"I have an eclectic & varied range of interests in my artistic practice divided fairly equally between photography, painting & drawing.

The series of photographs 'Flora Metallica' & 'Starlight Studies' come from a 6-month sojourn in the South Island of New Zealand in the summer of '03/04. We were staying in an historic schoolhouse on the east coast of Dunedin & the old school library was my studio space. Opening the studio door very early one morning the gift of 'Starlight' had me running for my camera.

The gardens were expansive & tranquil, a wonderfully creative environment. The 'Flora' shots are macro photographs of a very individual copper, art deco pergola in a shady corner of the flower garden which had an alien quality that I loved."

Barbie Cope is a New Zealand based artist, she travels the world capturing its beauty through the lens. Barbie was also Melt's very first featured artist. You view her work from a trip she took to Vietnam in issue 1. Thank you Barbie for your continued support! Barbie exhibits her work in and around Auckland.