I bring inspiration home from my walk between the mangroves and the sea, where I live with Pete and our dog Luca. I bring back shapes, smells, colour and form, and it changes to conversations on canvas. Mixed with emotions and paint. I watch the eels swim, and kōtare fly, and the natural flow of sifting and settling.

Writing about a visual piece is like breathing under water or putting words to a bird's song. It is a different language.

My painting feels like mud settling, nature happening and taking its course. As much as I am exploring on an intellectual level, once I am exploring with paint, the outcome has a life all its own.

I have been painting since I was around 10 years old. I studied art after completing school in South Africa, where I was born, and then went on to study Landscape Architecture. We moved to New Zealand in 2001 with our three children. 

With the increased independence of our family, I retrained as a counsellor, where I spend time supporting young people on a helpline. This, and my art, is fundamental to my growth as an artist. 

Please enquire by emailing jane@palmprints.co.nz