My mother, a woman who dares being herself, an artist.

My mother was Elwyn Davidson. When she married, in 1946, it was the norm to stay home and raise a family. Through her 70 years of marriage, she developed skills in many crafts and created lovely flower gardens. She became an accomplished dressmaker, embroiderer, flower arranger, cake decorator and even did some millinery and painting too. Most of these skills were learned at the night-school classes that were taught for so many years, at a nominal cost and were such a wonderful experience for many, many people.
Through all these crafts, her love of flowers and skill in re-creating them, was enjoyed by all.

Kate is my big sister. She is the only person in the world who knows what it’s like to lose our brother Ben. Kate is the eldest. Ben was second and I’m the youngest. Kate was fiercely protective of Ben and even though she appears conservative, don’t be fooled. They were studying at a library after school one time. Some bullies were waiting outside wanting to pick a fight with Ben. He told Kate to stay inside while he goes out to try and talk his way around things. Ben was surrounded by this group when Kate durst through the group swearing and warning them to back away from him. (Think Bjork attacking the journalist that time to protect her child, sort of like that!) Kate never swore or had a hair out of place actually, but she loved Ben and would do anything for him. She is my super hero.

Margaret was her birth name, but my paternal grandmother was known by her middle name, Odette.
As the eldest grandchild, I was asked at an early age to pronounce “grandma”, but couldn’t quite articulate the sound, referring to her as “Ganga”. For better or worse, this was the title she was given as the grandmother of 22 grandchildren who followed.
Growing up, I spent most of my time with my grandmother. We had a special bond and I adored her. She was always perfectly dressed with hair and makeup done, never one to wear her pajamas around the house. Her meals were always quite simple, but so delicious. She liked to use doilies at the dinner table.
Odette loved the silver screen and we’d watch movie matinees together for hours most weekends. The only beverage she drank was champagne, which she enjoyed very much, describing it as the best medicine and the reason she recovered so well when she was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. A wicked sense of humour and always able to make those around her laugh. People she knew found her words of wisdom comforting and she was always such a good listener.
Beautiful inside and out, she will always be remembered by her loving family and it seems my cousin’s daughter, named after Odette, has the same ability to make people laugh.

I embroidered P.B. because it’s about two women in my family; Petrina Baker, my Mum and Poppy Baker, my little sister. It’s really special to me because it taught me how to sew which I love it so much I want to do it every day for the rest of my life. It’s also special because Nell is my favourite artist and it’s so cool how she can skateboard.

Kay is my gorgeous Mum. She’s a classic behind-the-scenes type of woman. Pragmatic and funny, she has always been the quiet achiever of our family who loves everyone equally and unconditionally. She has taught me that it's easy to shine with confidence when you have someone so firmly in your camp and I can only hope that my kids feel the same one day. She really is very special.

My sweet baby girl. She is pure joy. She came into the world backwards with strength and determination. She's learning everyday and I love that I get to teach her how to be loving and kind and fierce and wild.

Lyn is my mum and she is wonderful. She is kind and giving and loving, always. She's taught me patience, compassion and not to care what others think. Since having my own babies I value my mum so much more. Sometimes I look at my hands and they're just like hers. I have my mothers' hands. I love her so much.

Watching the series Girls I learned who Lena Dunham is, and following her career led me to a feminist awakening. I have been introduced to so many current feminist writers, podcasters and thinkers. All thanks to Lena Dunham.

She said to me ,you pronounce it ‘she’ ‘sun’, and straight away I could see her radiance. Mindful, loving and caring even when she needed to be cared for the most. Her paper cranes still float with me.

Dorne Jensen was my mother-in-law who passed away 9 years ago. She was a wonderful person who was strongly independent. An intelligent woman, Dorne cared deeply about helping others. She was a great cook but an even better gardener. She knew the proper names of all the plants in her beautiful garden. She was a loving Mum and grandmother and she is sadly missed by her family.

Catherine was a dear friend who lived and died with consummate grace. She was a stunning, articulate, sharp and creative soul, a loved mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. She is a her(O)ine x

Guilielma Constance Sargood - ‘Billie’ 1896 – 1983

Billie was my mother-in-law. At first glance, you would see a woman diminutive in stature that belied her strength of character, her energy, and her adventurous spirit.

Billie was an amazing hostess. Multi-tasking with a glass of whiskey in one hand, a cigarette in the other, while stirring a pot, she entertained generously and often. In an era when women weren’t expected to earn a living, she was a very talented artist and embroiderer.

Billie loved speed, cars, aeroplanes and horse-racing as well as being a fine shot for shooting rabbits in her garden. She was very competitive and played golf on a low handicap.

Aunty was Vera’s older sister Her name was Sianada-Aida, everyone called her ‘Aunty’ . She was a milliner before my mother. She left Estonia with her mother, Elizabeth (my grandmother) to seek a new life in Australia and escape the Russian invasion of their homeland, Estonia. My mother, Vera and their younger brother, Boris remained in Tallinn, in a Sanitorium until Aunty (in Australia) saved enough money to pay for their passage to follow to Australia. I owe my presence here to Aunty’s hardwork in the millinery trade. She was the creative one. Way ahead in her ideas on fashion, which we saw replicated years later in all the leading fashion magazines.
The two sisters remained very close throughout their lives. Aunty also played a very big part in my life and development. I think of them often.

My mother, Vera was (like most mothers) a pivotal person in my life. The standards she set and her attitudes have moulded me into the person I have become. She was a very gentle person. She believed in self-control, honesty, trust and faith in one’s own ability. She was very tidy,( unlike me). She was a milliner and her stitching was very neat. As a child when I went out (up to the age of about 10) I wore a hat and gloves. She made matching hats to my outfits. She helped me a lot when my three children were small. I never heard her raise her voice and she never became angry with me. Although we did not speak much about deep meaningful things I still felt close to her. Like most people, I miss my mum.

Rokiah ( pronounced Ro Kee a) was a Colombo Plan occupational therapy student from what was named Malaya before the name change in the 1960’s. We joined the mid year 1962 class of the 3 year State Examination course. She was a wonderful person, never coming back to NZ despite my requests, but I was able to stay with her many times in Malaysia. She won a number of awards for her dedicated work with psychiatric patients over many years, at the Hospital Bahagia in Perak State. Unfortunately she developed lung cancer despite the fact she never smoked, and passed away at the end of 2008. She is the female friend I feel was extra special and is very sadly missed.

In honour of my mother Emily Vivien Scarlett, always known as Vivien, who was adventurous, cheeky, clever, loving, thoughtful and encouraging. I enjoyed thinking about her throughout the stitching of this piece, her name stitched in her handwriting. I completed her name on what would have been her 90th birthday. Mum loved to do embroidery and bobbin lace and she would have been appalled at my messy stitching but pleased that stitching has become part of my art practice. A women’s rights activist, Vivien took her three daughters on feminist marches in the early 1970’s. Born in Scotland in 1930 she married my father, an Australian in 1961 and moved to Australia. After they divorced, she was left to bring us up on her own which she managed extremely well. In 1990, aged 60, she moved back to Scotland and married an old sweetheart where she lived happily until she died in 2016. I still miss her immensely.

Dorothy Mavis was my Grandma. She was a mother of five. Widowed, she brought up my Mum, her youngest on her own. She worked as a machinist. She sewed, crocheted and knitted. She had a tough life, but all I ever knew from her was absolute love and kindness.

Frances Hodgkin - what a woman! Brave and determined to be an artist despite not being recognised for decades. To quote her: “I feel that if I had known what was before me, I should never have had the courage to begin”. The rose is from one of Hodgkins’ fabric designs, 1925.

Megan Patricia Christie (1954-2020) was my mum. She was the first female Equine Vet in WA. She was also an artist, furniture maker and farmer and taught my sister and I to be confident in our abilities, solve problems, be resilient and practical. She is buried on the farm and will be forever connected to the land she loved, lived and worked with my dad.

This is the signature of my oldest and dearest friend Jo, who is no longer able to write her name having succumbed to early onset Alzheimer’s over five years ago. I found Jo’s signature on a postage box from a gift she’d sent for a birthday many years ago. She always found beautiful presents to give me. Jo was brilliant, brave, generous, loving, creative and always kind. I miss her immensely

Beryl Burton was my Mum who passed away 18 years ago but who is joyfully remembered by everyone who knew her. She loved to look after others. Her cooking and baking was amazing and it was loved by all, as she herself was. She was sporty and happy and encouraging and I miss her everyday.

My Mum Moira was born in Cheshire, England and immigrated to New Zealand when she was 12 years old. Moira had a brilliant mind and a strong work ethic and pursued a career in dietetics, eventually becoming the head dietician at a large hospital. She raised three children and was a loving and supportive parent. Moira was a courageous and generous soul who contributed to an understanding of early-onset Parkinson’s Disease, a condition which she lived with for over 25 years. Missed every day.

Ruth was my paternal Grandmother and a fiercely independent woman. She was interested in antiques and she had collected over 60 biscuit barrels in her lifetime. She loved the theatre and acted and directed for amateur shows in Invercargill. She also quilted, embroidered, knitted and hand dyed wool. I have inherited her love of theatre and her button collection.