Artist in Residence - Helen Casey 

1st February-31st March, 2026

Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, 10am - 4pm

Treehouse Visitors Centre, Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā 

This summer, the lush heart of Wellington will become a living canvas as local artist Helen Casey takes up a 2-month Artist in Residence position at the Treehouse in the Wellington Botanic Garden. Known for her intricate wildlife illustrations and deep love of wild places, Helen Casey will create new work inspired by the Gardens — focusing on native birds and foliage, captured in delicate pen and ink.

Helen is running workshops in February and March, providing a unique chance for you to explore your artistic side. Follow the links below for more details and to purchase tickets:

Drawing Basics With Botanica 
Sun 15 February, 10:15am-1:15pm
Learn the tips and tricks needed to master the basics of drawing, with a botanical theme. Focusing on certain time-tested exercises and practices that train the hand and eye to work together, you will learn to see things ‘as they are’ in order to draw realistically.

Create Celtic Botanical Birds 
Sun 15 March, 10:15am-1:15pm
In this imaginative and creative workshop you will discover the relaxing process of drawing Celtic botanical bird art you can colour in later, while also learning about composition, balance and design.

Brought to you by The Friends of the Wellington Botanic Garden. All of Helen's artwork is for sale in the Treehouse, with a portion of the sale going towards Friends projects in the Garden.