[1][2][3] He became interested in glitter as a medium in the 1990s when he was a student at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

This work, which uses glitter, was included in an exhibition shown in Noumea as part of the Eighth Pacific Arts Festival.

[1] In 2014 ANZ Bank began creating 'GAYTMs': ATM machines covered in artworks supporting the Sydney Mardi Gras, and later the marriage equality bill.

Paterson references his Scottish and Māori heritage by using paisley and koru designs in his works, and has said that he is inspired by “wallpaper, Hawaiian shirts, Dad’s ties and my kuia’s party dresses”.

[2] As a child, Paterson spent time at Piha, and he credits the sparkling black sand and sea there as an influence on his extensive use of glitter.