Experience

I was asked the other day by a prospective client what qualifications I have.   The short answer would be ‘Life’.

As I went through the  longer version, about the jobs, courses, pieces of paper, experiences I have gained over the years, to be who I am now, I thought there has to be an easier way to get this across…. this is no ‘5 second elevator speech’.

So here is a semi condensed version:

Definitely an adventurous, creative type growing up in rural and urban NZ.

After leaving school I began with 1-year of Business Studies; 3 years at Wgtn Teachers College;  Art School for 1 year – Photography & Sculpture; many Art & Interior Design workshops and courses; managed an Art Gallery in Auckland; worked for Property Developers in the 80s (& watched in amazement and horror as those cardboard buildings were going up!); many roles in the Film Industry Art Dept; travelled; parented; worked at Architectus as Office Manager; in the Film Industry as Art Director for TV Commercials; Stylist for Photo Shoots;     and then….

I thought I had finally found what I wanted to do when I grew up –   Landscape Design.

So, I completed a Landscape Design course.  This was in the early 2000’s, and have worked on many wonderful projects since.  While I was studying I worked part time at The French Art Shop, where I gained an in-depth knowledge of  art materials, and painting.  And part time at Heritage Tiles – great knowledge of tiles, as you can imagine.  At this time I won 1st prize for a Painting in the Ponsonby Fringe Festival.

Some time after this I worked at Aalto Paints, as a Colour Consultant.  Now this is where I really learned to love and appreciate the complexities of colour and paint.  Around this time I started building up Sienna Design, which is a combination of Garden Design, Interior Design, Colour Consulting, and everything in between.   Lets call it Interior + Exterior Design.  My colour schemes have been awarded Gold in Master Painter of the Year and Bronze in Master Builder of the Year Awards.

Sienna Design has now evolved to be everything I enjoy.  Teaching Art to children for Fine Young Artists, and occasional adults classes for companies or small groups, keeps my passion for painting alive.   I colour consult for Dulux, also assisting with colour advice on their latest website, and have had, and hope to still have, many great clients, both residential and commercial, small and large, inside and out. 

So, as you can see, there really is no simple answer, perhaps my most important qualification is, that I love what I do. 

Fiona

2010