Living in the Mountains

July 23, 2020

From my house in Reefton I look out on the rugged Paparoas mountain range, clothed in bush. The colours and landscape are so different from Nelson. These are olive greens, purples and dark blues, often dark and often covered in mist, fog or cloud. The mountains emerging from the mist, the ribbons of fog in the valleys and the ever-changing clouds are inspiring.  Over lockdown in March and April I got into a routine of spending time in the studio every morning. However I have found it very challenging to draw the landscapes, the fog and mist, the skies here. Translating the inspirations of this place, these colours and light, into artworks, I am finding difficult.

I intend to be outside to observe and draw and paint, perhaps the river and the bush, once winter passes. How to draw the fog and mist?!  Maybe my next series of work will be more abstract than my Nelson paintings,  with colours and textures inspired by being here?