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A sneak peek at the very early stages of the Molesworth painting. After laying down a lot of the various layers of base colours, I've decided this scene needs a another layer of rich textured tones to capture both the warm last light reds and golds and also the contrasting cool blues...

At 800 x 500mm this artwork has just the right amount of space to include all those interesting limestone karst formations on and around Mt Owen. I've also been layering up the shaded tussocks with blues, umbers and ochres...

This year I am further exploring the Molesworth Station and St James area while I work on a collection of new paintings featuring the area. I've just returned from visiting another beautiful area in the Molesworth which reminded me how brutal it can be. So exposed with only Matagouri, rocks...

Do you where Middle Gorge Hut is? I didn't before I saw it nestled in the mountains between the Cass and the Godley (near Lake Tekapo) on a topomap. At about 1240m and with big mountains towering...

On a recent adventure to explore a little bit more of the Arthurs Pass area with the kids we did a couple of short walks to get a feel for the area. Early in the morning we started with Carroll Hut, and with the morning cloud lifting this was a lovely cool walk with great views towards Arthurs Pass and some very...

After climbing to over 1700 meters past the Parachute Rocks, which gained their name from a parachute-shaped gravel scree slope to the north you will see a collection of mountain tarns below you from the ridgeline towards the east. This particular tarn is the furtherest to the south in the basin below feeding into Merry Stream, pictured here catching the early morning light with the Raglan Range beyond. Both the broadest and tiniest details are captured here...

The kids had an epic girly (7 girls) sleepover planned up Mt Robert at Bushline Hut. The weather was lovely and they were having a great time, bouncing around the hut like baby elephants, playing manhunt in the tussocks and I was in bed by the time spotlight started.
The next morning I rose before dawn and departed from the hut watching the light change as I walked in the cool morning air along the ridge to Lake Angelus. From there I headed around the bottom of the Hinapouri Tarn, past...

I am currently adding in the final details to Middle Gorge Hut. It's been tricky doing the tussocks in the summer heat, but there's quite a few and quite a small ones at that...

Still working on the larger tussocks in the foreground. It's quite hard achieving the natural movement and overall softness, yet freezing each strand in place. Lots of layers and...

A closer look at this weeks detail work on the tussocks around the tarn in the St Arnaud Tarn painting. It sure was hot in the studio, so...

The first decent weather window in a while came upon us last weekend, so we bee-lined it for the Nelson Lakes, an easy, close spot for us to go for a dose of mountain scenery. Although I have walked & jogged the Mt Robert many many times over the years I thought it would be nice time to take the kids 8 & 10 along to Lake Angelus and down the Cascade...