Max Thomson’s paintings evoke tranquillity, a feeling we are looking into an area of the garden we have not noticed before.

Moody, painterly landscapes of shrubs, trees, and grassy pathways around Te Hau Kapua Devonport are captured at intimate scale in this exhibition by local artist Max Thomson. The format or structure of each painting can be suggestive of ominous, hidden things that may be lurking around the corner. A resident of the area for almost ten years, these paintings are a collection of places which caught Thomson’s imagination on account of the lighting at a particular moment—or lack of it—while walking in the neighbourhood.

Thomson uses heavily applied textural brush marks and rich finishes, reinforcing each scene’s strongly defined shadow with deep violets and contrasting ochres. An eye for mystery and narrative sees Thomson drawn to the surreal trees, bulbous shrubs and winding pathways that can be found around each corner when exploring the parks and gardens of Te Hau Kapua Devonport.