Two Girls Together in Welly (2017)

The story behind the painting
Two Girls Together in Welly (2017)
This is Merilyn, my partner’s amazing aunt. A vibrant, energetic 86 year old, the twinkle in her eye and easy bursts of laughter inspired and delighted me from our first meeting. A passionate supporter of the Arts, Merilyn has been enthusiastically cheering me on from the sidelines ever since I arrived in New Zealand, and I’ve been introduced to the work of many established NZ artists through her book collection. When this exhibition idea started to unfold, Merilyn was the first person I wanted to paint, and after a little hesitation she allowed me to capture the way I see her youthful spirit and joie de vivre. I consider Merilyn a friend and confidant, and we had a wonderful weekend at her flat in Wellington when she sat for my drawings and photos. We share a love of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and through the sittings Merilyn was humming along to ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ – she’d have broken into song if I hadn’t needed her to sit so still!