I was fortunate enough to discover my love of drawing and painting at art class in high school and felt drawn to pursue an artistic career. I moved from the family farm where I was raised to Auckland to study graphic design at Auckland Institute of Technology. My first creative jobs were in home decor, painting ceramics for several Auckland tableware companies. I loved seeing how a decorative design could sell a product. In 2014, after about a decade in the graphic design field, I got re-acquainted with the field of surface pattern design and since then have had some wonderful opportunities to develop my work in this direction. I love going for walks in nature and my patterns often get inspired by what I discover there. I observe and photograph plants that catch my eye, and if possible collect specimens to draw back in my studio.
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This plant has a strong association with coastal New Zealand for me. I painted the original motifs in ink to capture the movement of how the plant sways in the breeze. And this colourway is inspired by the rose gold iridescence the plumes often have in the sunlight. The leaves of the Toe Toe were used to make baskets and mats and the long stems were used to insulate the walls of homes. Toetoe also had medicinal uses.
