When a Mountain Painting Becomes Part of the Story

When a Mountain Painting Becomes Part of the Story

Stories Behind the Mountains #1: 

Much of my work today focuses on original mountain paintings, fine art canvas editions, and archival paper editions inspired by New Zealand's Southern Alps.

But occasionally a painting serves a different purpose.

Occasionally it becomes part of a story that began many years before the paint ever touched the canvas.

This is one of those stories.

I first met my friend Patrick Cudennec in 1980 during a climbing season in New Zealand's Southern Alps.

At the time, my climbing partner and I were making our way up Mount Alack. As we climbed higher, the mist began to clear, revealing the TV Slab below us - a striking rock face on the side of the mountain. Far beneath us, two climbers were making their way up the slab.

I took a photograph of the scene, not knowing that it would eventually become the reference for a painting more than forty years later.

Those climbers were Patrick Cudennec from Brittany in France and Skip Novak from the United States.

Later that day we all met in the hut. Patrick and Skip were convinced that we Kiwis had been knocking rocks down on them while they were climbing the TV Slab. We denied all responsibility. Whether the accusation was serious or simply good-natured banter remains unclear, but it proved to be an excellent way to begin a friendship.

What none of us knew at the time was that a brief encounter in the mountains would lead to decades of friendship and many more adventures together.

The painting hanging in Patrick's home today captures that moment on the TV Slab. Patrick can be seen belaying below while Skip is leading above. You need to look carefully to spot them, but they are there.

Over the years our lives followed different paths, but the friendship remained. Patrick went on to spend many years working as a superyacht skipper, sailing extensively in the Mediterranean and around the world. Skip Novak became an internationally respected sailor, explorer and polar expedition leader.

Patrick's Graham Valley home, where the artwork now hangs beside a Breton-style stone fireplace.

For me, mountains have always been about more than landscape. They are places where friendships are formed, challenges are shared, and memories are created. Many of my paintings begin with lived experiences - days spent climbing, exploring and travelling through alpine environments rather than simply observing them from a distance.

Recently I had the pleasure of taking an archival cotton rag paper edition of this artwork to Patrick's home in the Graham Valley near Nelson. We selected the frame together through my local gallery and framer before finding the perfect place for it beside the fireplace.

The setting could hardly have suited the story better.

Patrick's Breton heritage is reflected throughout the house, particularly in the beautiful stonework and warm timber interior that now provide a home for the artwork.

These days Patrick is also known among friends as an accomplished cider maker. He generously supplied cider for my recent celebration exhibition marking awards received by The Minarets and High Peak, Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Standing in his home and helping him decide where the artwork should hang, I was reminded that the best stories connected to art are rarely just about the painting itself.

They are about people.

They are about places.

They are about shared experiences that continue long after the original moment has passed.

While many collectors choose original paintings, fine art canvas editions, or archival paper editions to create a focal point in their homes, this artwork serves a different purpose. It is a record of a friendship that began high in the Southern Alps more than forty years ago.

For me, that is one of the great privileges of being an artist.

The painting may start in the studio, but its story rarely ends there.