About Puiaki

A collection of modern "illustration style" artworks based on hand-drawn pictures with digital influences and high quality production methods.

The Puiaki brand is the brainchild of UK born, New Zealand artist - Mark Cain. Under this label you will find a whole host of modern illustrations used to produce a range of creative design products.

As an artist, Mark also endeavours to release a series of hand made original works each year. These are sometimes based on new creations and others that are influenced by existing Puiaki illustrations - with a reinterpreted design twist.

See the Original Works here.

What does Puiaki mean?

Puiaki is a Māori word and means "rare, precious, valued, and prized." The definition can be read in the online Māori dictionary. Take a look here, www.maoridictionary.co.nz

1. (adjective) be rare, precious, valued, prized.
2. (modifier) rare, precious, valued, prized.
3. (noun) treasure, prize.

If a person was given the Māori name of Puiaki this would indicate they were a patient and meticulous person who enjoys working in a very detailed, systematic way.

The Puiaki Logo

The Puiaki logo uses a Mandarin character meaning "jewel, gem, treasure, or precious." In English this is written as 'bao.'

The definitions of the Puiaki word/name and the Mandarin character combine nicely to reflect the thought process and the detailed artistic methods employed by Mark as the artist.