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:waste not want not Traditional Samoan upbringings has instilled in two artists the importance of careful creativity It wasn���t until she was a teenager that Leanne Joy Lupelele Clayton learnt the people she called mum and dad were not her true parents. The Gold Coast based artist and her younger brother were brought up by their grandparents ��� not an unusual practice for many in the Samoan culture, however the way the adoption was brought about was anything but normal. The mother of six tells of her grandfather���s trickery when he convinced Leanne���s birth mother, his only daughter, to sign forms that he said would allow him to become a New Zealand citizen. ���My birth mother had two children out of wedlock,��� Leanne explains. ���The papers that she signed were in fact adoption papers. You can imagine how heartbroken she was but I���m grateful to him because I wouldn���t have had the great upbringing I had if I stayed with my birth mother.��� Leanne also had younger siblings who she would see once or twice a year during visits to her birth parents. ���We would go stay with them but I would always want to go back to my home to be with my mum and dad.��� Leanne grew up in a colourful and creative 106 | www. h e rma gaz i n e . c o. n z household. Her grandparent���s house in Mt Eden stood out on a street of homes all painted white with tame manicured gardens. It was turquoise and surrounded by gardens brimming with banana trees, taro leaves and bright red hibiscus. Leanne���s grandparents nurtured her creativity. Leanne would help her grandmother who hand printed on calico; she would go to Auckland Hospital to get x-ray sheets which her grandmother would use to create stencils. Leanne became very interested in motifs and patterns and by age 12 she refitted dresses to make her own clothing. ���My culture has a major influence in my work,��� Leanne explains. ���Nothing was ever wasted; we weren���t even allowed to touch the peaches on the peach tree. My dad would sit every morning after he fed the cat and count every peach. The peaches were only supposed to be used once they were ripe for preserving which would then be given away to family and friends.��� This upbringing gave Leanne the idea that nothing really belonged to her and it wasn���t unusual to see an aunty or uncle wearing your clothes. The most important thing was community and family and ensuring there was enough to go around. Her affinity for designs and re-cycling materials re-emerged when Leanne began art courses after the youngest of her six children started school. During a Certificate in Visual Arts Level 4 course at Manukau Institute of Technology, Leanne connected with printmaking because the repetition of printmakers such as Andy Warhol reminded her of tapa���s repetitive motifs. More so, printmaking reminded her of her artistic grandmother who had first encouraged Leanne���s creativity. She went on from the Level 4 course to complete a Bachelor of Visual Design and Masters of Fine Arts at Auckland University of Technology, receiving prestigious scholarships along the way. Leanne���s work has been included in many exhibitions throughout New Zealand and internationally in 2008 in Le Folauga at Kaohsiung Museum in Taiwan. Her work can be seen at Okaioceanikart and Pauanesia in Auckland, and at the Pataka Museum in Porirua, Wellington. Leanne is fervently embedded in her aiga (family) and has a strong commitment to her Christian faith. Working collaboratively reflects Leanne���s dedication to her community as well as demonstrating a desire to share and learn from other artists.