Painting - 'Tongariro Jack'

Tongariro Jack.

Acrylic on board (120cm x 60cm).

This painting was inspired by the capture of a magnificent male Rainbow Trout in full spawning regailia, on its winter spawning run up the Tongariro River. The fish was 61cm long and weighed nearly 3Kg. While not a massive fish, its bright colours were a stark contrast to the muted grey and brown tones of the boulders, giving the fish an almost neon quality. A brilliant fish from a wild river.

My intention with the painting was to juxtapose the gleaming, colourful trout against a barren, wild, riverscape. At the time of capture the water had a slightly milky, turquoise appearance, often encountered while winter fishing, so this also needed to feature in the painting.

I resisted the urge to add more objects to the composition, other fish for example. I believe this would have detracted from the harsh, barren environment that I wanted to portray.

I enjoy the challenge of painting in a realistic style and used this approach for the painting. The close up shots on the left show some of the detail incorporated into the work.

If you are interested in limited edition prints of this painting or would like to buy an original work please email me.