MARK TAYLOR/Stuff Neal was commissioned by the Waipā District Council to paint the mural and has another project coming up at the nearby Leamington Domain. “There were also a lot of requests for art in homes, I guess because people were spending so much time there, they wanted it to look better.” Neal grew up near New Plymouth and studied art at Wintec in Hamilton, before shifting across the ditch with her partner Brendan Neal to start a new adventure. In March they made the decision to return to New Zealand to be closer to family, after more than a year of moving in and out of alert levels.