I was twelve years old when my parents recognised my artistic gifting. My father had been awarded an Art scholarship during the 1930's and my grandmother at the age of eleven was chosen for Art tuition by the renowned New Zealand portrait painter C.F.Goldie, but sadly she was unable to take up his offer due to family commitments. I can remember on a cold winters evening sitting alongside the family fire drawing a dog from an old story book of mine when I looked up to see my fathers face smiling down at me. He looked across at my mother and said "this one has the gifting too."