What if you could make a career out of your number one passion in life? What would you be doing right now? What would you be doing in 10, 20 or 50 years? Austen Deans followed not one but two passions, combining them into a career that has spanned more than 60 years. The first of these, is his passion for the great outdoors of New Zealand. His love of our mountains, scenery, flora and fauna has provided him with a lifetime's inspiration for his second passion, that of his art.

He was born at Riccarton House, Christchurch, December 2nd 1915
to Alexander and Nora (nee Knight) and raised on "Morven" at the Sheffield end of the Deans's original "Homebush" run. Two years later his father Alexander was killed at Passchendaele, France.

Educated at Medbury School and Christ's College, Austen showed artistic ability from an early age and at Canterbury College he soon gave up his studies for a BA in favour of Fine Arts. He chose to major in painting in preference to sculpture as it allowed him to work outdoors instead of being tied to a studio.

In 1939 he volunteered for Army service and set off overseas with the 20th Battalion to Egypt, Greece and then Crete. He was commissioned as War Artist two days before being wounded in the Battle of Crete and taken prisoner by the Germans. Supplies of painting materials through the Red Cross allowed him to continue painting while incarcerated in POW camps for the rest of the war.

January 1947 Austen married Elizabeth Hutton of Darfield, daughter of Major George and Mrs Mairehau (nee Rhodes) Hutton. 1948 Austen, with Liz and first son Alister, sailed for England so he could take up a War Bursary and further his art studies at the Sir John Cass Institute, London. Returning to NZ they settled in Peel Forest, South Canterbury on a property that they named "Chawton" after the ancestral home of Jane Austen, his namesake. There they settled into their routine of painting (Austen), farming (Liz), and raising seven sons (both).

Austen was twice the first place recipient (and once second) of the Kelleher Art Award. Under duress he wrote an autobiography, ‘Pictures', which was published in 1967. In 1981 he managed to wangle a painting trip to Antarctica - another lifetime ambition. He has since been awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to the arts.

With fourth son, Paul, he formed Vision Arts in 1990, an artists' association, which they renamed Deans Art Investments in 1999.

Austen regards himself extremely fortunate and privileged to have made a career out of something that gives him so much pleasure.