Our young Kauri tree has elegant draping branches and it's trunk is straight and proud. An animated flock of several little wax-eye birds gather along a branch in the mid-morning warmth. Look past the mangroves and across the river, to see older and taller Kauri standing in a group on the other side.
Available for purchase from our Illustration shop.
The Totara Tree: strong, durable and versatile. Tui nesting in the branches. A possum hiding and feasting on new leaf tips. A kingfisher watching over the mangroves. An old Totara fence post.
Available for purchase from our Illustration shop.
Jane's brief: I would love a picture of my brother-in-law, Bill. We're soon heading down to Invercargill for his 70th birthday party in a paddock. When I saw your picture of Daryn carrying the calf, I thought 'OMG, that looks just like Bill but with a calf instead of a lamb!!!'.
Tell me about Bill: Bill is a quintessential Southland sheep farmer. He's a strapping 6 foot 4 gentleman, and gets about in his farm garb - hat, shorts, jersey etc. He grows swedes, loves his red tractor and has been known to rescue the odd lamb or two.
Jane sent me photos of Bill; in the first he was sitting on his red tractor, the next holding a lamb and another in a swede paddock. In all, Bill was accompanied by (who I decided were) little grandchildren. I got the impression Bill is a gentle giant and set to work.
Jane's reaction: That is just brilliant thanks!!!! So much like Bill. He will love it.
The Cabbage Tree: quirky and unmistakably Kiwi. Kereru in the branches. A Tui perching on the flax flower. A Hawk flying over the paddock looking for mice. Goats in the paddock. A Cabbage Tree Moth hovering. And a Pukeko family with an adventurous member.
Available for purchase from our Illustration shop.
The brief: Olly and Val live in Vancouver and have ties to NZ. Val wrote to me and said 'I'm loving your illustrations! Do you think I could commission you to do something? I don't like to give you too much direction but let's say animals and nature'.
Some background: Olly is actually my brother and Val is his wife. So the ties they have to NZ are pretty strong and involve me, so it didn't take me long to come up with a list of animals and nature that would remind them of NZ and memories of things that have happened on their trips home over the years.
The reaction: Entirely by coincidence the drawing arrived in Vancouver on Valentines day, so there was a bit of a buzz about the timing. Val: 'Look what turned up for Valentines day! ... you even put cilantro in there, you must really love me ... it's amazing' Olly: 'Thank you so much, it's so cool. Absolutely love all the creatures and details. Val appreciates the goat dealing with the cilantro'.
