About me

Hello!

I'm Natalie, I am an artist living in Mapua, 30 minutes outside of Nelson. I work from here in my studio, I love woodwork, ceramics and painting. As you can probably see from my work, I love houses - cottages in particular and so most of my ceramic art, woodwork and paintings are inspired by Fisherman's cottages, little cottages & old European buildings.

I have had several careers, I originally trained in Business Japanese when I left school and then later Medical Herbalism, but my whole life I have always needed a creative outlet.  From about age 16 this was photography.  As I got older it developed more into Interior Design, but it is only relatively recently that I discovered painting.  I like abstract landscapes using only oil paints and a cold wax emulsion that I make from local Beeswax to produce thick texture on the canvas.  I am inspired by my surrounding landscape, shifting light and moody skies. Kina Beach, Mapua Estuary and Motueka River Valley – I never get tired of painting these scenes.

We live in a villa from the early 1900's, salvaged from the Christchurch Red Zone a few years back. It was purchased on Trade Me with one daring click of the mouse for $500. The mouse clicking was easy, transporting it in 2 pieces back to its resting place on a hillside in Mapua, and lovingly restoring it to its former glory, well, that’s another story…! 

Under instruction to clean up my fiercely protected pile of wood remnants from the house renovation, I came up with a solution to breathe new life into the beautiful old paint-layered, moss-covered, rusty-nail-hole-filled pile of Rimu and Kauri!  Now I create gorgeous and uniquely individual ‘Home Sweet Tiny Homes and Lighthouses’, Upcycled from these old wooden treasures. Unfortunately for my husband, thanks to some newly acquired old beehives, floorboards, weatherboards and fence posts – the wood pile is growing, not receding and I have endless inspiration for new tiny houses!

You can mostly find me at a table in my studio, surrounded by a village of tiny houses, or painting houses…or maybe if I have a spare moment, in my cottage garden. 

Please message me with any questions or specific design requests. The best and most unexpected part of making tiny houses is meeting and talking to interesting people from all over the world :)

Natalie