One day . . .

In explanation, I'm reading "Zoli" by Colum McCain - a gift from the Irish artist I interviewed recently

It struck chords - m' Da, as far as I know, had Rom blood and I was proud of being a gypsy as a child, them I roamed further afield

not so welcomed

BUT, it's a book about poetry, and life, and where life takes you

enough introduction - I wrote a poem (it's my first since age 16 so forgive me if it's not good)

The Next Time

The next time I come home
I will be a conquistador
aka a tourist

I will explain my homeland
my tangata whenua
as if I were selling wine

because I am

I will weave stories
enthrall with our creation myth

knowing that I will leave

The next time I return home . . .

Diamond Harbor, Rapaki, the Lyttleton ferry
My surrogate father,my unfulfilled  mother

'The next time I return home  . . .

Adventures of an Artist . . .

This is only a snapshot I took to remind me of Cunningham's work while I was writing, but is stunning and a piece I would love to own.

It's strange how you can meet someone socially, spend time with them and their family and yet not suspect some of the most important parts of who they are . . .

It was like that with Niamh Cunningham at first. The wife of a fellow journalist, I first met her when we went on a group trip to the Great Wall and a ski resort not far from Beijing. I knew she was Irish, as is her husband (though she and their son have stronger brogues), learned she was an avid swimmer and liked her instantly. But we never had any in-depth conversations.

Then, a month or so back, one of my editors asked me if I could do a profile on her and her art - I hadn't even known she was an artist. I set up the interview, arrived at her home, and was blown away by her talent, her drive and her prolific and diverse body of work.

The resulting article is here . . .