Assorted Essays

Some landscapes become part of who we are. They shape our childhood, our values, and the memories we carry long after we have left them behind. Preseason and Field of Dreams are connected not only by the familiar sight of weathered rugby goalposts standing quietly in...

Night has always been fertile ground for imagination. As daylight fades and familiar streets become quiet, ordinary backyards transform into launch sites, the moon hangs tantalisingly close, and the impossible suddenly feels within reach. Moon Patrol and Odyssey to...

Although they are both set beside the sea, Only Between the Flags and One More Game tell two very different stories about New Zealand’s coastline. One is dramatic and cautionary, the other warm and nostalgic. Together they remind us that every beach has its own...

One of the questions I'm asked most often is what keeps me painting between exhibitions. With only one exhibition every two years, there are long stretches where there are no deadlines, no opening nights, and no audience waiting to see the next body of work. From the...

      A whole lot of mischief 🐾   In Travelling Companions, we first meet Jack, though he does not announce himself. He is under the seat, half in shadow, half in light, watching. Beside him stands Toby, otherwise known as Toblerone: black, bristling, alert to the...

      Thresholds The first four paintings in the 1 in 100 series – 1 Decision, 2 Special Guest, 3 Surprise, and 4 Intentions (2009) – form a quiet prologue. They establish not only a narrative arc but a language of colour and restraint that the series continues to...

We all start with a blank canvas. Every artist develops their style. But what is a style? How do we make it our own? There are ways you can intentionally work on finding your art style, but this might sound overwhelming and scary. I often hear the frustration of...

My Sketchbook When people open a sketchbook, they expect the first image to be fantastic and a captivating book of art that draws them in from the beginning, every page a masterpiece of finished art. But for me, my sketchbooks are a world apart from that expectation....

I am Alice In 2013, Jo—my partner, co-conspirator, and the person most likely to calmly announce life-changing decisions over dinner—told me we needed a dog. Not wanted. Needed. I heard the word the way you hear someone suggest buying a second fridge or moving...

1 in 100 – My Apprenticeship to Become an Artist In 2009, I set myself a challenge: to paint 100 paintings, each a story from my life. Some stories are real, drawn straight from the dusty corners of my childhood memories. Other stories are fiction, a blend of...