Rhododendrons (after Maughan), oil on canvas, 160 x 110cm
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Artist Sam Foley hopes to give back to the place he has always loved through his latest exhibition, which features one of the city’s landmarks. He tells Rebecca Fox about his love of the city’s botanic garden.
Running through Dunedin Botanic Garden, artist Sam Foley does some of his best thinking — and possibly some of his most confused.
It was the confused thinking that finally galvanised him into creating his latest exhibition, when he realised waiting for someone to die before painting something did not really make sense.
Foley, who is known for his detailed urban and nature landscapes, has always loved the botanic garden and has fond memories of time spent there as a child.
"Mum used to take us there, it’s firmly etched in my memory as an environment. We spent endless hours in that old playground where the car park is now."
Still living in the North end today, Foley runs every day during the week through the garden, and can often be found there with his daughter at the weekends.
"There is always something new to see. I’ve been to quite a few botanic gardens around the place and this one really stacks up, but maybe I’m biased."
The idea of painting the garden, especially the upper garden, seemed a natural idea. So Foley gave it a go, but each time he did, he felt was "ripping off" one of New Zealand’s most recognisable painters, Karl Maughan, who specialises in garden scenes, even though he paints differently to him.
"It was an issue for me. It was psychological but it was getting in the way of something I wanted to do. It’s been a funny process in that respect. Coming to terms with ‘can I do it?’ Trying to see my way to a situation where I can."