Original painting 1m x 1.5m x 4cm
These girls (affectionately called the Cone Girls, you may recall my piece from last year) used to work for the road works at Whangamoas. For commuters it was two years of constant stop and go situation when rains had caused some major slips on the hills.
Road is finally fixed. But no celebrating the interrupted traffic flow just yet…the forestry company has decided to shave the hills on the whangamoas, meaning traffic management had to be put back in place again as the trees being cut may fall onto the road…so back to the piled up traffic…but hey, at least the girls have a new job, and they got to stay near their whanau. Already experienced in traffic management, just a change of color from orange to fluoro yellow and it’s sweet as. They feel confident and good about themselves, in their bulky safety gear and sturdy boots, it makes you feel quite manly, as no weak chick will survive here. And this summer the tourists can enjoy the newly refreshed scenic road to Nelson and witness first hand the clean green New Zealand.
This painting is from the series "Real New Zealand" where the focus has been on depicting real peoples lives, based on observations on passing situations, sometimes depicted with dark humour, sometimes having details with cryptic innuendo. Even though not likely to end up on someones pretty lounge wall today, these works are one of a kind, rare and unique, making them truly sui generis, therefore in the long run the most valued.