Playful art inspired by childhood

SPIRIT ANIMALS: Foxes are a recurring motif in Sunshine Herbert's whimsical watercolours.

A cozy, country home next to a bird sanctuary in rural New Zealand sounds like the last place you'd expect to see a blue-haired, city-bred artist.

But for Sunshine Herbert, Wairarapa was the perfect place to make a start on her first book.

Herbert, from Melbourne, is one of the artists in residence at New Pacific Studio at Mount Bruce, working on a collection of illustrations.

Her paintings, images of young women in colourful, dream-like settings, will be included in a collection of her poetry about transformative life experiences.

Herbert works as a designer and book illustrator, but was inspired to create more of her own art after a difficult relationship break-up -- which led her to pursue the artist's residency in Wairarapa.

"After my relationship ended, I felt I had to do things on my own, and seriously get creative again," she said.

"I was looking for a place where I could get away and focus on my work -- and New Pacific Studio sounded perfect."

On meeting Herbert, 26, her creative spirit is obvious -- from her blue hair, to the cats' ears on her headband and to her first name, a gift from her "hippy" parents.

"With that name, I had to end up doing something creative," she said. "It would suck if I'd become a lawyer."

She has painted since the age of 8, having inherited a box of oil paints from her grandmother.

She trained and worked as a graphic designer -- but found it a hostile working environment, so left to work in retail.

She eventually began work as a freelance designer but, following the split from her partner in October, began to focus on her own projects, using art as an outlet.

"I didn't know who I could talk to, or how to vocalise how I was feeling.

"I realised there was so much more emotion I was yet to tap into in my work.

"It was quite confronting."

Herbert said most of her work comes from a place of sadness -- representing situations like unrequited love, lost confidence, or facing uncertainty.

But, far from being melancholy, her watercolour illustrations have a whimsical and playful quality, often set cheerful woodland surroundings. Common motifs include girls with bright hair and wide eyes, animals such as rabbits, badgers and foxes (her "spirit animal"), fantastical creatures, ukuleles and rainbows.

"I'm painting about negative emotions, but making them more childlike and innocent.

"When you're a child, life is easier and makes sense -- the adult world is so confusing.

"So I guess I'm dealing with things by going back to childhood."

In her book, she said the meaning behind the illustrations will be "hinted at".

"A lot of people have no idea what inspired it, so I thought I'd put myself out there a bit.

"It'll be like a dictionary of Sunshine -- but one that doesn't give everything away."