I have been an artist all my life, from doing colouring in and drawing on the kitchen table as a young girl, using coloured pencils then progressing to felt pens and paint. As a young mum I did hand-built pottery, then taught it to all ages for many years. I worked in pre-schools, schools and with disabled people, as well as teaching art topics at community classes. My passion for art, writing and working in these areas resulted in my pursuit of many art media, and in particular, writing and illustrating books for children. My books are hand drawn and coloured with my watercolour paint box that I got for Christmas at the age of nine. The books always rhyme, teach facts, have bright and naive illustrations, a sense of humour and a 'moral' or 'lesson' at the end. They also relate to New Zealand and support our wildlife and culture. All my other art is unique, also hand-made and a bit quirky. I like to be a bit different and use my imagination. My mantra is:"DRAWING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE"