Mashada is the name that the artist Jochen Schmidt chose for himself. It means "spray of flowers" in Kiswahili (an African language).

He was born in Germany, and taught art in secondary schools there before moving to Kenya to teach.

In the 1990's he moved to New Zealand. He lives in the Hawkes Bay, where he works as an artist and tutor.

He is a very successful artist, and some of his paintings have sold for $30,000.