We are ticking along nicely into the new year now. It still gives me a bit of a fright to see 2008 printed as our year though. Already some big events have happened in New Zealand, Sir Edmond Hillary passing on was a shock, but if someone was to leave this earth satisfied with his journey here, that is one man that could be! We were also here on the coast of New Plymouth last weekend to see the two Australian kayakers come to shore, that is a great feat, and it was awesome to see the last of their journey and be there to applaud them.

As for me, this is looking like an exciting year. I am to begin studying for my Masters of Fine Arts through RMIT in Melbourne. I will be doing it via distance which means I can do it from our new (as yet non existent) home here on the coast of Taranaki. Through my MFA, I intend to explore the notion of self-identity & self-representation, in particular interest are the symbols we choose to portray ourselves with.

It is fantastic to be in a small city that has resource such as a high quality museum, gallery and library. The council here has invested a good amount of resources into the culture here as can be seen with the work of the Len Lye foundation, the aforementioned amenities, and other great assets such as Pukekura park which is currently alight with music and lights for the annual festival of lights, and the coastal walkway.

I'm ticking along well with my work, but will wait to show you some of my recent pieces, here though is a bit of a tongue in cheek image for you to think over.