Kendall Allum

I have always been able to draw. Words I found limiting, and I could always express myself better through drawing. When two dimensions weren’t enough, I moved to three. I first picked up a knife and a piece of kindling when I was 11 years old and I have been carving ever since. I have worked in wood, stone, glass and bone, but it wasn’t until I was given a family piece of Pounamu, that I was introduced to the Jade that would become my passion. 

My childhood was spent in Dunedin and Central Otago. I spent most of the year by the beach just south of the city, and all my school holidays inland in various parts of the Maniototo. My natural surroundings have always influenced me. I found inspiration in the natural coastline, the dry expanse of Central Otago, and the plant forms and wildlife living there. I left Dunedin for the West Coast. I spent two years at Tai Poutini Polytechnic, Greymouth, completing the first certificate in Jade Carving, then the Diploma in Jade and Hard Stone Carving. I stayed in the West Coast community, working alongside more experienced carvers to further my knowledge of carving and of the Jade I was working with. As well as experience, I also gained further inspiration from the rainforests and rugged coastline, so different from where I grew up. 

When the opportunity arose to come back to Dunedin and set up my own studio, I promptly did, establishing a workshop more fully designed for carving hard stone where I am now prodicing works of art.