Andrew James is a self-taught sketchbook artists who has filled many books over the past decade- "recording daily life and see what nonsense pops out the end of a pen." He has been obsessively recording his daily life in little books for close to a decade. He wants to share the kind of magic that this can bring into your life. Andrew has also run workshops for Watercolour NZ and Wellington Art Club.

To learn more about Andrew James, please visit his website.

photo credit: Sarah Booher

Cathrine Lloyd is a seasoned embroider. She holds an MA, Certificate in Adult Teaching, and City and Guilds Certificate in Surface Embroidery. Cathrine has undertaken courses at the Royal School of Needlework, the Pascal Jouen School of Embroider in Brittany, and the L'Ecole de Lesage in Paris. Her work was recently exhibited in the Dream Gardens exhibition at the ARatoi Museum and Art Gallery. "My embroidery journey has been diverse, but there is no doubt I am drawn particularly to embroidery that shines somewhere in the design."

Clare Smith is a Textile artist and costume maker who specializes in surface design (dyeing and printing on fabric). She has a Teaching Diploma, a Graduate Diploma in Visual Arts from Whitireia Art School, and a Diploma in Costume Construction from Toi Whakaari. (the New Zealand Drama school). Between 2018-2022, Clare studied Raranga (Maori Weaving) at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

She has been teaching fabric dyeing, screen printing, fabric collage, and machine quilting since 1996, and is currently teaching a block course in costume dyeing and finishing at the New Zealand Drama School. Clare exhibits her quilts and wall hangings internationally. Over the last 3 years, she has also been weaving kete (basket weaving).

"Art has sustained me, and I try to be true to its essence. In teaching, learning is kept alive. Every person one connects with creates the spark of sharing light."

Geetika holds an MVA (Master of Visual Arts)- Printmaking, a Postgraduate diploma in Film & Video Communication, and a BFA in Painting. Her teaching experience includes 2 years as an Associate Professor at a Fine Art & Design College in India, as well as a visiting faculty member of the National Institute of Design in India.

Geetika's artistic achievements include:

• Northern Region, India, Camlin Art Contest winner;
• Recipient of various Art Residencies in India;
• Exhibited artwork in various Art galleries in India and Korea;
• Group exhibition with Ngate Poneke Art group at Pipetea Marai, 2025.
• Films shown in various film festivals, including the Mumbai International Film Festival, the Scotland Documentary Film Festival, the Mountain Film Festival, Nepal, etc.
• Received the National Junior Art fellowship from the Government of India in 2014.

I have been working in glass for the simple pleasure of it for over 15 years. It’s a total change from office work and doesn’t involve sweat, mud, and lycra. If the outcome is something beautiful, perhaps it will be enjoyed for decades. If not, much of it can be recycled.

ude Gordon has a strong foundation in both education and the arts, with a Diploma of Education (Secondary School), Diploma of Design, BA (English/Psychology), and a Post Graduate Degree in Media Studies.

Jude comes to KACC with 40 years of teaching experience, including being Head of the Art Department at Manurewa High School. She has studied with and worked with numerous printmaking experts in New Zealand and internationally. She is currently an executive member of the New Zealand Print Council.

When asked about her creative journey, Jude responded, "I am driven to create work; it is part of who I am. I am presently working on a submission for the Print Council exhibition to be held in Ashburton. I am also working on prints for an Exhibition at Zealander in December."

Jude's most recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition in 2021, ‘Overture for Future Summers’, and a collaboration with Auckland printmakers in 2024, ‘Water Fall’. She has also published work in the Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand selected exhibition in the Catalogue 2023 ‘Proof.’

Julie is passionate about art and really enjoys sharing some of the fun techniques she has discovered with others. Julie has taught children's art classes at KACC for 11 years as well as a number of printmaking classes for adults at KACC, particularly linocut and monoprinting. Her passion for art led to many years of adult further education in watercolour painting, ceramics, portrait and figure painting, life drawing and printmaking. She now brings the tips and techniques she has learnt along the way as well as her own creative flair to the classes.

Kreisheia studied Fashion Design at Massey University. She has also taken part in watercolour painting classes at Inverlochy Art School. Her creative drive comes from sustainable/ethical practices and drapery. She is passionate about self-expression, being bold in style but not conforming to other’s expectations of us, as represented in her final year collection, ‘conform to non-conformity’.

When I’d come home from school I’d grab a snack to eat and then settle in to draw. Now my favourite job is to welcome kids in the door and start doing the same thing.
With a background in theatre and film I am now an art teacher of primary school-aged kids, adults and the retired. I studied design and fine art at Inverlochy Art School, Massey and Victoria before graduating with a Bachelor of Design, majoring in illustration. I teach classes at Inverlochy Art School, Malvina Major Retirement Village and privately.

Stella Carruthers brings a rich and wonderfully unconventional creative journey to her role as a tutor at KACC. Purely self-taught in embroidery, Stella has developed a distinctively personal style through the creative use of textile waste materials and imaginative application of traditional stitch techniques, the result of deliberately bucking established boundaries after being told she was "too creative" in high school art class.

Stella holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Victoria University of Wellington and a Master of Writing from Canterbury University, which she completed with Distinction. Her thesis explored craft as a tool for community change, a philosophy that runs through everything she teaches. An experienced community tutor, Stella has taught embroidery, upcycling, mending, and sustainable living workshops at venues across Wellington including Wellington High School Community Education Centre, Inverlochy Art School, and the Handmade Festival of Making.

For Stella, teaching is as much about learning as it is about sharing. She loves empowering her students to think differently about creativity and the materials they work with. She believes that textile art should not cost the earth, either for the planet or the pocket.