Debbie's inspired by the back country

By Mick Jensen

Local artist Debbie Lambert likes to travel and paint. She's been overseas and painted the grand buildings, statues and people that are found in Europe, but she's only splashed a few strokes on to the large canvas of her own wild and beautiful country.

That all changed a year ago, when she embarked on a journey inspired by some of the South Island more remote and natural locations. The result is her Painted Journeys exhibition, a dozen or so pieces on show at the Ashburton Art Gallery. Six of the works have been done on large, or extra large canvases, and all of them are painted in oils.

“I've always wanted to paint on bigger canvases. There's more work involved, but you can really immerse yourself in the painting as well,” said Mrs Lambert.

The subjects themselves are the lakes, mountains, big skies, rivers and valleys that make up the New Zealand landscape. Mesopotamia and scenic spots at Lake Ohau, Glen Lyon and Lake Brunner have inspired Debbie, as well as remote spots further south in the Rees Valley and Glenorchy.

Two helicopter flights to the Canterbury back country enabled her see the rugged landscape from above and to gain a different perspective of the impressive scenery. One flight was my Christmas present last year and the other was taken on the day of the big earthquake, she said.

The former North Island teacher, who fell in love with the mainland on a visit here many moons ago, lived on the West Coast for six years. She's been painting for 23 years and teaching art part-time for the last 10. Art is a passion and is juggled with a full-time job, house renovations and art tutoring, says Debbie.
Her recent painting endeavours have exposed her to sandflies, rapid changes of weather and the majesty of the South Island. She's rescued floating paintings blown into the water by sudden and violent winds and had her paint harden whilst painting above the snow line. But she's loved it all.

Debbie uses photos as a reference for her works, but prefers to paint in situ whenever possible.
“Photos are flat and there's no depth of colour. But, painting on site means that colours are crisper, sharper and that there is an all round better colour reference,” said Mrs Lambert.

“This project's been an awesome journey because I've made the effort to get out there to see and paint some amazing places.”

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