PORTFOLIO

CHINESE ZODIAC
Mel’s watercolour collection inspired by the Chinese Zodiac is a delicate exploration of symbolism, personality, and myth. Each piece interprets a zodiac sign through her own lens — blending traditional references with contemporary expression. Soft washes, layered detail, and intuitive mark-making bring the animals to life, capturing both their cultural significance and their emotional essence. The collection honours the cyclical nature of time, identity, and transformation, inviting viewers to see themselves reflected in the stories of the zodiac.

JEWELLERY
Mel’s jewellery is a bold extension of her assemblage practice, transforming upcycled materials into wearable art. Each piece is one of a kind — playful, nostalgic, and often layered with meaning. From Barbie hand earrings to a bead-formed lung brooch that reads “just breathe,” her designs balance whimsy with intention, turning discarded objects into small but powerful statements.

RETRO

Retro is Mel’s nostalgic nod to Whanganui Vintage Weekend — a collection that celebrates memory, music, and moments gone by. Drawing on the spirit of the weekend, she created a range of works steeped in familiarity and sentiment. The collection plays with time — blending personal and collective memory — inviting viewers to reconnect with the warmth, romance, and grit of the past.

MURALS

Mel’s mural journey began at home — first with a bedroom wall brought to life by a bold flamingo framed in lush foliage, then another transformed into a serene native scene featuring a tūī nestled among kōwhai. What started as personal expression quickly grew into a passion for large-scale storytelling. Today, Mel paints murals both indoors and outdoors — from bedrooms and living spaces to exterior walls and fences. Whether vibrant and statement-making or soft and nature-inspired, her murals are designed to transform everyday spaces into immersive, living artworks.

BESPOKE

Mel’s bespoke pieces are where her imagination runs completely untamed. When inspiration strikes, she follows it — boldly and without compromise. From creating Regi — her playful homage to Sir Elton John as the fairy atop her Christmas tree — to designing a striking David Bowie-inspired room divider, her custom works blur the line between art, installation, and storytelling. She has upcycled an entire suit into a vibrant pop-art statement, and crafted deeply conceptual pieces such as a haunting sewing bust formed from recycled drink cans — its exterior layered with critical phrases often spoken to women, while the interior holds loving, self-affirming truths. Her bespoke creations are fearless, personal, and unapologetically original — each one a world of its own.

BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies is a layered exploration of transformation and the four elements — earth, wind, water, and fire. In this collection, Mel uses National Geographic magazines as the literal foundation of each piece, building her canvas from pages rich with images of the natural world. Butterflies are then painted over the top, yet the underlying magazine pages remain visible through the paint, creating a translucent dialogue between what is seen and what is revealed. The result is a body of work that speaks to fragility and resilience, grounding and movement — reminding us that transformation is always shaped by the elements that hold us.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography has always been Mel’s first love. Her journey began over 30 years ago with her high school art portfolio, and it has remained a central thread throughout her creative life. From intimate still lifes to vibrant scenes of the everyday, Mel captures the world with curiosity, emotion, and precision. Her lens seeks both beauty and story, freezing fleeting moments while revealing the depth and texture beneath the surface. Photography remains the foundation of her practice — a way to observe, interpret, and celebrate the world around her.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN

If Not Now, When is a Banksy-inspired collection that turns urgency and action into visual poetry. At its centre is a rat — a classic symbol of rebellion — holding a paintbrush. The rat is rendered as a crisp stencil, while the phrase “If not now, when” is hand-painted, giving the work a raw, human immediacy. The collection invites reflection and action, combining street-art edge with thoughtful composition. It’s a reminder that change, expression, and courage begin with a single moment — and that moment is now.

KENDYLL'S KRITTERS

Kendyll’s Kritters is a playful and vibrant collection where Mel uses National Geographic magazines as the canvas. She paints a variety of animal heads on top, allowing the underlying images to remain visible through the paint. The layered effect creates a dynamic interplay between the painted creatures and the natural world beneath, blending imagination with realism. Each piece bursts with personality, curiosity, and a sense of wonder, celebrating the diversity and charm of the animal kingdom.

GEORGIA'S GARDEN

Georgia’s Garden is a lush, vibrant collection inspired by the works of Georgia O’Keeffe. Mel explores flowers in all their forms — bold, delicate, abstract, and intimate — using watercolours, paint-over-collage, and layered techniques. Each piece celebrates colour, shape, and the life of the natural world, inviting viewers into a garden that is at once familiar and reimagined. The collection captures the beauty, intensity, and emotional resonance of flora, honouring O’Keeffe’s influence while expressing Mel’s own unique vision.

EXPLOSIVE EMPATHY

Explosive Empathy is a bold, LGBTTQIA+–inspired collection that confronts the intensity of public perception versus the resilience of the rainbow community. Using the motif of rainbow grenades, Mel explores the tension between attack and endurance, prejudice and pride. The collection takes many forms — from painted canvases to three-dimensional grenades encased in glass domes, and fabric silhouettes of grenades — each piece capturing both the explosive energy of hostility and the enduring strength, vibrancy, and solidarity of the community it represents.

MY QUEENS

My Queens is a vibrant, celebratory collection that pays homage to the people and characters who have inspired Mel throughout her life. Using pages, articles, and images from My Ex — New Zealand’s only LGBTQ+ magazine and media — as the canvas, she paints over them portraits of icons both personal and cultural. From Fran-N-Furter of Rocky Horror to Georgia O’Keeffe, Drew Barrymore, and even her high school art teacher, each piece blends collage and paint to honour creativity, courage, and individuality. The collection is a tribute to the queens who shape us, inspire us, and challenge us to embrace our own expression fully.

QUEER

Queer is a vibrant celebration of queer icons, both local and global. From Aotearoa legends like the Topp Twins, Anika Moa, and Shaneel Lal, to international figures like George Michael, the collection honours those who have shaped queer culture and visibility. Each piece features a head-and-shoulders silhouette stencil of the icon, layered over backgrounds ranging from vintage plates and platters to collaged My Ex magazine pages. Some works are amplified with bold statements like “Born This Way,” adding voice and affirmation to the tribute. The collection blends portraiture, assemblage, and text to create dynamic, celebratory works that champion queer identity, pride, and influence.

FAT IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD

Fat Is Not a Four Letter Word is a powerful, body-positive collection that challenges stigma and reclaims language. Mel explores the idea that “fat” is a descriptor, not a judgment — it is what someone has, not who they are. Through bold imagery and thoughtful composition, the collection invites reflection, conversation, and celebration of bodies in all their forms, turning a word often used as a slur into a statement of dignity, acceptance, and self-respect.

HANDLE WITH CARE

Handle With Care is a contemplative and tender collection that reflects on the fragility and fleeting nature of life. Each piece carries a sense of urgency and mindfulness, reminding us that there will never be a “perfect” time to pursue our dreams — the moment to act is always now. Through layered materials, thoughtful text, and delicate compositions, Mel explores themes of vulnerability, resilience, and intention. Some works are soft and introspective; others carry bold statements, yet all share a quiet insistence: life is short, precious, and worth approaching with care. The collection invites viewers to pause, reflect, and embrace both the fragility and the potential of each moment.

KNOW YOUR PLACE

Know Your Place is a sharply feminist collection that examines the roles, expectations, and limitations often imposed on women by society and patriarchal norms. Through her art, Mel exposes the pressure, stereotypes, and subtle constraints placed on women’s thoughts, voices, and spaces. Across the collection, Mel balances critique with creativity, turning familiar sayings and symbols into thought-provoking compositions that question, challenge, and reclaim women’s agency and identity.

PIECES OF

Pieces Of is Mel’s first collection, marking the beginning of her journey into upcycled and assemblage art. Created from baby Cupi dolls and a variety of repurposed materials, each piece transforms discarded objects into something new, playful, and thought-provoking. The collection reflects her early experimentation with form, texture, and narrative, setting the foundation for the inventive, boundary-pushing work that defines her practice today.