Upcoming Events
- Part of a group exhibition at Te Huanui Gallery in Darfield from 1 to 22 October, featuring a selection of artists who, over the years, have won the Premiere award at Darfield Artweek.
- Part of a group exhibition at Stoddart Cottage gallery in Diamond Harbour from 1 October to 25 October, where part of the proceeds from work sold will go towards the efforts by Artists Against Slavery.
- Providing various art workshops for children across the Selwyn District Libraries in October and November
- Artist on site at the Rolleston Relay for Life event on 30 October – where I will be creating a work throughout the course of the day, that will be auctioned off at the end of the day as part of fundraising for the Cancer Society.
ABOUT ME: When I took up linocut printmaking as a hobby in 2016, I never dreamed where it would take me. I now host workshops, have won awards, have co-founded a wonderful local artist group (Selwyn Artists Collective) and regularly sell and exhibit my work.
I grew up between Malaysia and New Zealand, and influences from both appear in my work. Prior to being a printmaker, I was a commercial lawyer for 15 years. I have a young family and a border-collie called Pippin. Pippin and I love going on walks through the Canterbury landscape – an endless source of inspiration.
MY ART: My pieces are created by carving the image in a plate of lino, applying ink to the plate, and then burnishing the image by hand onto paper. Coloured pieces are made from a single plate, which is progressively carved away between the addition of each different layer of coloured ink. The moment when a print is peeled off the inked plate is exhilarating, and I find that people are fascinated by watching the process unfold.
Linocut printmaking appeals to me as it translates a drawn image vibrantly and vividly, presents interesting technical challenges along the way, and allows several pieces to be built off of one work. I find it both highly controlled and unpredictable, and I love that a beautiful linocut can be made by any interested person.
Creating a piece of art is a way for me to pause, savour and engage with my surroundings; watching a royal spoonbill take flight as we drive along a dusty coastal road, the elegant line of a rhododendron bloom from my garden, or the focused poise and strength of a sheep shearer.
The most heartening reaction to my art is when people say “it just encourages me to have a go myself”.
PREVIOUS Exhibitions and KEY EVENTS:
- 2021 Exhibited at a Group Exhibition at the Down by the Liffey Gallery in Lincoln
- 2021 Exhibited at Printer, Painter, Photograph-Maker at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens
- 2021 Exhibited at Annual West Melton Art Event at Nut Point
- 2020 Co-founded Selwyn Artists Collective (a group for local artists that went on to win Silver at the Selwyn Awards the next year)
- 2020 Featured artist by Selwyn District Council for the Selwyn Arts Festival (artist talks and workshops)
- 2020 Exhibited at Pigeon Bay Art Show
- 2020 Exhibited at Making an Impression at Te Huanui Gallery
- 2019 Awarded Premier award at Darfield Art Week
- 2018 Awarded Merit award at Darfield Art Week
