Hidden Land Secrets
Darkened sky and sunburned hills hide the secret geology below the land – all part of the huge web that forms the structure of the universe.
As our perceptions and understanding increase – and science delves deeper and becomes more open-minded, we are realizing the interconnectedness of all things.
I believe early man was much more aware of this than we have been until recently – it was something we lost in our relentless march to ‘civilization’.
In one of my attempts to diversify from law over the years, I took stats 101, botany 101 and geology 101, thinking of doing a switch to environmental science. I ran out of funds and came to my senses – realizing that science also is just another man-riddled discipline, but the effort sure fed the muse.
It was in the following year, when I returned to Wellington after a long summer holiday up here – without a job and with no immediate plans for my future, that out of the blue I became National Secretary to the NZ Deerstalkers Association – their former Nat Sec having left the country to run a game ranch in New Mexico. Life is full of twists and turns, leading us inexorably onwards…
‘Sacred Geometry’ added digitally later.
Acrylic on Arches Dessein 160gsm paper 25″ × 30.5″. Exhibited at Bay of Islands Arts Festival Exhibition Kerikeri NZ 1998 (invited artist). Sold to a collector from Whangarei NZ.
For more details about the artwork and products, click on the images.
Patricia
Forest Apparition
Forests are a big thing for me, maybe because I now live as close to one as it gets. Born in a city, raised in cities (London, Aberdeen, Harare), I didn’t really become acquainted with forests until, while working in a city-bound office environment in NZ, I was invited by a colleague to go ‘walking’ (or ‘tramping’ as we call it).
That introduced me not only to forests, but also to the joys of open rolling hills in a landscape geologically young enough to be steep and furrowed and very revealing of the processes that formed it.
The Wellington Region is not a gentle landscape. Referred to by Dr Graeme Stevens as ‘Rugged Landscape’ in his brilliant book of the same name, the Wellington area has been battered, uplifted and twisted by the forces of plate tectonics and carved by forceful streams and rivers to create one of the most challenging and underestimated mountain environments in New Zealand. The central part of that is called the Tararua Ranges.
In this setting can be found forests of unusual beauty – some of them stunning enough to feature on the big screen as the Elven land of Rivendell and the mysterious forests of the Shire.
Lush and species-rich in the valleys and low-lying plains, these forests change character completely at altitude, becoming short, stunted beech forests struggling for existence at about 3,500′, boughs loaded with snow in the winter months and tossed by strong winds at any time of year.
This artwork came upon me out of nowhere. Sights and impressions imprint themselves on brain and memory, to be reborn at some later date, often without effort. When that happens, magic often occurs – and exactly where the inspiration came from often remains a mystery.
I now live tucked under the remnant of a volcano standing on protected, forested land in the tropical far north of NZ. A slightly different forest again, this – yet still exerting that enthralling pull of nature that living trees generate as they populate the spaces we have frugally left to them, in these days of modern technology and ‘civilization’ run riot.
Trees have much to offer spiritually as well as physically. I guess early man knew that instinctively, but it is something we are only now coming to fully realize again, thanks to foresters and scientists who are not afraid to think and speak outside the box. May this re-awakening not be too late.
For more details about the artwork and products, click on the images.
Patricia
Rangitikei Gorge Vintage Railways Poster
Rangitikei River Gorge in vintage Railways poster style.
One of New Zealand’s iconic landscape views, as seen from the Kiwi Rail Northern Explorer – in former days the Overlander or The Limited express. This work is designed in the style of a Vintage Railways Poster.
In my days working for the government in Wellington, I used to come north at Christmas to visit my parents on the land where I now live. This visit was THE event of the year – greatly anticipated always. At first, travel by train was the only option I could afford, and the best option was the night train between Wellington and Auckland – ‘The Limited’.
On the return journey, I always awoke in time to see the majestic Rangitikei River with its sheer vertical ‘papa’ (mudstone) cliffs laid out below, as the train skirted the river’s course on high-slung viaducts. Truly spectacular!
Sadly, Mother Nature over the years has done her restoration work – plant life is overtaking and erasing (visually) the awesome majesty of those white cliffs.
So this is not an ‘accurate’ representation from the year 2020 – it is a reminder of powerful memories that live forever.
Digital – vector art.
For the non-poster version of this artwork, click HERE .
Ghost Stag
Books about hunting – especially the anecdotal kind – frequently contain stories about mighty stags that were hunted by many men without success. Invariably they disappeared without trace – only to be seen again during the roar (rut) by the light of the full moon.
One can imagine these apparitions and the stir such a sighting would have caused among local hunters. No doubt the stories were told and retold around many a fire, especially in the old days when deer were more common (in New Zealand, anyway). In those days hunting was a regular pastime and passion – even for deer cullers who often complained of long weeks of loneliness in the bush, with bad weather thrown in to boot.
It is hard not to experience a shiver of excitement at the thought of a mighty stag who eluded all the hunters and who still stalks the night skies when the hinds are on heat and the moon is full.
Acrylic on Arches Dessein art paper, 160gsm 11.25″x 13.25″
For more details, click on the images. I have reduced the chroma on the tees, Graphic Tee and Backpack – more suitable color for males.
Patricia
Fire And Water
This artwork is built around a sculpture I made some years ago as part of a set of 4 pieces symbolizing ‘The Elements’, seen in the New Zealand context.
Fire is symbolized by the volcano, and water is ubiquitous in Aotearoa, the Land Of The Long White Cloud.
Fire and water of course do not mix, and some especially spectacular results occur when volcanic magma and gases are released under the sea. This is exactly what is predicted to occur when the next eruption takes place in our largest city, Auckland – a narrow peninsula riddled with approx 53 volcanic vent holes.
In this regard, here is an interesting comment from NZ’s GeoNet:
“The type of volcanic activity in Auckland means each eruption has occurred at a new location; these are coming from a single active ‘hot spot’ of magma about 100 km below the city. … Auckland’s existing volcanoes are unlikely to become active again, but the Auckland Volcanic Field itself is young and still active.”
For more details, click on the image.
Mixed media – sculpture and Bézier pen tool vector. Created in Macromedia Fireworks MX.
Patricia
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