Rona Osborne is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores whakapapa, wāhinetanga, and environmental connection. Raised in the Mataraua rainforest of the Wekaweka valley, her studio methodology is deeply tied to nature and everyday domestic rituals, such as feeding her chickens each morning. Osborne transitioned from full-time oil painting to hand-stitched textile work after becoming a mother, creating portable "textile paintings" using recycled and low-cost materials. Her home functions as a direct extension of her art, filled with handmade objects, warmth, and shared conversation.

Osborne positions her work around themes of matrilineal knowledge, honoring the skills passed down by her mother and grandmothers. Drawing artistic inspiration from contemporaries like Raukura Turei, Nīkau Hindin, Amy Usdin, and Teresa Hastings, her practice engages natural fibers, dyes, and repurposed textiles to form intimate taonga. Influenced by ancestral lineage and cross-generational storytelling, Osborne constructs tactile heirlooms that reflect intergenerational reciprocity, mixed heritage, and the enduring strength of female lineage. 

"Blankets are intimate, personal items, practical, yet at the same time precious, a true embodiment of the concept of taonga." 

– Rona Osborne