Merthyr Ruxton paints from her studio in the rolling hills of the Tawharanui Peninsula, ten minutes from Matakana, New Zealand. It is big sky country with views out over Omaha to the north and Kawau to the east and the nights skies are astounding thanks to a lack of street lights and neighbouring houses.

These distant horizons with cathedrals of clouds over head provide brain space for painting. The native bush which is protected on the peninsula provides habitat for the kiwi, takahe, shining cuckoo and other native birds found there. Kiwi are at capacity in the regional park at the end of the peninsula. This is the result of many years of hard work and good planning.

“Puke”.

This work was shortlisted for the National Contemporary Art award in 2025 at Te Ware Taonga o Waikato in Hamilton. It is framed in a vintage Montparnasse frame sourced from the marché aux puces in Clignancourt, Paris some years ago.