Sean Beldon's striking artworks beautifully capture evolving moods, elements, and places, showcasing the enduring impact of music on his art. His latest exhibition, 'The weather, with you.', delves into New Zealand's varying landscapes, with a nod to the New Zealand music that found a home in his troubled South African heart.

This collection of work, bold and evocative, center around landscapes but also embody his personal connection to weather and place. Sean describes his process of jumping in his car, traversing the country with his camera, and capturing scenes against a soundtrack of his favorite songs. “I wanted to capture the essence of this place, be that through colours or atmosphere. 'The weather, with you.' explores a lot of that,” he says.

Q + A with Sean Beldon 

Your latest exhibition, 'The weather, with you.' explores the changing weather and its impact on the landscape. Can you share more about how specific weather conditions influence your artistic process and the final outcome of your works?

'The weather, with you.' is more about my internal weather. Just like the song by Crowded House, which was the departure point for this exhibition, the weather is a metaphor. Having said that, I love an atmospheric landscape. This does not mean that there needs to be specific conditions like rain, fog or sunshine to inspire a piece – it is more about how the weather interacts with the land or sea.

I try to find a sense of place through the camera lens, which later is translated on to the canvas, usually as an abstract representation. This sense or essence is where the emotionality finds its way in to the painting. A bit of what I felt like when I was looking at the place I painted.

Music plays a significant role in your life and art. How do the compositions of Split Enz and Crowded House inspire your creative process, and can you share a specific piece where their influence is particularly evident?

Music plays a significant role as the soundtrack to a road trip sets the tone. I particularly like lyrical music, rather than long instrumentals. A couple of good songs can influence the day’s photo shoot by creating storylines, associations or reminiscences.

As mentioned before, the idea for this exhibition was inspired by Crowded House’s ‘Weather with you’ and similarly quite a few works in this current collection were inspired by a line or two from the band’s songs. There are stories behind each painting. Every piece holds a memory of someone. They are not seen on the canvas, just like songs do not always reveal all the characters that make up the moment or story.

Rise, maunga | Oil on canvas | 1800mm x 1300mm 

Having grown up in South Africa and now residing in New Zealand, how do the landscapes and atmospheres of these two countries compare in your work, and how has your perception of each evolved over time?

South Africa and New Zealand have completely different palettes and the difference that is most noticeable to me is the intensity. I only really painted South African landscapes between 2011 and 2015 (with a few more over the past two years). The colours were quite bright and harsh and I think that painting New Zealand landscapes has taught me how to find the subtleties.

Your road trips across New Zealand are integral to your art. Could you describe a memorable journey that profoundly impacted your work and how it is reflected in your current exhibition?

I have been fortunate enough to travel throughout New Zealand from the Far North to the Deep South and Stewart Island. One of my most memorable was driving through the Lindis Pass in 2010. This was the inspiration for Summer thunder. With a full blown storm overhead, the drive became quite an exciting experience and the landscape was transformed as the clouds and rain rolled through. Having driven the Pass many times since (in different seasons and times of day), I now have a compilation of visual memories locked in.

Lindis Pass

Summer thunder (Lindis Pass) | Oil on canvas | 1800mm x 1500mm 

Further memorable journeys were to the Doubtful Sound and Mt Ngauruhoe on the Central Plateau of the North Island. These iconic New Zealand places inspired two of my painting themes that are evolving with each new iteration.

You mentioned that you enjoy capturing the essence of New Zealand as a New Zealander would see it. What aspects of the New Zealand landscape and culture have most surprised and inspired you since your arrival in 2007?

I would rather describe it as seeing New Zealand like someone who lives here, rather than a tourist. In 2007 I was exactly that and was quite taken by the unique landscapes I saw on my travels and just how different it was from my homeland.

There are cultural seams that run through the length of this country that the create a sense of place and belonging. I love finding little surprises like sheds, pou whenua or humble wooden churches set against the spectacular backdrop that is the New Zealand landscape. Sometimes the landscape revealed around a bend is a surprise in its own right!