Always interested in the arts and started painting in 1993 (painting portraits still!). Had a free range poultry farm and had the chance to start a cafe/restaurant so with a name like Fowell (fowl), be known as the egg people and the Coromandel being a very artistic eccentric place the Eggsentric idea was born. My vision was that we would not only do food but have a place where people would feel comfortable and have a cultural experience. I don't believe people should be told how to live their lives but if they see how you live and they like it and take a little away with them job done. So they start with the environment, a beautiful beach and cliffs, then come into the large garden with organic flowers and vegetables and 40 odd sculptures before entering the restaurant where there is original art on the walls, interesting music (we do a lot live) and great food.
So to fulfill the vision we started a sculpture symposium in the garden where we invited 15 sculptors from around New Zealand to come for a week and create a work. We provided the stone, accommodation and meals, bought the sculpture we liked best for $3000 and had an auction for the others at the end of the week and those unsold stayed in the garden for sale until the end of the summer. Thus we built our permanent collection, had a changing exhibition and my love of making sculpture was born. I couldn't resist their passion and they were generously free with their time and tools.
I started with stone but now also do wood, constructed wood and perspex and temporary sculptures in the environment. I am not one to do the same thing all the time and am always off on tangents with new materials or ideas and so there are a few unfinished works around waiting for the final subconscious push!
It gives soul to my life.
