With landscapes, it’s all about perspective – and Ron Tippett has spent much of his life viewing the world from angles few others experience.
The 85-year-old Motueka artist has recently been awarded life membership of the Motueka Art Group, recognising almost two decades of service. He now joins the group’s only other surviving life member, Shirley Lunn.
Ron grew up in Dunedin and first picked up a paintbrush in high school, but it was later in life that painting became a serious pursuit.
“It’s become a habit,” he explains. “I just enjoy it. Every painting is a challenge.”
His earlier career as a top-dressing pilot gave him a rare vantage point, spending long hours at 8000 feet “among the mountains,” he smiles.
It is perhaps, no wonder then that landscapes are the subjects he returns to. “I see the beauty in them,” he explains.
After retiring from aviation, Ron worked as a bus driver, another role that placed the natural world neatly within the frame of a windscreen.
“Sometimes, internally, I just go, wow!”
Motueka Art Group president Marian Painter says Ron’s life membership is well deserved, acknowledging both his presence in exhibitions and his steady contribution behind the scenes.
He is also a regular at the group’s weekly catch-ups, something Ron values for the sense of connection it brings.
The camaraderie makes painting less of a solitary pursuit, he says.
Most of his work is created in his studio on Courtney Street East, set beside the inlet walkway. The walls of both the workshop and the home he shares with June are lined with his paintings.
People are welcome to knock on the door to view his work.
