Lemons and Pears

OTAGO, STILL

Hardship · abundance · home

There is an old saying that pressure makes diamonds. For me, that is the essence of Central Otago.

The winters are bitter, the summers bake and the mountains that make the landscape so spectacular must once have made it feel terribly remote. Gold promised fortune, but for many the reality was hard physical work, uncertainty and the business of simply getting through another winter.
And still, people stayed.
They built with the schist beneath their feet. They planted gardens, then orchards. They brought with them the things they knew and set about making a home in a place that wasn't always interested in making it easy. Walking through Arrowtown, the evidence of its gold-mining past is everywhere. Schist cottages, old stone walls and the remains of a town built by people who came chasing gold. It is easy to admire it now. Rather harder to imagine what it must have taken to live it.
Then you look across the Valley's in spring.
Orchards burst into blossom. Fruit grows in profusion. Gardens produce flowers on an extraordinary scale. Peonies, of all things, thrive here — extravagant and blowsy above ground, while being tough enough underneath to survive everything an Otago winter throws at them.
There is something about that I love.
**Otago, Still** grew from these relationships. The native and the introduced. Rough schist and blowsy flowers. Kōwhai and orchard fruit. 
They are unlikely companions, but then places are complicated things. We shape them, they shape us,  
Because the beauty of Central Otago isn't a delicate sort of beauty. It has had to survive, it is the beauty of hardship and abundance.

Photographed in and around Cromwell, Central Otago, combining native kōwhai, orchard fruit and architectural elements from the historic precinct.

Statement Piece

Strictly Limited Collector Edition

Archival pigment print on smooth cotton rag.

Each Statement Piece is produced in a strictly limited edition, with the edition size and remaining availability specified for the individual artwork.

Presentation

The artwork is mounted to archival foamcore and float-mounted within a timber frame, creating a subtle shadow gap around the work.

A warm dark timber is the artist’s selected presentation. Alternative timber finishes are available by request, allowing the framing to be considered in relation to both the artwork and its intended interior.

Glazing

Artglass UV-protective glazing is available for Statement Pieces delivered within the Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast area, and for works framed in New Zealand.

For Australian works delivered outside this area, an alternative professional glazing specification will be arranged according to destination.

Edition Marking

Each Statement Piece is hand-signed and individually numbered according to its edition, and carries the artist’s embossed studio stamp.

Authenticity

Each work is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity recording the artwork and edition details.

Once the edition is complete, no further prints will be produced within that edition.

Statement Pieces are individually produced and professionally framed to order.

Each work is carefully packaged for safe transport and delivered ready to hang.

Complimentary shipping within Australia and New Zealand is included in the artwork price.

Please allow approximately 21 business days for printing, framing and preparation prior to dispatch. Delivery times vary according to destination.

Tracking and delivery details will be provided once your artwork is ready for dispatch.

For international collectors, please contact the studio to discuss availability, framing and delivery.

Each Statement Piece is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity, confirming the artwork title, edition number, dimensions, medium and year of creation.

The certificate provides a permanent record of the work and its place within the limited edition.

Together with the artist’s hand signature, individual edition number and embossed studio stamp on the artwork, it establishes the provenance of the piece for its collector.

Your Statement Piece has been professionally framed for long-term presentation and should be handled with care.

Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, excessive heat, moisture and high humidity. Display indoors in a stable environment and avoid positioning directly above heaters, fireplaces or in damp areas.

To clean, gently dust the frame and glazing with a soft, dry microfibre cloth. Avoid abrasive cleaners and do not use cleaning products on the glazing or frame.

When moving your artwork, handle it carefully by the frame. For larger works, two-person handling is recommended.