Dr. J.P. Antill grew up between the Te Wai Pounamu (Greenstone Is-land) mountains of the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the Pacific Ocean. A sixth generation New Zealander with both Ngai Tahu Maori ancestry (Iwikau of Akaroa) and European Pakeha whaler and settler farmer ancestry, from Northern Ireland, Scotland and England - she was brought up by an extended family and friends, involved in farm-ing, teaching, tramping, skiing and mountaineering. While making a living as a researcher, writer and editor at the National Art Gallery, the Public Service and more recently in the family vineyard - her fascination has always been with the natural landscapes and their deep interaction with the human mind, expressed in art and culture, and as well the human created landscapes - and how these landscapes are all manifestations of spirituality.
