Ocean People – Painting

Nō Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toarangatira, me Kāi Tahu a Taryn. She specialises in tāmoko, digital art, contemporary Māori painting, spoken word poetry and performance art. Her journey as a professional artist started in 2008 when she moved to Gisborne to study at Toihoukura Māori Art School after which she began an intense one-on-one tāmoko apprenticeship in Te Tairāwhiti with tohunga Mark Kopua. Over three years she learned tikanga, patterns and designs associated with Tāmoko. In 2011, Taryn studied Mātauranga Māori at Te Wānanga o Raukawa and in 2012 she set out to develop her art practice as a full-time professional artist. Prior to 2008, her background was in Māori fashion and adornment and graphic design, branding, marketing and business management.