Artwork Information

Lake Wanaka occupies a glaciated trench on the eastern side of the Southern Alps in Central Otago. It is fed by a number of rivers and its outlet is the Clutha River. This watercolour by James Crowe Richmond, a politician who was also a talented amateur artist, is a wonderfully atmospheric view of Lake Wanaka with Mt Aspring rising majestically in the distance. The curious fuzziness of the distant hills, achieved by applying blotting paper to wet paint, translates an atmospheric effect typical of the region. (A Story of New Zealand Waterways, 2002)