Encouraged in art from a small child, I learned to draw and paint, and from the age of 9, to mold and cast my own sculptures.

Disappointment soon followed: Forbidden to consider art as a career, I did the dutiful thing and got a 'good education'. But for 16 years as a government lawyer, art and the wilderness outdoors were my main interest.

Weekends I walked the hills, reveling in wilderness and untouched nature, painted and exhibited art to keep my sanity.

My father passed away prematurely, so I moved home to the country in the Far North of NZ, on a 10 acre block. This required farming animals (all good art fodder). I continued to create and exhibit, and in 1999 won the Telecom Art Award for Northland NZ.

For 10 years I was sole charge carer for my mother (Alzheimers). But I got work commercially on the net as graphic designer for an Australian web development company, coded HTML and kept my contact with the outside world.

In 2010 an invitation came to illustrate a book - 'Taketakerau The Millennium Tree', now in its third printing and winner of 5 awards. http://taketakerau.com/

Now I can concentrate on art, the underlying driving force in my life. It has sustained me through some difficult times.