Alli Marie is a designer, artist, yoga teacher and lover of natural landscapes.
Originally from Canada, she moved to New Zealand four years ago and to Wānaka almost three years ago.
Marie had visited the region a decade ago and felt a connection with the region’s safety and beautiful terrain.
"It feels so safe here and there are endless adventures," she said. "... My nervous system is more at peace."
As a passionate hiker she felt the natural environment in parts of Canada had more to fear with bears and wolves commonly found in the wild.
Marie grew up with outdoor activities. Her uncle had been a ski patroller with Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, Canada, and was the one to spark her interest in snow sports.
"He would teach my cousin and I how to ski between his calls and so I was kind of doomed from a young age to be obsessed with mountain talents," she said.
It was her time spent exploring this environment that inspired her to represent it through art and design.
Whether it was hiking or skiing, one of the essentials in her pack was often a small notebook to draw what she saw.
"I would either draw the view, or I would draw the topography in a shape ... especially if it was an overnighter because then it was a fun way for me, one, to pass the time, and two, to remember my time there."
After accumulating several journals filled with sketches, she was encouraged by friends to put her hobby to work and start selling her designs at local markets.
She started at the first market in January and is now creating custom orders for people who are seeking to remember a natural landscape that held special meaning to them.
The best part of her job was hearing heartwarming stories about why people valued a particular place, she said.
"I did a full painting piece of someone whose dad had passed away, and they scattered his ashes at the top of this mountain (Mt Iron).
"I made sure that where his ashes were scattered, I splotched gold in the painting."
Her art was usually a mix of painting and some digital work, especially to create the contour lines.
She has since grown her market presence
and has also expanded the material she sells. As well as prints of different sizes, Marie has also created cards and stickers.
Marie said she hoped to one day design a clothing line and top sheets for skis.
She expressed her passion for nature not only through art but also through her weekly yoga classes.
It had been an anchor in her life since the age of 15 and had brought her comfort during times of injury or unrest, she said.
"I think whenever I was going through a really hard time ... it was a really great way for me to process emotions and thoughts and have it as an outlet."
Marie's next display will be in the Wānaka Arts labour weekend exhibition from October 23 at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
