It's a classic rural scene. The sheep huddle together - eyes steady. The dogs creep closer - they have a job to do. Manawatū painter Graham Christensen's Ready for Shearing is one of the works in his latest exhibition, Our Rural Environs.
Christensen lives on a farm near Palmerston North and paints from his light-filled studio – a converted room at the back of the barn.
A charity close to his heart is Manawatū Rural Support Service, which specialises in supporting the stability and wellbeing of farmers and their families. The proceeds of the sale of Ready for Shearing will be donated to the organisation.
Christensen's paintings depict his life-long love of farming and the unique landscape New Zealand offers. His latest works are captured moments, many from his son's beef farm in Pohangina Valley. They illustrate the peaceful beauty that surrounds us - if we take the time to look for it.
Christensen was searching for a form of relaxation when he picked up a paintbrush in his early 60s - and found a life-changing improvement in his mental health.
"Painting is so peaceful, to me it's like meditation. You are very mindful when you paint, you are concentrating on the paint and the movement of the brush. You're not thinking about anything else and that makes my mind feel very still and spacious."
Another benefit is he now sees beauty in places he previously saw as ordinary. He's always on the look out for inspiration or a new scene to paint and has learned that by just taking a moment to stop and really look around, there is beauty everywhere.
A mob of cows with their calves peacefully chew their cud on a sunny afternoon, the contrast of light and the shadows along the fern-lined bank of a meandering stream, even a friendly conversation between farmers at the stockyards invokes in the viewer a memory or a sense you instinctively know that very scene - and are somehow part of the story.
The Details
What: Our Rural Environs
When: January 31- February 18
Where: Feilding Art Centre
Entry: Free