Studio Insights - January 2026
CREATE: What I’ve created/done & what I’m working on.
INSPIRE: What art has inspired me.
LEARN: What I’m learning to develop my practice.
PLAN: What I’m planning next.
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on. ”
January was a great mixture month - I did a bit of travelling, saw lots of inspiring art, created a couple of small paintings and capped off the month with the release of The Castle in the Sky: The Documentary.
Table of Contents:
CREATE: Small Paintings
INSPIRE: Taranaki Trip
LEARN: New Plymouth & Len Lye
PLAN: Bubblegum Dystopia
CREATE: Small Paintings
I made the classic move of committing to an exhibition months ago and underestimating how quickly the due date would roll up after my solo show. The show in question is ‘Bubblegum Dystopia’ at Quirky Fox, my second opportunity to exhibit at this weird and wonderful little gallery. So I worked away on these super tiny two paintings, made to fit the smallest frames I had in my studio. This was a unique challenge working so small, and quite fun! To go with the theme, I tried working on a bright pink background and letting some show through - it was quite strange painting on such a vibrant base tone.
January ended with the much-anticipated release of The Castle in the Sky: The Documentary. We hosted a private screening at Sector, followed by a public release on YouTube/Instagram the following day. Having the final result displayed on the projector screen in a room of awesome creatives was such a beautiful way to cap off this project. I equally enjoyed hearing that Ferg and Shush (Director / Cinematographer) also loved working on the documentary and considered it a significant creative milestone for them both.
INSPIRE: Taranaki Trip
A bit later in the month, I traveled up the west coast, stopping in Whanganui, Hawera (to drop off paintings) and a day-trip to New Plymouth. I did a similar trip this time last year, and every time I travel up this way I’m amazed at the thriving art community throughout. There’s so much to see that leaves me feeling quite inspired.
LEARN: New Plymouth & Len Lye
This time I decided to make a day trip up to New Plymouth. I’ve been wanting to go for a long time as I’d heard lots of great things about the art scene there, and this visit just left me wanting more! I was quite surprised at how busy the city centre was; the whole place felt so vibrant and alive with culture. At the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, I watched an in-depth documentary on Len Lye and learnt all about his legacy of impressive kinetic sculptures. There’s a well-known one in Wellington (Water Whirler), which I’ve admired often but never thought too much about who created it. It was quite fascinating to learn about his deep contribution to the arts, not just in New Plymouth but all around NZ and the world.
PLAN: Bubblegum Dystopia
During February, the group exhibition ‘Bubblegum Dystopia’ will be opening at Quirky Fox Gallery in Hawera. I’m joining with my two new small paintings, as well as the large piece from my solo exhibition.