the present day.
In 2019–21 I was a guest art educator for a community art group.
From 2017–21 I was a guest art educator at a nature sanctuary.
Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice
Working with the art roadshow and local primary school has been one of my life highlights. The engagement with the students is rich and rewarding on so many levels for all involved. Throughout the six years I was involved as educator I realised I was very good at inspiring creative thought and quickly breaking down any barriers of self-consciousness the students had around conversations about art. The art stories I told were mainly sourced from the students themselves generated in the conversations we had around contemporary art. I found the students inspiring and their liberation of creative exploration permeated throughout my own artistic practice. The students and I became peers on a journey together built on a foundation of respect as fellow artists. Now that the art roadshow is finished my involvement with the Creatives in Schools programme has provided me with another opportunity to pass on some of the creative skills I have mastered over my 32 years as a professional artist, to continue to pass on the skills and encourage creativity in young people.