Willow Older is the owner/artist at CheekyKiwi Creations. Willow grew up in the South Island of New Zealand. During her family’s daily drive to school and work, she passed by a pristine harbor surrounded by extinct volcanoes, soaring seabirds, and craggy inlets. The water could be mirror-still or fiercely roiling; the skies ranged from clear to threatening, from brilliant turquoise to bruised purple.

Since leaving New Zealand, Willow has lived in Vermont and New Mexico, in San Francisco and Oakland. She and her family have happily called Marin County, California home since 2007.

Willow started playing with paint during a California College of the Arts class in 2007. She soon discovered she was squeezing the pure, vivid colors of her childhood onto her palette. In doing so, she was recalling some of her favorite New Zealand artists — Robin White, Michael Smither, Tony Ogle — as well as those from Vermont — Steven Huneck, Sabra Field. Print makers all, these artists have helped shape Willow’s predilection for clean lines and well-defined edges, especially when offset by bold, contrasting colors and whimsical images.

Willow’s original paintings serve as the basis for other designs from CheekyKiwi Creations, including note cards, mugs, and more.

Here’s a short, quirky video biography of  Willow. It accompanied three of her paintings during an exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum in Santa Paula, CA.

Willow is also a writer and editor offering comprehensive content services. Visit WillowOlder.com to find out more.