I have painted people for 40 years, much of it publicly. That is a great way to sharpen your skills. And people love to watch an artist at work. Having up-skilled in all the painterly mediums to achieve a high degree of 'realism', through paint I have explored portraiture 'accuracy', people in their place, amidst their heritage, symbolically presenting their values and beliefs. I also relish looking behind the obvious and exploring in paint so called metaphysical views of human 'presentation'.

Portraiture requires a close and trusting connection with my subject. This opens up a special client/painter relationship at a heart level.

Portraiture is exacting. Paint-mixing is a science. There is the accuracy-versus-aliveness challenge of capturing character. Then there is the over-riding artist’s desire to capture that X-factor 'something', the genius factor. An emotional rollercoaster can be set up that can result in fear to go any further or an expectation that risks perfectionism...

However in my view those hard won skills developed for realistic portrayal are vital for the more spontaneous right-brain creativity. I relish the earned freedom to stack memory upon metaphor upon archetype in expressive artworks, releasing me from the rigors of 'realism'. I seek to achieve this in my 'Triptychs'- See these in this website’s 'Recent Works and Archival' section. These artworks intrigue me, drawing spontaneously upon that reservoir of skill development and a lifetime of memories. Archetypes by the way are those visual keys, symbolic images 'viscerally' understood, that speak to any human soul of any culture. They can pop up spontaneously when an artist is flowing paint freely. This is a highly prized ability. It is the art of the human spirit set free, and having arrived there I love to teach this approach. An oxymoron? Yes. But a high-dive way to find out what you need to know to achieve a useful landing.

I paint in a modified shipping container. I 'live simply' with my partner Laughton King, an educator with over 35 years service to Northland, with an expanded contribution discussed in this website’s 'Mission' section. He’s an interesting character, with useful insights for the creative. Being an author, he is encouraging me to write a book entitled 'Living with a Dyslexic'.

I am revamping my life/work style from a studio-bach on a Whangarei Heads bay down the coast a bit, to a river lifestyle block in development. Overlooking the Pataua River estuary Lort and I are setting up an 'eco-home' with solar and wind generated power, and food gardens. Well, Lort is. I am still adjusting, and acquiring the art of living in a temporary shack... Riding my horse down-river to drop in on friends revives my spirit.

We got to know each other on a four year tour of New Zealand in a converted truck home. As we travelled community by community Laughton worked with school-staff. Setting up in appropriate public venues or client’s homes, I painted at every opportunity.

It was a fascinating exploration of NZ full of adventure, and has set us both up with ongoing work forever. At our age, that’s a bonus. The Whangarei Heads Art trail is an annual Easter phenomenon. 30-40 local artists of real merit open their studios, Nat’s studio is open for this too, but Lort and I will always receive guests by casual appointment. Phone 0274826545.

Our river lifestyle block enables a brief kayak ride to the surf that we can feel just over those iconic coastal hills. It is an idyllic setting for sharing Art Retreat time with burned-out or aspirant guests desiring tuition to revamp their art direction. Sharing our good fortune, our home and sharing insights with you would be a pleasure, and we can well cater for such pilgrims with caring comfort, conversation, and exquisite natural food. Our coffee’s good too.