Gallery

Head of the Lake oil on canvas New Zealand Artist

Struan Macdonald Near Bealey oil on canvas New Zealand Artist

Struan Macdonald Near Arthurs Passoil on canvas New Zealand Artist

Arthurs Pass, near Bealey

The Bealey spur walking track winds steeply through native bush eventually climbing above the bushline affording a spectacular view across the Waimakariri flood plan towards Mt Bealey. The drama of the scene was added to by a rain storm making its way across the Southern Alps. This eventually closed in to obscure the whole view and necessitated a retreat back down the hill to shelter in the forest.

Pa Island, near Okains Bay

Among the many bays and inlets on Banks Peninsula is remote Pa Island. Once a Nga Tahu fortress the Island was connected to the mainland via a vine bridge. The island served as a defensive stronghold for the nearby kaianga. The scene here is captured on a day in late summer. The land is parched and the grass is dried to an intense tawny.

Arthurs Pass Forest

Arthurs Pass traverses some of the most spectacular native forest scenery in the country. This work was designed to hone in on just the forest to give a sense of the atmosphere and variation of colours in the forest.

Arnold River near Lake Brunner

Always a favourite subject to paint, New Zealand’s native forest, this time on the banks of the Arnold River near Lake Brunner. The scene here was characterised by an incredible stillness. With not a breath of wind and the water quietly flowing out of the lake the sense of peace here was profound.

Routeburn near Flats Hut

The extraordinary scenery in the Wakatipu region provides endless inspiration for painting. This is one of a number of my works depicting the Routeburn River. The Routeburn track follows alongside the river and eventually ascends to the Harris Saddle.

Lake Tekapo

Diptych
A view of the north western shore of lake Tekapo, a late afternoon in July. Snow had fallen the previous night and another snow fall was on the way. This spectacular scene seemed to some alive just as the last rays of sun found a gap in the cloud illuminating the mountain side.

Abel Tasman Beach

Abel Tasman offers an incredible range of subject matter from which to paint. In this scene I sought to capture the simplicity of waves lapping the sandy beach of this secluded inlet. This was an incredibly beautiful - and solitary place with only the sound of the waves, birdlife and sea breeze to be heard.

Lake Manapouri

Diptych
Fiordland National Park offers a huge range of hiking opportunities. One of the artist's favourite places to explore is the many inlets and bays of Lake Manapouri. This winter scene executed initially as a diptych and later as a triptych depicts mountains on the northern shore with snow freshly fallen during the previous night reflecting in the clear cold waters of the lake.

Mount Earnslaw

Another winter scene, this time Mt Earnslaw at the head of Lake Wakatipu. On this day, the late afternoon heralded an approaching front probably bringing another snowfall. The gradual build up of high altitude cloud helped increase the drama of the scene, particularly as the sunlight continued to reflect on the mountain while the sky beyond grew darker.

Routeburn

The Routeburn River threads it’s way steeply dropping from the Humbolt Mountains until it reaches flatter land before flowing into the Dart River. This scene of the calmer reaches of the river is backdropped by Upper Peak, one of a number of peaks in the Humbolt range rising above 2000 metres.

Abel Tasman

Inspired by a hike along the Abel Tasman Great Walk during summer, this scene of one of the many bay’s depicts the emerald water of the bay gently rolling onto the beach. As with much of the coastline in this area, the forest clads the hills almost to the water and in this case makes a backdrop for the motion of the water.

Fiordland Forest

One of the great pleasures of hiking is happening upon an unexpected scene. As was the case here, a tramp through forest in Fiordland for several hours was punctuated by this discovery of a clearing containing a small lake. It was the perfect location to be still, take in the scene and absorb the atmosphere before continuing on through the forest again towards the campsite to spend the night.

Wakatipu near Glenorchy

An earlier painting of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains beyond. The clarity and movement of the lake water provided an interesting contrast with the solidity of the mountain backdrop.

Ben Ohau Range

The Ben Ohau Range in the McKenzie Country clad in snow during winter provided a vista inspiring this work. Of particular interest here was the way that light is reflected and bounces around among the valleys. The cold of the snow covered hills is contrast with the warm tawny colour of the tussock in the foreground.

Raupo Bay

Close to Cholton and O’Kane’s Bay on Banks Peninsula this commissioned work offers a view of Raupo Bay and the hills beyond. Summertime on the peninsula is typically dry and can be hot. Not uncommonly in late afternoon cooler air comes in off the coast bringing with it low mist. The softening element of the mist contrasting with the warmth from the land and the surf rolling in from the Pacific Ocean is what I sought to capture here.

Mount Sefton

Adjacent to Aoraki Mt Cook, Mt Sefton rises above the Mueller and Hooker Glaciers. This extraordinarily beautiful part of New Zealand offers a diverse range of subjects to paint. Of particular interest to me here was the softened sunlight reflecting off the snow covered mountainside as well as a sense of the power of the glacier which carved its way through the rock to form the valley.