How did the two of you meet?
Tracy: Ruth had enrolled in a Te Reo class that I was in, and we just got talking. She said that she was an artist, and I was like, ‘so am I!’. Many years later, she asked if I wanted to do a mural with her. I found out that Ruth went through her phone to see who she could work with, but she had lost all her phone numbers and the only one left was mine. It was meant to be! We’ve now done four and a half murals together.
Ruth: The first mural we did together was pretty amazing. It was at Linden School and there were lots of interruptions and road works from when Transmission Gully was in progress. They wanted to make the boundary wall look less industrial, so they asked us to make the area brighter.
Tracy: We’ve done more murals for a couple of schools and other projects, and now we’re here.
Tell us about your careers – how did you get started in the creative industry?
Ruth: I moved to Porirua in 2008 and randomly, someone came to visit my husband who is also an artist. They saw my work and asked if I wanted to take part in a big mural project happening at the Porirua railway station. I said ‘why not’ – it turned into something I really enjoy.
Tracy: Initially I wanted to become an artist but due to family circumstances, my life took a different turn until recent years when I returned to art. My two passions have always been horses and art. In a former career I used to be a horse trekking guide in the Tararua Ranges!