About Sheree

I flourish and expand creatively under a Raven Moon, I love all things creative, empowering, magical and compassionate. I love being inspired to create the best life, and it has become my destiny to craft morning noon and night. Im a mother, lover, magic maker, gardener, artist, cook, community builder and a thinker.

I live in Pukenui in the Far North and have chosen an isolated farm life to spend my days creating the many things that flow through my mind.

I studied fabric design and screenprinting before moving into costume design but decided that the city life was not for me and so came home to the country where life was a lot calmer and healthier.

I have flowed through many different art mediums, loving them all so much I cant decide which one to sit still with, so after years of battling myself, I decided to choose them all.  The way I create is in runs or energy bursts.  When something comes to me I create till the energy or desire has gone, this can be days, weeks or months. I have moved through screen printing, water colours, painting florals, landscape, natives, spirituality, made teepees, charcoal, repurposed book exhibition, watercolour exhibition, photography, building, sculpture, clay, toys, sewing, embroidery  just everything really, there is soo much to do, I love it all

In 2003 I travelled overseas to explore art, life and gardening in other countries.  I returned home and opened an Art Gallery at Houhora Heads and spent the next few years painting.  We were then blessed with a daughter and I started making Fairy Furniture as a way to surprise her about the possibility of garden fairies.  My work was seen on my website, sought overseas and from there it has grown. 

I create scenes sometimes idea first and other time materials first.  If I find something like a seedpod on a collection walk it can spark a whole idea, and is so inspiring to create.  I continue to make these displays because of what they bring to children.  Life has become so plastic, I would love for children to remember the simple and free gifts that nature gives.  Huts, exploring, dams, building, gathering, roleplay, accidents, cuts and scrapes.  We must remember how important this was for us, we must remind our kids now.

As well as my furniture I sell clothing and leather jewelry online in my felt.co.nz store. I am so passionate about community and restoring the type of connections our ancestors understood, so I created the ‘Raio Hall Market Day’ which is a bi-monthly market in my village and proves to be something people love but also never knew they were missing till now.  It’s a great experience for me giving my time to something so rewarding.

So what is the big dream that I have been working towards this whole time? Childrens book Writing and Illustrating.  At school Writing and Journalism seemed to be the only thing I was good at and now at 35 I have come full circle.  I create stories for my daughter which are based in our area, I have four I am Illustrating right now with the first ‘Rarawa River Fairies’ being released this Summer.  All the stories are based in real places, have factual elements with magical twists, great lessons and knowledge of our nature at the end.  I am so proud of these stories and all the work that has brought me to where I am right now. 

Ohh and did I mention I live with Agoraphobia, well that’s a small but very major part of my story which keeps me focused on the wonderful small things in life, like pods and twigs and moss.  If I was still living the large life from my past I might not be able to see these small wonders.  So as hard as life is right now, I know its not forever and Im learning all I can about being small and still while Im here, in this different space. xxx

"The furniture I make resets something in people about the way they see nature, suddenly they see with new eyes, everything that was just a piece of fallen flora or fauna now has the possibility to become something magical.  I love to bring this work to the public in such an openminded artistic setting.  For me Nature is something that we need to re learn, we blindly walk by all too often and by viewing the beauty of this tiny furniture, it reignites that passion for a new sight for sure"