Circular Drive Mount Dobson
When I think of skiing in New Zealand, I traverse back to this painting called Circular Drive Mount Dobson. In the artwork a snow sled has made a circular path right outside the front door of this cabin.
The photo that inspired this artwork was taken by me in 1993, from the highest car park on the South Island. With this dramatic snowdrift as a back drop the ski hut stands on the edge of a basin in splendid solitude.
Circular driveways are usually reserved for grand homes; I think this ski hut is the grandest home of them all. In creating this work, I enjoyed translating the light and shade of circular curves in the snowdrifts surrounding the hut. Notice how the heavy snow on the roof has created a bend in the corrugated iron and how the windswept icicles cling to the edge of the porch.
When I finished this project I went searching for the cabin on Google maps. I’m happy to report the ski hut is still standing up against the elements. Mount Dobson ski resort was founded in 1979 by Peter Foote and family. It’s still respected as being a family friendly skiing destination. But time marches on, and since my visit in the 1990s, the cabin is now at the start of the West Valley ski trail. And the circular driveway has been replaced with a triple chair lift at the front of the cottage.
