I’m thrilled to share that our second Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary cookbook, The Flavour of Freedom, is finally finished and available.

It’s been five years since our last cookbook, and having some time away from my usual film work has meant I could really focus on bigger volunteer projects like this one. As many of you know, I do the graphic design for the Animal Protection Society, the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary, and our Opportunity for Animals op shops — all volunteer work that I care deeply about — and this book has been a real labour of love.

A huge amount of credit also goes to our editor, Catherine Amey, whose incredible work shaped this project from start to finish.

The book brings together over 100 vegan recipes — many allergy-friendly — created by supporters, volunteers, and friends of the sanctuary. It’s not just a fundraiser, but a celebration of community, care, and the shared commitment to animal liberation and building a kinder world.

Tom and I are thrilled to share our 11th Freak Menagerie calendar. Creating it together is always an adventure — from spontaneous roadside stops to some truly memorable moments, including a gorgeous trip to Queenstown this year. These journeys are a big part of what makes the project so special to us and bringing the characters to life always fills us with joy.

We hope this edition brings a bit of that spark into people’s homes.
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Check out the store on my website for more details. 

Thanks to Tommy for his help scraping off all the old wallpaper. Yuck!

Kristof adding the tricky hidden detail of a sunken mirror on the inside of the cabinet door. 

Learning how to tile was a fun! I enjoyed cutting all the angles of the tiles and wooden beading. 

I recently spent nine months working on the Hobbiton Movie Set’s “Beyond the Door” interior build at Bagshot Row in Matamata. It was extraordinary to watch a simple hillock transform into two fully interconnected Hobbit Holes, built to be lived-in, explored, and enjoyed by visitors.
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Together with Ra Vincent, Kathryn Lim, and the rest of the team, we developed the back-stories for the Hobbit families who would “inhabit” these homes — their hobbies, their work, the objects they treasured. From there, we designed many of the set-dressing pieces that would bring those stories to life, working closely with craftspeople and artisans to turn sketches and ideas into real items that felt handmade, homely, and distinctly Hobbit.

Kathryn, Catherine and Juliette creating sweet ceramics for the Hobbit Holes. 

A very sketchy drawing for a rolling-pin holder

For the first six months, we worked in Wellington, mapping out the floorplans on the studio floor and dressing imaginary rooms without any walls at all. It was a wonderfully strange and imaginative process — building a world by feel and intuition long before the physical spaces existed.

Some of the pieces I loved creating most were the portraits, especially working alongside Alan Lee’s beautiful work. I also really enjoyed honing my calligraphy skills—crafting all the apothecary labels and even the bits of mail scattered around the set.​

One of the little portraits I did for the family tree on the wall

Some of the mail with calligraphy I created for the sets

You can watch Time Bandits on Apple TV

For about nine months over 2022-23 I worked as the Assistant Set Decorator (to Kathryn Lim) on the Time Bandits TV series. My role involved a lot of research into the set dressing details of the places the bandits visited across the globe and throughout the ages — looking at lighting, furniture, wall coverings, and all the little details that make each era feel authentic. It was fascinating and I learned so much.

As I am making this post quite some time after the release of the series, I can safely say (without breaching my contract), that while I had a hand in most of the sets, the one I feel I contributed to the most was the Goth House. Set in Bingley in 1991 in a squatted Victorian mansion, it was full of worn carpets, peeling wallpaper, old furniture, and DIY band posters. We even photographed crew members in costume to populate the walls — it was a lot of fun bringing that space to life.

The show is based on Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film Time Bandits, directed by Gilliam, and the TV adaptation was co-created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Iain Morris.
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Working on this project was fast-paced and challenging, but incredibly rewarding — seeing all the sets come together was a real thrill.

Sadly, my lovely art studio on Wellington's South Coast at Nautilus will be coming to an end soon. Progress will see this and the neighbouring property land banked for future developments. 

I finally finished this hand painted sandwich board for the POD gallery at Nautilus, which seemed a bit pointless at this late stage of the game, but I couldn't leave it un-done!

sI was very proud to be able to take my Mum and Dad along to the Official Premier of the Cousins film in Rotorua. Especially my poor dad who has been very unwell over the last year. It was great to catch up with all the cast and crew again and watch the final product of our labour together. 

I feel so incrediably honoured to have the opportunity to do the Production Design on this important film. Thank you to the Directors, Ainsley Gardener and Briar Grace-Smith, for entrusting me with your vision for this piece.

All the cast and crew did such a brilliant job. Tino pai!

​See more about the film at NZ ON Screen

​Check the film out at the cinema while you can!

In late 2018 / early 2019 I did the Production design for the feature film REUNION. This film is now about to be released in cinemas on November the 5th 2020. The location we utilised for the film was Balgownie house and, though the film was set in present day, we redeorated the house to resemble more closely it's former years. It was a stunning historical place to work within and I feel proud to have contributed to a moment in time upon it's walls.

Check out the trailer and watch the full release at a theatre near you or online when possible.

So happy to finally be set up in my new studio at the Nautilus Creative Space in Ōwhiro Bay.

Though it was a heart wrenching mission discarding heaps of my old props and set dressing items from my storage locker in Newtown, its been great to shed some weight out of my life and make way for new possibilities. 

It's cool to be part of a multi disciplined artistic collective and I look forward to the creative collaborations ahead. 

If anyone needs any old books, lamps or curtains for an upcoming production give me a bell!