O N   T A Y L O R    R O A D

 

On Taylor Road:   Kukupa  / Valley  2008   oil on linen  1200 x 600mm  

 

Taylor Road in Waimauku follows a ridge, characterised by brushy kanuka and scrubby mapou, criss-crossed by power lines running between perilously leaning poles. Across the valley, Renall’s Farm surges up to the iconic stand of kahikatea, taraire and kanuka. My paintings are intended to reflect the nature of this familiar well-loved landscape, vibrant with birdlife.  

 

On Taylor Road:  Kukupa    2008   oil on linen  1000 x 600mm  

The islands of native bush nestling in the nooks and crannies on Renall’s Farm distinguish the rhythms of the hill. Their darkness makes the land glow. Mist separates the layers of hills towards the head of the valley. Like wood pigeons materializing from their camouflage when sunlight turns their feathers to an array of gold, alizarin and viridian, ridges and valleys that are normally concealed in their mantle of native bush become apparent.

 

On Taylor Road:  Wharauroa / Kukupa    2008   oil on linen  1200 x 600mm  

I love the way the kanuka staggers along the skylines, and regenerates so easily everywhere; the flat ribbon-like quality of the cabbage tree leaves, their rattling swords.  I love the symmetry of Renall’s hill, as it stretches alongside the full length of Taylor Road, like a great manaia keeping pace with the ridge.

I believe this valley is the most beautiful place in the world, and I count myself very fortunate to live here.

 

On Taylor Road: Wharauroa Valley   2008   oil on linen  1950 x 300mm  

I begin each work by observing, and an aspect I’d like to explore becomes apparent. I choose to use oil paints for their malleable character and colours that are true pigments - for the most part, earth colours - and linen for its very characteristic texture and strength. I love the glow of warm cadmium yellows through the paint, the sparkle of alizarin left at an edge, the texture of linen revealed when the pigment is brushed lightly over or rubbed away.

 

On Taylor Road: Renall's Hill II   2008   oil on linen  1950 x 300mm  

 

I am well-known for my use of unusually long canvases - more than six times as long as they are high. The width enhances the sense of space within the frame; but I believe it also stretches the imagination, and infers the idea of the landscape extending beyond the edges of the canvas.

 

On Taylor Road: Renall's Hill    2008   oil on linen  1950 x 300mm  

 

When I am painting, I don’t really make decisions, so much as follow sequences of instinct.  Landscape is more than just something to hang my paint on; I feel a deep empathy for the land.  I identify so closely with the land that in a sense I become the land. In this rationale, perhaps all my landscapes can be seen as self-portraits.

Contemplating this valley fills me with a powerful sense of belonging. When people see my work, I'd like them to feel a more profound connection with the energies that underlie the landscape, and a greater sense of our place within it.

 Sarah McBeath August 2008

  On Taylor Road:  Lehmann's Bush  2008   oil on linen 1000 x 400mm

W A I M A U K U

 Taylor Road  2007   oil on linen 1950 x 300mm

  Renall's Bush: towards Muriwai  2005   oil on linen 1950 x 300mm

  Waimauku: towards Muriwai  2004   oil on linen 1975 x 300mm

more paintings of Waimauku