Studio Insights - August 2026
This month I mostly just ate burgers. For those of you uninitiated, we have a festival in Wellington every year, where hundreds of restaurants compete to make the best burger.
When I wasn’t eating, I was working on a commission of one of our studio members’ dogs, who’s a regular visitor to the studio. It’s always a pleasure painting little fluff-balls! I’ll be sharing the finished piece soon.
Te Papa
I went to Te Papa to try their burger, and learnt their cafe is surprisingly top tier at it. (They won last year, and this year’s one was amazing imo). While I was there, I had another look around the displays.
I’ve been to Te Papa many times over the years, but I typically just b-line straight up to the art section. I sometimes forget there’s a whole world-class museum which I’m very lucky to have access to whenever I want.
So I took some time exploring the nature section, which I realised had changed quite a bit since I last visited! I was immediately drawn to the snails (of course), with a great display of Powelliphanta shells. And I discovered that Te Papa has a built in bush walkway, complete with a swing bridge, caves, and a reading room overlooking it all.
I have no idea if any of this stuff is new, or if they just changed the layout, or if I just didn’t pay much attention previously… all possible! I mostly just remember the giant squid. And the Golipoli sculptures. Which I did look at again, and yes they are still as incredible as the last 100 times I looked at them.
But anyway.. It was fun to be a tourist in my own city for a bit. Here’s a reminder to not take your local ‘tourist’ attractions for granted. Go visit again! You might be surprised.
