A very different hat for mum

Family means a great deal to Michelle Chapman-Cullen, although most of her immediate family have long lived in Australia. But after 22 years she has removed her 'mum hat', and replaced it with that of MiMo Culcha the artist.

Family hasn't entirely been relegated to second place - the 40-year-old who was born in Auckland and describes herself as a patriotic New Zealander who moved to Australia at the age of 14 and returned 13 years later, to give her children a Kiwi upbringing. She has strong family connections at Pukepoto (her great-grandfather was Hone Heke Robson) and Mangamuka, and clearly revels in her role as fulltime mum to one of her three grandchildren.

However, a lifelong passion for painting is now in full bloom.

Now in her third and final year of a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree at NorthTec's Kerikeri campus, she will open her first solo exhibition at Te Ahu in Kaitaia on Saturday afternoon.

Michelle, who now lives and paints at Victoria Valley, was 10 when the seed was sown, as she lay on the floor at Pukepoto's Te Rarawa Marae and admired the artists who were decorating the ceiling, but she said last week that she could not have dreamed that would be where she was now.

In 2010, when marae DIY arrived at Mangamuka, she was invited to paint two murals. At that time, she said, she was still "just dabbling", but that experience had her wondering if she could take her passion further.

And the last piece of the career path fell into place when she contacted NorthTec.

"They made me so welcome," she said, while four of the "most amazing" tutors - Mark Graver, Richard Parker, Scott McFarlane and Ali Ritchie, all of whom had national and international reputations as artists and judges - finally unleashed her undeniable talent.

"It's all very different from raising five kids, a dog that thinks it's human, chickens and a goat that thinks it's a dog,]] she said.

Also a keen photographer,she specialises in portraits, many of them from photos, but her upcoming exhibition (Muse) wasn't only about showing the world what she had achieved.

"I want to get out there and encourage people not to sit at home and do nothing," she said.

"I was a statistic, a single mum with five kids, but I jumped in and did what I knew I could do. Other people can do that too. I've been a mum for 22 years, but I've taken that hat off now."

'Muse' will open at Te Ahu at 2pm on Saturday, and will remain on display until June 27. It will comprise a number of self-portraits, using acrylics on canvas.

Michelle, who says she paints "because no one listens", says she is exploring emotive portraiture using herself to portray her own emotions from experiences past and present, encompassing her Maori, English and Middle Eastern heritage.