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Kaikoura |
| acrylic on canvas (2011) |
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Kaikoura is a small town on
the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is best known for
its whale watching activities, with dozens of sperm whales swimming off
this coast it's a great spot for seeing these magnificent animals. It is
also known for its storms. This painting was based on a photo I found, but as I was painting it it became less about the stunning landscape and more about the clouds of the oncoming (or is it passing?) storm. Also whilst it was being painted I discovered Philip Glass' opera Akhnaten, whose stirring, aggressive score started to inform the painting making the clouds more and more menacing, hence the subtitle is the opening line from the libretto, taken from the original pyramid texts : "open are the double doors of the horizon; unlocked are its bolts", which seemed to refer to the ferocity of nature, unleashed in a storm. Another big influence on this piece was the work of Lawren Harris, which I encountered whilst on a trip to Canada whilst this work was incomplete. The stylised clouds and smooth colours are definitely influenced by Harris' beautiful depictions of his home country. |
| This piece is available as a print |