Z.R. Southcombe's Blog

Becoming a Documentarian

Over on Substack I’ve discovered a few gems, including Helen Redfern, who recently wrote about her inspiration points from Austin Kleon’s book, Show Your Work. I’ve come across Austin Kleon before. His book Steal Like An Artist helped me work through perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and valuing process/progress as well as productivity early in my writing … Continue reading Becoming a Documentarian

A Kahukōwhai for Winter

On Saturday we had a warm and sunny day, which enticed me and the butterflies outside. I packed a bag with laptop and sketchbook, made a cup of tea, and took my camera… just in case. A kahukōwhai (yellow admiral butterfly) was enjoying what the garden had to offer, and also chose my bag as … Continue reading A Kahukōwhai for Winter

In Search of Monarchs

This November, I will be holding a photography exhibition at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens gallery space. I’ve called it Wings (like my calendar) and it will feature larger-than-life portraits of butterflies from around my district. I have a few photos collected now to choose from, covering the southern blue, kahukura, kahukōwhai, copper (plus the day-flying … Continue reading In Search of Monarchs

A Weekly Dose of Nature

Today I have officially released my first Substack newsletter! You can read the letter here, or keep reading to find out a bit more about it and how it came to be. I have been enjoying the process of writing my garden memoir so much. 😍 And now, we’re three seasons in, and I find … Continue reading A Weekly Dose of Nature

Artist Date: Monarch Sunset Cruise

I have been looking forward to the Wild Dunedin events this year as every year something has come up and I haven’t been able to attend yet (Covid lockdowns, a friend’s wedding, and my exhibition in Ōtautahi/Christchurch). The festival is officially 14-23 April, so the week ahead is going to be PACKED with events for … Continue reading Artist Date: Monarch Sunset Cruise

Artist Date: Tropical Butterflies at Tūhura

This week's blog: I'm returning to my practice of Artist Dates, starting with a visit to the tropical butterfly forest at Otago Museum.

Drafting Woes & Autumn Musings

I blogged - working out the blocks on my garden memoir drafting

365 Project: January Highlights

A few favourites from January’s daily photos, as part of my 365 Project: Wildlife Butterflies Graphic

Exploring Waitaki: Elephant Rocks

Before moving to the Waitaki District, I didn’t even know that the region existed! It’s essentially North & East Otago, … More

Exploring Waitaki: Nenthorn

A couple of weekends ago our camera club went for a drive to Nenthorn, an old town from the goldmining … More