My name is Ngaire and I was born in the Wairarapa, moved away and then returned with my husband to raise our family. My husband and our 2 daughters are very supportive of my artistic endeavours, along with the rest of my family.
I started pyrography / poker work when I needed to give up work early with my first pregnancy. That child is now 23. It has been only in the last few years that I have been able to immerse myself in my art. I am completely self-taught so through a lot of trial and error have now established my style.
I specialise in up-cycling second hand finds, by etching glass, mirror, stone and burning onto wood, creating one-off unique pieces of art.
I believe that each old piece that I find, tells a story and I just add to that story. I like to leave a lot of the character and just add my touch to enhance the beauty of the piece. It is wonderful to be able to reuse something and give it a new lease of life and in some cases give it a whole new purpose.
I am strongly influenced by native NZ animals and plants, in particular our native NZ birds.
I especially like doing commissions and I have large “stash” of pieces ready to be upcycled. I am also happy to work on pieces that people own, creating a very personal piece, makes me very happy and I get a thrill out of people’s reaction to what I have created for them.
