12 artworks make up the Para Wetland Project 2023. It grew from the fleeting glimpses of the Para Wetland observed when driving the road from Blenheim to Picton. 

Initially the sculptural shapes of the willow trees captured my interest.

I returned to the fringes of the wetland with a sketchbook and camera in hand.

I observed a landscape in transition. As the willows declined the newly planted natives were beginning to thrive. 

Back in the studio I  continued developing my ideas into drawings to use for experimentation with monotype printing and for the lino blocks I used for relief printing. 

From the resulting collection of prints  I went on to layer, collage, stitch and weave the images together, exploring  themes of change, transition and environmental integrity that I hoped to convey in the final images. 

The Para Wetland is evolving and with it my interest in this wetland and others around Aotearoa.