Kaitoke Close-Up

Kaitoke Regional Reserve - Close-Up
I enjoy the complex interplay of colour, especially when a lot of quite vivid and unrealistic colours are used in close proximity to give an overall lively impression of a realistic colour. This was probably the first time that I consciously worked at achieving this approach. (See the image on the left for some detail.) (Oil on stretched canvas, 400mm x 300mm)

Labelled with ICRA

The close-up view above shows the bottom left corner in detail. This shows the way in which I used many shades of green, and splashes of red among the greens. I also deliberately used splashes of purple set alongside predominantly brown sections.

I took the photo on which this painting is based at the location where the “Rivendell” sequence was shot in the filming of the Lord of the Rings movie. (Located near the Kaitoke reservoir north of Upper Hutt.) It has long been a favourite place of mine, as I used to spend quite a bit of time here when I was in my teens, and it not only has good memories for me, but also an ambience that for me is unmatched anywhere else.