I am the oldest of three children born in a small rural New Zealand town and I have never known my father.
I will forever have fond memories of living with my grandparents. They instilled in me at a very young age that keeping busy was a way to ensure my sense of self worth remained. It was a form of self-preservation that I really valued as I grew up. My grandfather taught me how to care for animals and how to swing a hammer. He taught me to be industrious. And my grandmother taught me the value of practicing useful crafts, cooking and living simply.
My earliest memory of making came from time spent with my great grandmother (my grandmothers mother). She was old (sometimes scary) and full of idiosyncrasies. She was an avid collector of memorabilia and rubbish; she never threw anything away, to the extent that her bedrooms were piled from floor to ceiling with newspapers and family photos, and used butter papers were pushed to the back of cupboards and squeezed under the wooden backdoor step. Her little house bulged with things she just couldn’t or wouldn’t part with. In her past she had been a talented seamstress; whether this was out of necessity or love of the work I don’t know, but she still had her old sewing machine hidden under all the rubbish until she died. To me her eccentricities were playful and fun. They were happy memories I remember as she taught me how to peddle the sewing machine, to crochet and to be methodical about the process my of making.
My beautiful mother spent many hours in a little outside room where she painted. In my formative years as I watched her mix oil colours, pouring out her emotions onto the canvas, I did not understand the impact her artistic methods would have on my life. As an adult I have realised she taught me to express myself with honesty, to teach this to others, just as she tried to do in the deep landscapes of her paintings.
After graduating from art school in 2002, I worked towards building my studio in the beautiful bush clad hills of Brunswick, just outside of Whanganui township. As a full time glass artist this is where my glass making practice was able to flourish. After gaining a Masters degree in 2013, my work began to evolve from historical dress designs and textile (what I am known for) into incorporating craft techniques, such as crochet through the technique of lost wax casting.
I continue to exhibit my glasswork widely. I regularly teach glass-casting workshops and am an ongoing mentor to many students throughout New Zealand.
And I love baking, for my family, friends, students and people who stay at my studio.
I am an advocate of sustainable living and taking care of our environment, applying this philosophy to my glass making practices and everyday life where possible.
