I’m a self-taught artist and have always loved painting and drawing since I was a small child. I’ve always had a love of animals and wildlife and these have always been my favourite subjects. Throughout my school life, I tried various mediums and studied mixed media and graphic design at the Southland Polytechnic in my mid-20s before moving to the UK in 1998. I stayed in Wales for a time with my favourite Aunt. Then I spent a short time in Glasgow (as I intended to study at the Glasgow School of Art where my Dad and Grandmother came from) But then after a weekend visit to Edinburgh, I fell in love with the beautiful city and moved there to study at the Edinburgh College of Art.While continuing my art courses in acrylic painting there, I also took up the medium of pastels for the first time and this has been my preferred medium to work with ever since.After the tragic death of my partner in Scotland in 1999, I returned home to New Zealand with my then 2-month-old son and eventually purchased my small farmlet in Otatara (the same rural area that I grew up in.) I named the property Awen Grove being a Welsh/Celtic word for inspiration. It took me a few years and a lot of hard work, but while I was still a single Mum (and scratching to make ends meet) I still managed to renovate an old farm building on my property into a studio using upcycled materials. I\'m not a great builder and it’s a very basic space, but it is warm and dry and with the abundance of native birds and an extensive menagerie of pets surrounding me I find it a wonderful place to work and create in.In 2015 (and getting on in my early 40s) I finally returned to my art studies (extramural at Learning Connection Wellington N.Z) and have now completed almost 3 years of study, receiving my Certificate, Diploma and Diploma with honours in Art Creativity. Today, thanks to my many returning clients and the support of my wonderful fiancee Pete, I have been able to pursue my dream of working full-time from my home studio creating commissioned portraits and my original artwork. I also now tutor pastel classes to teens and adults at Southland Education and have private classes at my home studio. My goal now is to renovate another building on the property (nicknamed the Bothy and hold art workshops for larger groups of artists there.