Artistic Genes

At last! And a little of 'backgrounds'.
Rima's Grandmother Lois, my Mother, painted & drew all her life as well as training to be a 'commercial artist' & a nurse before she married in NZ in 1943.
These are a few of her paintings (including a portrait of my Father Nigel). She used both oil & watercolour but was particularly drawn to watercolour.


Her Mother Elsie also painted - meticulous sea & landscape watercolours of South Africa, Western Australia & NZ.
Both of them always made their own greetings cards.
There are other artistic genes too.


My sister Judith, also an excellent watercolourist has a degree in furniture design & making.

Our Father, Nigel, woodturned in all his spare time, producing plates, bowls & trinket boxes from NZ native timbers.


On the other side of the family, Jim's brother Max went to Rochester Art School & was always 'making things'.
With his wife Valerie he made a model mole village with moving parts - this was a tourist attraction in a place called Molehill in Tasmania.



Their father James, a London policeman, often drew - detailed copies of Victorian engravings & would spend weeks on one drawing.

Intriguing - how much nature & how much nurture? Some of each? ...