acrylic

As good as a holiday?

| Anna Cull

It’s been a little quiet in the Art Cave lately. No new paintings, no new songs, not even a haiku. I’ve been spring cleaning (an extremely rare event in this house) and while the dusting and tidying has been strangely satisfying (and quite a nice change of pace given the flurry of painting activity in the first half of the year), it really doesn’t make for very interesting blog posts. But now it’s show time again.

I will be one of more than 70 local contemporary artists exhibiting at this year’s Artarama in Christchurch. Gala Opening Night is this Friday (tickets $25pp) and then it will be open to the public over the weekend (there is a small entrance fee on show days, with proceeds being donated to BrainTree Wellness Centre). Please visit the Artarama Facebook page for more details.

I will eventually return to the easel ~ I have a whole year’s worth of paintings planned which is quite exciting ~ but now that I’ve almost finished the house, I’m pretty sure I can hear the garden calling my name.

ARTARAMA
Gala Opening Night: Friday 11th October, 6pm – 8:30pm
Show Days: Saturday 12th October, 10am – 4pm and Sunday 13th October, 10am – 2pm
Cobham Intermediate School Hall, 294 Ilam Road, Christchurch (NZ)

A little surreal

| Anna Cull

More than six months in the planning and it’s finally here… and yes, it’s a little surreal.

Friends and family joined us for the opening last night, braving the near-freezing winter evening to see our art and hear our speeches (we did reward them with wine and nibbles). Everything I’ve painted this year is in the exhibition (plus a few paintings from last year) alongside work from the very talented Georgette Thompson and Della Goodinson.

Thank you Eszter Biczok and the Liffey for organising such a fab opening night. And thank you everyone who came along to support us.

Here are a few photos taken before our guests arrived…

  • Welcome to the Liffey…
  • Georgette’s paintings, Della’s pottery…
  • my trees…
  • my skies…
  • my landscapes…
And this is me : )

THE REAL AND THE SURREAL
WEDNESDAY 12TH JUNE — SUNDAY 7TH JULY
DOWN BY THE LIFFEY GALLERY, 1 JAMES STREET, LINCOLN, CANTERBURY, NZ

exhibition poster featuring my painting of spring blossoms in Hagley Park

Blossomtime

final painting of pink cherry trees lining a footpath bordering Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand
| Anna Cull
final painting (cherry trees lining a footpath bordering Hagley Park in Christchurch, NZ) presented in the context of a line-drawn living room to give an idea of the size
‘Blossomtime’ acrylic on canvas, 610 x 510 mm, 2024. Available.

Fluffy pink popcorn
Leaps from ten thousand branches:
Spring in slow motion.

It’s strange to be posting a painting of spring in the first week of winter! (Okay, so it won’t seem at all strange to those of you in the northern hemisphere.) Christchurch’s Hagley Park is always a picture when the blossoms pop. I’ve been meaning to paint this scene for ages… and now here it is.

  • the photo reference that inspired the painting of pink cherry trees in full blossom bordering Hagley Park in Christchurch, NZ
    Photo reference
  • work in progress underpainting in greys, white and yellow ochre
    WIP 1
  • work in progress adding pale blue and more detail to the landscape
    WIP 2
  • work in progress adding green and more details to the landscape
    WIP 3
  • final painting of pink cherry trees lining a footpath bordering Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand
    Final

No charcoal sketch this time ~ just straight in with brush and paint. ‘Blossomtime’ will be part of this month’s exhibition at the Down by the Liffey Gallery.

THE REAL AND THE SURREAL EXHIBITION
WEDNESDAY 12TH JUNE — SUNDAY 7TH JULY
DOWN BY THE LIFFEY GALLERY, 1 JAMES STREET, LINCOLN, CANTERBURY, NZ

The other artists exhibiting will be potter Della Goodinson and painter Georgette Thompson.

Garden City Blocks II

final painting of buildings and trees in the foreground, and the green trees of Latimer Square park in the background
| Anna Cull

‘Garden City Blocks II’ acrylic on canvas, 510 x 510 mm, 2024. Available.
  • the photo reference that inspired the painting of buildings and trees in the foreground, and the green trees of Latimer Square park in the background
    Photo reference
  • work in progress charcoal sketch on canvas
    WIP 1
  • work in progress tonal underpainting in greys, white and yellow ochre
    WIP 2
  • further progress in the tonal underpainting
    WIP 3
  • work in progress adding colour to the landscape
    WIP 4
  • final painting of buildings and trees in the foreground, and the green trees of Latimer Square park in the background
    Final

The second in my Garden City Blocks series, the reference photo (below) was taken high above Christchurch from the window of a DC-3. I only painted one tiny section, so there’s still plenty left for me to paint if I decide to continue with this series. After a little Google Maps research, I discovered that the view was overlooking Latimer Square. I think the light underneath the trees in the park may be the hero of this particular landscape but the car-shaped objects were the most fun to paint.

The section I painted is somewhere near the lower right.

‘Garden City Blocks II’ will be part of next month’s exhibition at Down by the Liffey Gallery.

The Real and The Surreal Exhibition
Wednesday 12th June — Sunday 7th July
Down by the Liffey Gallery, 1 James Street, Lincoln, Canterbury, NZ

The other artists exhibiting will be potter Della Goodinson and painter Georgette Thompson.

Garden City Blocks I

final painting on canvas of Christchurch Hospital in the foreground, green trees, and the Arts Centre in the background, all bathed in the warm light of summer
| Anna Cull
final painting of Christchurch Hospital in the foreground, green trees and the Arts Centre in the background, presented in the context of a line-drawn living room to give an idea of the size

‘Garden City Blocks I’ acrylic on canvas, 510 x 510 mm, 2024. Available.
  • the photo reference used to create the painting, with Christchurch Hospital in the foreground, an abundance of green trees, and the Arts Centre in the background
    Photo reference
  • work in progress charcoal sketch on canvas
    WIP 1
  • work in progress tonal underpainting in greys, white and yellow ochre
    WIP 2
  • work in progress tonal underpainting, with more greys, whites and yellow ochre
    WIP 3
  • work in progress adding colour to the landscape
    WIP 4
  • final painting on canvas of Christchurch Hospital in the foreground, green trees, and the Arts Centre in the background, all bathed in the warm light of summer
    Final

This is the first of two local landscapes painted in a style similar to the Pleasant Valley Sundays. The reference photo was taken a little over ten years ago, high above Christchurch city, from the window of a DC-3. I zoooooomed in and found a view overlooking Christchurch Hospital with the Arts Centre in the background. So that you can appreciate exactly how much I had to zoom in to find my composition, I’ve posted the original unedited photograph below…

The section I painted is in the middle distance on the far left, near the wing.

The painting is, I think, now finished, and will be part of next month’s exhibition at Down by the Liffey Gallery in Lincoln.

The Real and The Surreal Exhibition
Wednesday 12th June — Sunday 7th July
Down by the Liffey Gallery, 1 James Street, Lincoln, Canterbury, NZ

The other artists exhibiting will be potter Della Goodinson and painter Georgette Thompson.

A Night to Remember

final painting of yellow, orange and purple clouds with the silhouette of three tall palm trees in the foreground
| Anna Cull
‘Yellow Orange Purple (A Night to Remember)’ acrylic on canvas, 610 x 510 mm, 2024. Available.

And what a night it was. As far as skies go, I think there is nothing yummier than clouds changing colour as the sun sets during a Canterbury nor’wester. I have painted this scene before (as ‘Red Sky at Night’ and also as ‘Warm Night, Southern Sky’) and I’m pretty sure I’ll be painting it again.

  • the photo reference that inspired the painting of yellow, orange and purple clouds with the silhouette of three tall palm trees in the foreground
    Photo reference
  • work in progress charcoal sketch on canvas
    WIP 1
  • work in progress tonal underpainting in black, grey, yellow ochre and white
    WIP 2
  • work in progress adding colour to the clouds and landscape
    WIP 3
  • final painting of yellow, orange and purple clouds with the silhouette of three tall palm trees in the foreground
    Final

With June’s exhibition fast approaching ~ as I knew it would ~ I wanted to include a few larger paintings (i.e. larger than the ones I usually paint). ‘Yellow Orange Purple (A Night to Remember)’ is the first of them ~ three more to go.

Exhibition details coming next month.