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Here is my new painting "Fisherman's Gone Fishing at Lake Onslow, Central Otago, New Zealand", painted with acrylic on cedar framed board.
900 x 700mm and completed in 2025.
Lake Onslow is a vast reservoir nestled in the rolling tussock-covered hills of Otago, sitting 700 meters above sea level near Roxburgh in Central Otago. Known for its exposure to the elements, the lake's high altitude and open landscape make it particularly harsh and bleak during adverse weather conditions.
The fishing at Lake Onlsow is described as quite promising, although I've heard of many hours spent fishing with not much to show for the effort. I was fortunate to arrive on a calm afternoon, and although I did not have a chance to fish, did see evidence of the fish rising around the shoreline as the light fell.
As the sun fell it became more still, eventuating in one of those moments when the last golden rays bake you. I wanted to capture this warmth and stillness at this fisherman's hut, with the unique Central Otago rolling hills as a backdrop and the shadow play within the tussocks.
The isolated little huts around Lake Onslow are elevated, offering spectacular views across Lake Onlsow and the surrounding rolling hills, and each is accompanied by a very unique long drop.
View here: https://www.bellamygallery.co.nz/collections/new-paintings/products/fishermans-gone-fishing-at-lake-onslow
Despite having walked, biked, driven past & slept in the back of a yellow hilux when I was little, and many times camping since at Lake Tennyson over the years, I'd never gone for a stroll around the Lake. We'd planned to visit the area in a fine weather window that looked perfect to re-study the Princess Stream Tarns also in the area. Unfortunately the morning we were to leave, the local St James very helpful weatherman Mark Inglis (I do follow his posts very closely to keep an eye on conditions in the area) put some photos up showing quite a lot of snow coverage. I'd be hoping it would just rain...it did not, his wife Anne then sent photos of more extensive snow coverage from her heli drop...
This painting of Mt Owen has taken a bit of figuring out. It wasn't feeling quite right, and after much deliberation I decided that "glow" wasn't how I wanted it. That particular night so golden and warm, I think we even had an Aurora later on. So I ended up re-doing the sky and tarn, adding in more soft warm tones and now I'm layering up the warm sun highlights on the tussocks. It's now starting to glow.The inspiration for this painting came from a overnight trip to the summit after a run of beautiful, still bluebird days. Starting from Courthouse Flat...
This particular fisherman's hut immediately caught my eye, tucked remarkably close to a large schist rock, its tiny proportions and wonderfully simple construction make it an intriguing feature within the vast landscape on this sunbathed morning. There is something particularly appealing about the contrast between the small...
