My grandfather Paul was an artist. I began painting in his studio with some of his oil colours, many of which were home-made – by grinding raw materials and mixing with linseed oil. However, most of my early work was in watercolours, learnt by experimenting and reading books. No art school for me, although I did attend a night class run by Colin McCahon while at Auckland University. I still have the painting I did then in 1958 of Albert Park pine trees. Much later in Whitianga l attended Paula McNeill’s classes; from both, I learned important elements of composition.

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