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 north to Omaha and east to Kawau Island.

These distant horizons and the huge skies over head provide brain space for painting. When you look up at the sky there is a change in the brain - the neural networks responsible for ego and internal chatter temporarily shut down and you start to see the world in all its splendour. 

Puke (Poo-keh) Hill in Maori.‍ ‍

This work was shortlisted for the National Contemporary Art award in 2025 at Te Ware Taonga o Waikato in Hamilton. This is a magical space and I am always pleased to be part of this award.

The work is framed in a vintage Montparnasse frame sourced some years ago from the St Ouen marché aux puces in Clignancourt, Paris.