Instructions for Life
Mary Oliver
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
These paintings began
with walking.Immersed in the Sacred Wild.
Salt, wind, light and rain.
pōhutukawa, puriri, awa
Always returning
to brush, paper
and water.
Instructions for Life is held in Nicky’s private collection.
These works are not available for sale.
A white background with a faint yellow square and a large, irregularly shaped grayish-white oval with a yellow line around its upper edge.
A watercolor painting of a tree with a yellow sky background, viewed from below, showing branches and leaves in soft, muted tones.
Watercolor painting with pale yellow, blue, and green hues, featuring abstract, elongated shapes and faint lines.
Watercolor painting of five circles and two lines with a watercolor rectangle in the background.
Watercolor painting of a sea turtle with a round shell, surrounded by thin, curved lines resembling seaweed, against a light background with a yellow rectangle.
Watercolor painting of three tree slices with outlines and a small branch, on a light background with a subtle yellow square behind the middle slice.
Watercolor painting of a stack of seven smooth, rounded stones in soft pastel shades, aligned vertically.
Watercolor painting of bare tree with multicolored speckles falling around it on a background that transitions from yellow to blue.
Abstract watercolor painting of various leaves and circles in earthy tones of brown, green, yellow, and blue on white background.
Artist Statement
Instructions for Life Series - 2025
“Tell about it,” Mary Oliver says.
“Paint about it” is what I hear.
Painting in response to place, to whenua.
To the daily rhythm of walking with Asha, my dog.
Walking the coast and Mangemangeroa - native bush track in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Listening to the song of our native birds.
To the sensation and emotion of being immersed in the Sacred Wild.
Coming home to my studio having absorbed salt, wind, sun, earth, light and rain.
Having communed with pōhutukawa, pūriri and awa.
To make sense of the wonder of these everyday encounters, I pick up pencil, paper and paint.
Watercolour especially captures something of these intangible experiences.
