‘Optimist Family’ is a painting created for this family as a celebration of their cherished memories of the wonderful times they shared in Wellington. Each family member is connected to their favourite sporting activity. The composition brings these memories together in a playful and symbolic portrait of family life. On the left, we can see the house where they once lived, anchoring the scene in a specific place and adding a sense of belonging, nostalgia, and shared history.  

‘The Woman in Blue’ portrays our client alongside the cat she discovered while working in a Gulf country. Far from home, the cat became her only source of comfort and companionship, offering warmth and solace during a demanding period of her life. We have placed them together in a lush, dreamlike natural setting inspired by Henri Rousseau, an artist our client particularly admired. The vibrant vegetation, exotic flowers, and richly coloured foliage create an imaginary sanctuary, transforming a personal memory into a poetic portrait of friendship, tenderness, and refuge. The blue dress echoes the serenity and emotional bond between the woman and her cat.

‘Mannheim Tower’ was commissioned by a collector for his new home, where the tower depicted in the painting can also be seen through the windows of the exhibition space. The work explores the couple’s relationship through playful and provocative language, portraying their mutual fascination and erotic attraction. The architecture becomes more than a backdrop: it connects the intimate world of the couple with their new surroundings, while the figures, gestures, and composition create a theatrical scene charged with desire, seduction, and complicity.  

‘Hotere Draws’ is a commissioned painting created for collectors who owned several original drawings by New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere. The work draws on the anecdote that Hotere sometimes paid his bills with his drawings, presenting him here in the act of creating one. The composition incorporates the collectors’ old car, adding a personal element to the story. Behind him, the landscape is the view they could see from their window, bringing together the artist, his work, the collectors’ memories, and the surrounding New Zealand landscape in a playful and intimate tribute.  

This portrait depicts Mike Joy fighting to protect the rivers of Aotearoa New Zealand from pollution. Surrounded by rushing water, he appears as both activist and guardian. His Māori-inspired facial markings evoke the ancestral connection to the waterways and the Māori tradition of protecting them. The red Māori waka (canoe) represents the connection between Mike Joy and Māori communities, united in the struggle to defend New Zealand’s rivers. The surrounding pollution symbolizes the threats facing these fragile ecosystems, while the flowing water represents life, heritage, resistance, and hope for their future.