I have always had an interest and love of art, particularly painting. I remember vividly as a child, forever with a sketch book in my hand. My parents were always replacing my felt tip pens, pencils and eventually buying watercolour paints and loads of paint by number sets. I left school at 18 years old and then worked in an office for four years. I married at 22 and went on to have our children. Not long after I realised I missed the creative side of my life and still needed to have a pencil or paint brush in my hand. It almost just feels a part of you. So with a six month old baby in my arms, I set out to buy my first set of oil paints, table easel and a lovely little canvas pad. Seven years later, in 2004, I had my website developed, which was also the year I had my first solo exhibition. Living in a rural area near Rotorua and Taupo, there is always natural beauty all around me. Therefore this is where I focus on my subject matter. It is very inspiring to live surrounded in such beauty. I particularly love the end of the day – twilight – for taking photos. The warm light is just beautiful and intensifies the colours of the flora and fauna so much. I have learnt from many artist’s over the years, many different things about painting, whether it be a new colour mixture, or a way to look at a painting differently, even how to approach a subject. One of my great loves is Bouguereau, a well known 19th century amazing French artist. I fell in love with his paintings of women and children, his execution of painting fabrics, the attention to detail is fascinating. See Vicki’s work HERE.
