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Home Products Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
NZ artist Michelle Bellamy painting a Mole Tops tarn scene in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Michelle Bellamy painting a detailed landscape with a fine brush.
Original painting in progress depicting a scenic view of Mole Tops Tarns, Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand, featuring mountains and a tarn.
Michelle hand painting a landscape scene of the mole tops tarns.
Painting of a landscape with mountains and lake on an easel in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
Close-up of a palette with mixed oil paints in various colors
NZ artist Michelle Bellamy painting a Mole Tops tarn scene in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Michelle Bellamy painting a detailed landscape with a fine brush.
Original painting in progress depicting a scenic view of Mole Tops Tarns, Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand, featuring mountains and a tarn.
Michelle hand painting a landscape scene of the mole tops tarns.
Painting of a landscape with mountains and lake on an easel in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
A movie showing the Mole Tops painting by artist Michelle Bellamy.
Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range
Close-up of a palette with mixed oil paints in various colors

Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range

– Sold

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Mole Tops Tarns, Ella Range, Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand
Original acrylic painting on cedar framed board
By Michelle Bellamy
700 x 700mm
In progress 2025-2026
SOLD

This painting is quite special, as it progresses it takes me straight back to the three-day, two-night summer adventure into the Mole Tops with the kids.
Our trip took us in via Watson Creek, heading into the Mole Tops before making our way out via the Jameson Ridge Track. Traveling with the kids made the journey as much about the experience of being out there together as it was about reaching a particular destination. There was time to slow down, explore, stop and look around – the sort of trip where the landscape becomes part of the memory. There were memorable moments such as the final climb to the first campsite as the sun fell - unfortunately this involved thigh high speargrass (on an adult) in abundance so as the kids were exhausted they made their suffering well heard as they got pricked repeatedly.
The higher you climb in this part of Nelson Lakes National Park, the more the character of the landscape changes. Beech forest gives way to open tussock country, sub-alpine shrubs and alpine plants, creating a feeling of space and isolation. In summer, the tops can be surprisingly colourful, with small tarns reflecting the surrounding ridges and sky.
It was these Mole Tops tarns and the background Mahanga Range that caught my attention. I was drawn to the combination of rugged high-country peaks, soft summer colours and the quiet pools of water sitting among the tussock. There is something particularly compelling about tarns, often understated features within a much bigger landscape that can completely change the way a scene feels. The blue invitation in a hot day - which it certainly was.
Back in the studio, I wanted the painting to capture more than simply what the landscape looked like. I wanted it to hold something of the experience of being there – the openness of the tops, the warm evening light, the scale of the surrounding mountains and the feeling of exploring untouched places with the kids.

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