I have been a painter for 35 years having had over 35 exhibitions in Christchurch, Wellington Auckland and the U.S. during that time. I also trained as an art teacher and have taught painting and drawing to adults for the past 25 years. Presently my creative focus is on illustrating and writing children's books.

 

I have drawn all my life, but since I picked up a paintbrush in 1987 I have never looked back, regularly taking part in group exhibitions as well as my own solo shows. By the end of 1986, I had completed a Diploma in Visual Communication Design at Christchurch Institute of Technology, which put me in very good stead as a future painter as I learnt many invaluable technical skills during my time there.

 

I then went on to study full time at the New Zealand Film and Television Training School, also in Christchurch. I gained a certificate at the end of the year and then moved to Wellington to seek film work and to continue on my painting career. I was receiving continual interest in my painting which gave me the impetus to keep producing new work.

 

I then moved to Auckland to work on an American movie in the Art Department. I spent a number of years working as a Set Painter and Props and Model Maker, working on both local and international jobs.

 

Eventually I decided that I wanted to be an art teacher so I attended Manukau Institute of Technology and gained a post graduate Diploma in Teaching as well as a Certificate in Tertiary Teaching. I spent the next 25 years teaching gifted children, then high school students then adults painting and drawing. During this time I held one or two annual exhibitions of my paintings which amounts to over 35 solo exhibitions to date.