My diverse series of paintings was developed alongside my high school years at Auckland Grammar School. Under the A-Levels Cambridge curriculum, I explored themes of the passing of time, perfectionism and the self. Landscape painter Justin Boroughs and Sarah Bluett guided me through this journey of discovery. Initially adapting hyper-realism to graphite, charcoal and then acrylic paint, I began to explore a type of representation that was embraced in post-modernism. The deconstruction of realism as a skill and the emphasis on abstract symbolism and meaning as an art form. Between seriousness and playfulness, I experimented with many different types of subject matter across a range of media, which ultimately contributed to my transition to sculpture after my tenure at Auckland Grammar School.