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Spot the difference! In each of these photos you can see the Lake Onlsow painting taking shape. Notice how each stand of tussock is made up of many multi-coloured layers? I try to get the tussock strands to entwine naturally, it makes for slow work but the final effect is worth it. This is the second painting from my Lake Onslow study, from a chance moment when a not so magical evening became just that for a few moments as the sun departed.
Arriving late in the afternoon, after many endless km's of meandering gravel road and being stuck behind a large flock of sheep, I was greeted by Lake Onslow a man-made lake 700m above sea level near Roxburgh, Central Otago.
To my dismay the village of fisherman huts were overhung by grey cloud and looked rather lifeless. However it was a completely still evening, the silence only disrupted by distant hungry cows mooing, and as I explored the huts I came across a trout fisherman making dinner. We had a chat while night fell, he then went off fishing and I continued to explore. Just as the last rays of sun were leaving, the grey clouds moved around and lifted, the light streamed in bathing the little village in warm evening light...
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...
