All original paintings for sale are framed unless otherwise stated.
Originals can be dismounted for sale as an unframed work. Should you require an alternative frame to that pictured, you are welcome to discuss those options with us and utilise our framing services.
ALL art reproductions (prints) to date are in Limited Edition runs of 35. They are made available in original size, and in one or two smaller sizes. All are available framed or unframed. Please feel free to discuss with us your framing requirements.
Print Availability:. We hold very few stocks of prints in our studio, preferring instead to provide you with print work hot off the press in superb condition. (Please allow for delays that may occur through the vagaries of our country's declining postal service.)
KAKANUI
KAKANUI
Currently hanging in Selah Gallery, this stunning painting causes greater reaction than any other for its dramatic depiction of the high tussock country of Central Otago. Currently framed in box black with white mat, this work will dominate and grace any space it is displayed in.
Dimensions: Original, framed (see photo): 850mm x 670mm
Print, original image size: 650mm x 462mm
Print, A3 size, image size: 420mm x 295mm
PAINTING INFORMATION
This is an original watercolour painting by Central Otago artist, Russell Perry.
Walking along a section of the Otago Rail Trail one winter afternoon, he happened to look up through a gap in the trees and saw this magnificent sight. There lay the Kakanui mountains in all their glory. They’re not particularly high, but they stand proud as the northern guardians of the Maniototo hinterland. Frequently their tops seem to nudge the sky. To the observer, there is this marvellous visual chaos: where do the mountains end? where does the sky begin?
As the sun arced towards the horizon, the tussock slopes responded to the light, defining curves and emphasising the last warmth of the day on the cusps of sculpted folds.
This is such a satisfying land for an artist’s restless brush. Already, the decision has been made to paint Kakanui grandeur again. Soon.
RUSSELL’S WORK:
Two themes prevail: the celebration of creation and the passing of seasons.
The first attempts to capture something of the gloriously varied, colourful and imaginative output of the Master Creator. In “Kakanui”, God’s artistry is visibly applauded.
The second theme – the passing of seasons – is savagely explored here. The tree is bare. The gold of autumn is fallen. Beyond seems to lie other gold – the sun-bathed tussock lands, attractive to the eye – yet that gold is beyond reach, useless to the tree, and intensely ephemeral. In just minutes, it is gone.
Our lives are a bit like that. We take root, we grow, we extend, we cover ourselves with glory where we can, but it’s all useless to us when our season is over. And just as the high mists obscure mountain top and sky, this artist deeply rues that so many of his acquaintances do nothing to remove the obscurity of muddied thinking about life and death. Behind that mist, two discoveries await: there IS AN END to the mountain; the sky beyond is HAS NO END. The sky is very different to the mountain, but through the wonder of flight, you can go there. There IS an end to mortal life too, and, despite “misted” thinking, the eternity beyond is endless AND you can go there. Where? To an eternity called Heaven, to be with God.
Why then do so few engage their demisters to fully explore this idea? Why is it intellectually so readily dismissed? Why are we such earnest gold seekers and at the same time such insipid God seekers? Until one dares to read the Bible, to address the key concepts of Christian faith, to confess sin and seek redemption through Jesus Christ, how can truth be known? Is it so scary?
