ABOUT

I am an artist based in beautiful rural New Zealand.   My dream as a child was to live on a couple of acres in the country, surrounded by animals, grow my own food, and earn my living as an artist.  Now that my dream has finally come true, the reality is I find it difficult to actually find time to paint, as there is always far too much to do outdoors!
My artwork is inspired by the beauty of God’s creation, and my love for animals and birds.  I enjoy painting them in wild and garden settings, as well as on stones as ‘rock pets’.  Though I have been painting and drawing all my life, I first began painting stones when I was about 14 years old, and the addiction has continued ever since.  I particularly enjoy the challenge of creating the illusion of a real, live, furry (or feathery) creature on a cold hard stone!

Acrylic is my main medium, and I enjoy its flexibility, in that it is possible to combine a watercolour-like transparency with oil-like richness.  For my wall paintings, I use wooden panels instead of canvas as a surface, because of the smoothness, which allows for greater detail. 
Mousewhisker Studio is so named because of the mouse which hops onto my signature when I’m not looking.  The ‘whisker’ part expresses my aspiration to create art ‘fine enough to be painted with a mouse’s whisker!’.

This page would not be complete without a mention of my two faithful companions and occasional artist’s models of the past eleven or so years.  They are pictured below, doing as usual an excellent job of moral support while I work.

Work in Progress

Chicken Chat

The Studio Snoozers!