What inspires your art practice?
My inspiration stems from the fact that everyday, I am able to make a living from my sculpture and practice in the form of whakairo (carving) as my
Māori ancestors did hundreds of years before me.
What materials do you work in?
Native timbers i.e. swamp Tōtara, Hinau, Manawa, Macrocarpa. A range of Hard/soft stone bone and metal.
Briefly describe your artwork for NZ Sculpture OnShore 2018.
Made from eastcoast Macrocarpa from Tolaga Bay, Taranaki andesite, rope, whalebone inlay. Manaia o Tangaroa depictes a mythical creature from the sea
and land. He is in the form of half a sea serpant and half a human. He is a guardian that lives on the land but comes from the sea.
Where are the public most likely to see your artworks outside of NZ Sculpture OnShore?
Our home gallery Te Haa on the shores of Lake Rotoma.
Art By The Sea, Devonport
Kura Gallery, Auckland and Wellington.
Where did you study?
Self Taught