I feel so privileged to be working with these natural pigments of the earth. It feels right and the more I paint with these ochres the more I want to work with them. The colours are so rich and deep, vibrant and alive. And when I am painting it naturally gets all over my hands…

I painted this rock today – its about two metres long, bigger than what I normally paint! It has many koru for all the stories that were shared in the workshop today. I had 14 women and one man – a perfect balance lol (I’m serious about this – it only took one man to balance all that female energy!) but all meant to be really, a place that honours the feminine, sacred…
And painting in this way reminds me of our most ancient art form – markings that our ancestors left for us, telling their stories that they may be seen and heard and felt by future generations.
This land is indeed special…healing and renewing…
Hei āpōpō – until tomorrow,
Arohanui,
Jo x