Welcome to my website, the "about" page. It's difficult to talk about yourself, you could write in the third person but mostly people know it's you writing so that's a bit weird, You can write a brief bio, an impersonal list of facts and achievements which looks a bit show-offy, depending on how you've been doing, so a bit of a conundrum really. I thought I would just share a bit about my personal history, if that makes you squirm then look away now and go to the bio link on this page for an impersonal list of facts and achievements.

 

I grew up in a little village in Hampshire, UK, midway between Swanwick and Bursledon; you can hear the Hampshire accent just by saying the words.

 

I emigrated to New Zealand when I was 20 to a small town in the North Island and small town New Zealand in the 70's was a tough environment for a sensitive creative person. It was a very challenging beginning to my new life, now though, I am passionate about this country and feel so blessed to have found myself here. I'm a "born again" Kiwi.

 

I moved to Christchurch in the South Island and started making kites in 1985 and by the 1990's I was getting sponsored invitations to International kite festivals in other countries such as Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, Germany and Dubai. Around this time I trained in counseling and coaching as for some reason I had the idea that art was not meaningful work, I have since realised how wrong I was.

 

I moved to Wellington in 1998, gave up the kite making and started to paint. Then worked full time for the Open Polytechnic as a learning coach. I studied some Art Therapies and more recently I studied towards the Bachelor of Applied Art at Whitireia Polytechnic majoring in printmaking and textile art.

 

So now my work is a collage of all my experience and at a time in life when many people are thinking about slowing down, I feel like my career is just getting started. In 2012 I moved to Otaki; a small town on the Kapiti Coast and immediately got involved with community events one of which was a kite festival; consequently I got drawn back into kites which has been a lot of fun. 

 

I have three fabulous and talented children and five

equally fabulous and talented grandchildren, who, luckily for me, all live within an hours drive of where I live.