Our Story - The who, the why...

Who's Behind It

At the heart of Willa Black Prints is our founder, a proud Māori artist (Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa) who, like a lot of Māori, is also multi-cultural - with British, Irish, and Spanish heritage woven in too. That mix shows up in the work. It's tradition meeting contemporary expression, telling stories that land with people no matter where they're from.

Māori Artwork, Made by Māori Artists (Toi nā Māori)

Here's something we want to be really clear about: every piece of Māori artwork is made by a Māori artist. Each design carries real connection to whakapapa, to te ao Māori, and to the stories behind it. We take that seriously every single time, no matter what the piece is about.

We also know this kind of work is sensitive, and we never take it lightly. If you have a genuine cultural concern about how something has been represented, please let us know. 

Giving Back

We get asked a lot to support fundraisers and community causes, especially ones connected to kaupapa Māori. Where we can, we  contribute artwork to that kind of mahi. We can't say yes to every request that comes through, but giving back matters to us - which is why we set up Art for Causes, a collection where a portion of every sale goes straight to a chosen charity.

The Skills Behind the Work

Our founder works mainly in digital artistry, but there's real range there too - hand drawing, painting, and photography all feed into the digital work in different ways. Honestly though, what really shapes each piece is imagination, a sharp eye for detail, and a genuine love of interiors - thinking about how art actually lives in a real space, not just how it looks on a screen. And underneath all of that is a deep love for Māori culture and for our kāinga (home), Aotearoa New Zealand. That's really where the heart of it comes from.

Artist Privacy

We don't share names or faces. It means our artists get to create freely and honestly, without their personal lives getting tangled up with their creative one.

There's another side to this too. Māori-led businesses sometimes get a particular kind of attention online - and it's not always kind or fair. Keeping things private means the work gets judged on its own merit, by people who genuinely just want beautiful, meaningful art for their walls.

We get that all of this might raise questions, and that's completely fair. But it's actually quite normal for artists to want anonymity, they just love the craft and want to share it and take pride in any piece finding its place on a wall in a loving home, office, school, institution, organisation. 

Ngā mihi ♥