Philippa Bentley

New Zealand artist Philippa Bentley is based in Auckland. Limited edition prints are a core part of her artistic practice. Bentley's artwork is usually inspired by nature but often with a twist. She says "I grew up playing in the bush at the bottom of our sprawling garden and in the creek. Apparently it was where my parents could always find me, any weather, any time of day! Nature and insects have always had a fascination for me. I also love visiting natural history collections and marvelling at the dinosaur fossils, giant bird eggs and beautiful, colourful exotic butterfly collections, one hundred year old plant specimens and more. I believe our natural history collections are as much about our social history and the context of the time they were collected in, as they are about the natural flora and fauna preserved. My artwork reflects this duality. My works can be simply enjoyed aesthetically yet they function on different levels, with both personal and social meaning. I enjoy watching people do a double take and peer into the works when they realise there is something more in there. I aim to build up layer on layer and often include an image within an image."