This commission was a bit special, both for the client and for me. The Press Building was the home of The Press newspaper from 1909 until February 2011. A beautiful building situated in Cathedral Square, it was one of the casualties of the Christchurch 2010–2011 earthquakes. Even though the painting shows its last autumn (in 2010), we wanted it to represent happier times and evoke fond memories.
The painting is a combination of two of my In the Style of… paintings: the building and tree from The Press and the leaves from Tram. The red geraniums originally appeared in Press Lane, an experimental sketch I did in 2013. I photographed the final painting on a dull day — the tree is actually very dark brown, not black. And at 40″ x 54″ (1015mm x 1370mm), it’s my largest ever painting.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 
Love it. I remember this building so well…
Thanks, Maureen. It really is a shame that we’ve lost so many beautiful old buildings. I was studying just a few doors down from The Press in 2010 and so I used to walk through Cathedral Square most days. I’m really glad I had those months in the city.
Beautiful painted. I like very much the perspective, from down to up, and the colors are very well chosen (sorry for my bad English).
Your English is fine : ) Thank you for your comments. I’m glad you like it.
Love the perspective of the building behind the tree. And i love how you did the leaves. I know it’s Autumn, but the leaves remind me of Christmas lights. So sad that you lost this building in an earthquake.
Thanks, Carol. They do look like Christmas lights! And now that you mention it, the red geraniums look Christmassy too. Yes, it was a shame to lose the beautiful old building (and so many others). The now empty Press site is currently being used as a car park.
What a great way to remember. I like what you created for this, Anna.