when you come to the end of the day

15 February 2015

When I was a teenager there was this TV programme called Airwolf. I'm not sure if anyone remembers it. It was about a pilot with an amazing helicopter that was a hero saving someone new each week. Mostly I can't remember exactly what it was about, but what sticks very well in my mind is that each episode ended with the hero retiring back to his lonely log cabin on the shores of a beautiful alpine lake and sitting on the jetty playing his cello. It was back then, living in a big, crazy city, that a dream was born for me. I knew I wanted one day to live in a log cabin on the shores of an alpine lake.

When my husband and I immigrated to New Zealand we found those lakes. And while we still don't have the little log cabin, we do live in a tiny town on the edge of a lake. We've left the cities behind and are surrounded by crystal clear blue waters, mountains, golden tussock hills, big skies and lots and lots of space.

Capturing the feel of Central Otago, where we live, is an ongoing theme for me. The colours here are so unique - golds, turquoise, yellows, oranges, and reds contrasted with big blue mountains capped with white snow. The scene I've painted here isn't an actual place, instead it captures the feeling of my backyard, the place I call home.

Here is a progress shot...