Stories Behind the Paintings
A painting is never just a painting. Behind every canvas is a journey — a commission that took me somewhere unexpected, a landscape that stopped me in my tracks, or a project that meant more than I anticipated. These are those stories.
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Butterfly Dreams Mural
My first painting after back surgery — donated to the children's ward of Christchurch Public Hospital, and the beginning of something far bigger than a single mural.
Medlands Beach, Great Barrier Island
Flown to an island I'd never seen, through Cyclone Becky, with one day left to find the painting — and a client who simply said: "You'll know it when you see it."
Moeraki Bay Fishing Boats
A hidden bay he'd never visited, a one-night stay in a peaceful fishing village, and a commissioned painting that captured exactly what made Moeraki worth discovering.
Pukaki Blue
Mt Cook, teal water, and three hand-painted paua panels so lifelike that people reach out to touch them. A love letter to the most iconic view in inland Canterbury.
Te Anau Winter's Morning
Sweeping clouds, uncertain skies, and a winter morning at the gateway to Milford Sound that gave the painting its restless, living energy.
Rapaki Jetty
A Gallipoli memorial, a charity auction, and the day it was purchased by one of New Zealand's most beloved authors — the late Margaret Mahy.
Last Ray of Light Over Tekapo
A grey afternoon on the shores of Lake Tekapo, a gap in the clouds, and forty minutes of waiting. Then the dam broke — and the light came charging.