Studio Insights - March 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.
“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.”
This month felt like a super quiet one, but upon looking back I actually had plenty on the go. Usually, March is reserved for the Christchurch Art Show, which I didn’t do this year. I guess I got so accustomed to the manic time that my brain is confused! I filled the void by attending a small art festival, and a group exhibition instead.
Table of Contents:
CREATE: Kapiti Festival & Blue Door exhibition
INSPIRE: Wellington Central Library
LEARN: Reflecting on markets
PLAN: Open Schedule
CREATE: Kapiti Festival & Blue Door exhibition
The start of March kicked off with the last bit of prep for the Kapiti Tattoo & Arts Festival. I decided I wanted to keep my display quite simple and cohesive - so I basically recreated a small version of my solo show ‘The Castle in the Sky’ from November last year. I had to get creative and hang things from a pole, and a board on an easel. I actually quite vibed with the ‘floating’ paintings - it really went with the theme of the exhibition.
Later in the month, I joined an awesome group exhibition hosted at Blue Door Studios, shown during CubaDupa. I took the opportunity to get some more eyes on my most popular piece, Ethereal Moss.
INSPIRE: Wellington Central Library
I never thought I’d be so excited for a library opening… but this was quite the anticipated event for the whole of Wellington. It really felt as though we got the heart of the city back again after this grand building was closed for a whole 7 years! It felt quite surreal to step back inside after so long walking past the abandoned eyesore. I had honestly forgotten a time when it was open…
While I love reading books, I was of course drawn straight to any and all art on display. Like a moth to a light.
LEARN: Reflecting on markets
The Kapiti Festival was a unique one for me - a bit of an experiment that I allowed since I wasn’t doing the usual big art show. It was somewhere in between a market and an art show, with a focus more on tattoo artists and merch. I gave them a shot because they reached out to me, and I had a gap, so I thought… why not?
I’ve tried exhibiting at an art market once before, years ago. The majority of my work is at a high price point and not best suited for that environment. I was hoping this one would be quite different, and that the tattoo crowd would be receptive to my surreal style works. Unfortunately, I was wrong. While I had some great interactions and conversations, the people coming through really weren’t looking for original artworks like mine. I had a couple of people who were quite taken aback when I said my small paintings were $300/$400, which was surprising given how cheap that is for a framed original.
It really just goes to show how much the right environment matters for the value of your work. In an art show or gallery, those paintings would be perceived as great value, especially surrounded by other art with price tags in the thousands. It’s so interesting how the mindset of buyers coming through the door can change so much depending on the setting. I still had a great time, and the festival overall was a success for many, just not my crowd.
PLAN: Open Schedule
I’ve been doing these entries every month for almost 2 years now, and for the first time ever, I genuinely don’t have anything to put here. I’m in a unique spot with no current project, and no deadlines ahead… I can just make anything I like. That feels so bizarre to me. Not that I don’t make things I like, but it's always for something. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.