With a very brief weather window approaching and more snow on the way, the decision was made to get into the Molesworth Station quickly. We drove in pouring rain and out in the falling snow, feeling very fortunate to roam the hills during the two sunny, calm days in between. Again the Molesworth did not disappoint, with more rolling vistas sprinkled with snow and vast valleys to discover. Another phenomenon of the Molesworth are the old, broken, random fence lines along the highest ridges which must have been erected by manpower in the past. What a job…can’t have the stock wandering to far around themountains… We had the enjoyment of watching a inquisitive young 10 pointer check us out for about half an hour before disappearing over the ridge. From there is was a speedy slog out before the snowstorm hit.
Camp Stream Hut, a historic musterers hut on the Te Araroa trail near Tekapo with Roundhill in the background. A magical place to visit, especially in the late afternoon although once the sun falls it becomes bitterly cold. On this particular trip the walk out was sodden with snow melt and my feet lost feeling in the last main river. Brr…
Inspired by an almost dreamlike trip along ridge lines, past Lake Morgan and to the top of Mt O’Shanessy the painting is slowly taking shape. I really wanted to capture those warm, golden, summer West Coast rays that you...
While the mountains are freezing and the nights are long it's one of the best times of the year to settle in and put some quality time into painting… I have been making excellent progress on the artworks behind me in the above photo, already adding in lots of detail layers and rich washes of colour. Yet there's...
